Children in care and care leavers could be given more support

Councillors are being asked to recognise that young people who are in care or who have left care are likely to face discrimination.

They voted in July in favour of making “care experience” a protected characteristic, along with age, gender, race, disability, religion, sexual orientation, marriage, pregnancy and gender reassignment.

Next week, a Brighton and Hove City Council committee will be asked to adopt “care experience” as a protected characteristic.

If it does, reports to council committees and any equalities impact assessments would be expected to consider the implications of decisions on children in care and those who have left care.

A report to the council’s Children, Families and Schools Committee said that the council was a “corporate parent” to 332 children in care and a further 381 young people previously in care.

The report, for a meeting next week, said that 24 per cent of the prison population had spent time in care.

It also said that 41 per cent of 19 to 21-year-old care leavers were not in education, employment or training, compared with 12 per cent of other young people of the same age.

Sixty-six per cent have special education needs and 35 per cent have an education, health and care plan (EHCP) compared with 12 per cent of the general population.

Fifty per cent of children in care have a diagnosable mental health condition, according to the report.

It said: “By adopting care experienced as a protected characteristic, in addition to addressing discrimination and prejudice, any developments or policy decisions made by the council will need to consider the impact upon children in care and those who have experienced care.

“This will support the council in its statutory role of corporate parent and ensure this responsibility is promoted across all council services.”

The council has a £4.6 million budget for care leavers, partly funded with £1.6 million of government grants but the report said that the proposed change would not affect this budget.

Labour councillor David McGregor proposed the initial motion at the meeting of the full council on Thursday 20 July. He said: “Care leavers face a difficult upbringing that many of us couldn’t properly imagine.

“I’ve heard of the judgment care leavers have faced, the condescension of their achievements and the many hurdles they have to overcome.

“We know that policies like this work. In fact, 30 other councils in the country have added care leavers as a protected characteristic.”

The Children, Families and Schools Committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 4pm on Monday 11 September. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.