Agenda item

This is an opportunity for members of Care In Action (CIA) and Care Leavers in Action to feedback on recent activity.

T (Care in Action) informed the Committee that the Bright Spots Survey was now officially finished, and the Care in Action (CIA) group had explored resources for that and how it could be improved. CIA had produced leaflets for social workers and personal advisers to give guidance on issues pertinent to looked after children and care leavers, such as how to build trust, building healthy relationships, and quotes from looked after children and care leavers. The CIA stamp would be included on the leaflet to show it had been co-designed, checked and approved by looked after children before distribution. T informed the Corporate Parenting Committee about the Brent Care Journeys project she had been involved in, which was to develop memory boxes. She had shown her memory book at the last Corporate Parenting Committee and had also presented it to CIA members to demonstrate new projects that they could access and the benefits of life story work. CIA and Care Leavers in Action (CLIA) were working jointly with Brent Care Journeys and the Learning and Development Team to co-develop foster carer training which would be delivered by young people.

K (CIA) had attended CIA since the previous year and felt it was a great space to meet other care experienced young people. K had particularly enjoyed the residential trip CIA had taken during the summer where there had been many activities and opportunities to bond with other young people.

J (CLIA) advised the Corporate Parenting Committee that, since the last meeting, he had been chairing interview panels for personal adviser positions and had been involved in interview panels for the new Chief Executive position at Brent Council. J continued to attend CLIA’s quarterly meetings, most recently focused on how CIA and CLIA could work more closely with Brent Care Journeys and develop opportunities for young people to be involved with co-design. CLIA had also worked with the commissioning team regarding the discharge pathway for young people coming out of hospital. J concluded his presentation by informing the Committee that the end of year celebration had been to London Zoo which had been well attended.

The Chair thanked those present for their contributions and invited members of the Committee to ask questions to the CIA / CLIA representatives. The following questions were raised:

Members recalled that T had previously presented her memory box from the Brent Care Journeys project and asked more about where the idea came from and how many other young people were using them. T was not sure where the idea came from but felt they had done a good job. She had tested them as a prototype with other young people. There were 2 different boxes, one with a digital camera and one more creative. T had received the creative box and 2 other young people received the camera. The 2 young people who received the camera did not see the project through to the end, but T had used all the resources she could to make her creative memory box. She was pleased that the project was being taken forward for other young people.

The Committee asked about CIA and CLIA members’ experiences of being part of interview panels. J highlighted that he had been doing interview panels for a while and was used to chairing panels. He thought it was useful to know what it was like to interview people because he had an insight into the best way to represent himself at his own interviews now. T added that the questions for the Chief Executive panel had been very tough and showed the person’s determination, willpower, and knowledge. This gave her comfort that the people in senior positions had earned it.

In response to discussions around training and employment opportunities for young people, Nigel Chapman (Corporate Director Children and Young People, Brent Council) advised the Committee that part of the role of a Personal Adviser was to help young people get good employment, skills and training, and a question during interviews for that position revolved around that responsibility. Overall, the numbers for children and young people in employment and training were good, but he felt there was more to be done to improve the number even more.

The Committee thanked the representatives for the updates and RESOLVED:

That the updates by the representatives of Care in Action/Care Leavers in Action be noted.