Blaenau Gwent Council has today signed the Welsh Government鈥檚 Corporate Parenting Charter, strengthening its commitment to ensuring the best services and opportunities for children and young people who have experienced care.
Welsh Government鈥檚 Corporate Parenting Charter 鈥楢 Promise for Wales鈥� was developed in collaboration with care-experienced young people. A care experienced children or young person is someone who has been or is currently in care or from a looked-after background at any stage in their life, no matter how short, including adopted children who were previously looked-after.
The Charter was signed at the General Offices in Ebbw Vale today by Councillor Haydn Trollope, Cabinet Member for People & Social Services, and Chief Executive Stephen Vickers.
The Charter sets out 11 principles on equality, eradicating stigma, working together, inclusive support, fulfilling ambitions, nurturing, good health, a stable home, education, thriving in the future, and after care support. It also sets 9 promises for how care experienced children and young people will be treated, listened to, and involved in decisions that affect them.
The Council is committed to ensuring that everything we undertake for care-experienced children and young people is underpinned by empowerment, equality, non-discrimination, participation, and accountability and protection. The expected approach is to fully respect, protect and promote their human rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The pledge includes a commitment to engage with children and young people to measure organisational success and commitment to the Charter.
The Council will be holding a series of workshops with staff, members, and our care experienced children to raise awareness and ensure support is widespread across the organisation.
Councillor Haydn Trollope says:
鈥淪igning the Corporate Parenting Charter today demonstrates our continued strong commitment to ensuring the absolute best for our care experienced children and young people, ensuring they have the same opportunities and life chances that every young person deserves. It鈥檚 important that organisations like ours have a shared understanding among our workforce and elected members of the high expectation for parenting our care experienced young people so that they can thrive and fulfil their potential.
鈥淲e will ensure that all of our efforts for our young people are led by considerations of equality, empowerment and protection and will work with partners to ensure their well-being and achieve the shared goals and aspirations for our children and young people.鈥�
Chief Executive Stephen Vickers says:
鈥淭he Charter and its pledges have been designed with care experienced children and young people at the very heart. The message from the Welsh Government鈥檚 Care Leavers鈥� Summit used to help develop the Charter was clear, that these young people want their rights equally respected, and their voices heard, listened to, and reflected in action. We will do all we can to support this radical, ambitious, and shared vision for the future.鈥�
Note:
The term 鈥榗orporate parenting鈥� can be defined as promoting the collective responsibility of the whole public sector to safeguard and promote the rights and life chances of care-experienced children and young people. This is a responsibility of everyone working in the public sector.