Guaranteed extra support from key public sector services 

Become statement in response to the Government’s amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to expand corporate parenting responsibilities.

We welcome the Government’s announcement of its intention to expand the support provided to care-experienced young people beyond local authorities to all Government departments and some public sector bodies, including schools, NHS Trusts and the Youth Justice Board. The amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will see a duty placed on public bodies to take care-experienced young people into consideration when designing policies and delivering services, to be alert to their needs, and to take action to improve outcomes.

Become co-ordinates the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Care-experienced Children and Young People which last year carried out an inquiry into initial Government proposals to expand corporate parenting responsibilities. The inquiry heard from 200 organisations and individuals, including 160 care-experienced young people, and highlighted the positive impact that expanding support would have on the lives of children in care and care leavers.

Many of the inquiry’s recommendations are adopted in the Government’s new proposals. However, we believe the Government could do more to improve the scaffolding of support around care-experienced young people, and we will be studying the details to see how the proposals could be strengthened as the legislation progresses.

Katharine Sacks-Jones, CEO of Become, said:

“For children in care to thrive support can’t end with their local authority. Health, welfare, education and other services play a huge role in their lives and can shape their futures. We welcome this much needed step to ensure more public bodies take responsibility for supporting young people to live happy and healthy lives.”

At the time of the inquiry, a care-experienced young person shared the difference the extra support would make:

“A collaborative approach with other organisations rather than just the council is really important because it does take a village to raise a child.”