Care Experienced People Recognised as a Protected Characteristic

In March 2023, the Council passed a motion thatcare experience will be treated as if it were a Protected Characteristic so that future services and policies are assessed through Equality Impact Assessments to determine the impact of changes on people with care experience, alongside those who formally share a Protected Characteristic

When making any decisions in relation to its policies or formulating Corporate Plans the Council recognises that Care Experienced people are a vulnerable group who face discrimination and agreed the following:

• That the Council has a duty to put the needs of vulnerable people at the heart of decision-making through co-production and collaboration.
• That in the delivery of the Public Sector Equality Duty the Council includes care experience in the publication and review of Equality Objectives and the annual publication of information relating to people who share a Protected Characteristic in services and employment.
• This Council will provide support to Corporate Parents to act as mentors.
• The Council will champion this with our partners and work with other bodies to treat care experience as a Protected Characteristic until such time as it may be introduced by legislation.
• To call upon other public bodies to adopt corporate parenting for children in care and care leavers until such time as it may be introduced by legislation.
• For the Council to proactively seek out and listen to the voices of care experienced people when developing new policies based on their views.

 The Council’s current offer for care experienced people includes the following:

• Guaranteed interview scheme.
• Peer to Peer Mentoring via Gorse Hill Studios
• Flexible paid work experience in Virtual School
• Apprenticeship in Virtual School
• Care pathways in Virtual School 
• Paid work for supporting with Trips.