Monmouthshire County Council is to increase employment opportunities for the children under its care as well as offer them a forum for their views.
Cabinet members meeting in Usk on March 5th agreed that all looked-after children should benefit from two weeks’ work experience within council departments. In addition, the council will provide a minimum of three apprenticeships each year for looked-after children as well as a number of other measures to help them into work. These include a guaranteed interview for any looked-after child who applies and demonstrates that they meet the essential criteria for a vacant council post and encouragement for council’s contractors to offer work experience opportunities and apprenticeships.
Cabinet also agreed to provide a voice for looked-after children by establishing a Children in Care Council and create an apprenticeship post for a looked-after child or care leaver to lead and develop the forum.
These measures will also apply to care leavers – youngsters who have been looked after for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14, and who were in care on their 16th birthday.
The council has taken these steps against a background of care leaver under-achievement and a desire to improve outcomes as the number not in education, employment or training (NEET) is often higher than within the general population. In Monmouthshire figures have varied from 62.5% in education, employment or training in 2011/12 to just 25% in 2012/13 against a Welsh average of 56.4%.
The setting up of the Children in Care Council is in line with a Welsh Government aim that all children and young people are listened to and treated with respect. Although staff within the council’s children’s services department work hard to pay attention to youngsters on an individual basis there is no forum for looked-after children to discuss their experiences together or to influence service development and delivery. The council recognises however that the Children in Care Council will take time to establish itself as an effective body not least because looked-after children are a diverse group geographically spread throughout Monmouthshire and beyond.
Cabinet member for Social Care and Health, Councillor Geoff Burrows said: “As the newly-installed chair of the corporate parenting panel I am delighted to see this report approved by cabinet.
“We as councillors are reminded on a pretty regular basis about the issues surrounding our looked-after children, in respect of their educational, health and welfare needs, as well as our responsibility to them directly as corporate parents.
“I am personally amazed when I hear of the success stories of these great young people when they achieve something, especially when we reflect on an indication of their life circumstances to date.
“Cabinet’s approval is for me a clear opportunity to achieve a number of positive outcomes for our looked-after children.
1.) to give looked-after children a collective voice through their own council would be fantastic and with nurturing may help in restoring fragile confidences and self-esteem for these youngsters as this would be a vehicle for mutual support and development.
2.) providing local authority apprenticeships would in my view provide a valuable opportunity for both the successful applicant as well as ensuring very useful workplace experience interaction for existing staff.
3.) embedding the right to work experience for all our looked-after children and care leavers would be a good opportunity and every effort should be made to explain to them the value that this can bring to them, and encourage them to take it up.
4.) putting positive pressure on outside contractors to engage in constructive apprenticeships or employment also increases awareness of the needs and aspirations of a very important group of people whose future is very reliant on our efforts on their behalf.
5.) finally, the positive discrimination of guaranteeing interviews for looked-after young people is to be welcomed too.”
