Agenda item

Young people from LINX (Lancashire's Children in Care Council), April Rankin and Adam Riley, Participation Team, Child and Family Wellbeing Service, LCC

To receive an update on what the Participation Team have been doing with LINX since the last meeting.

Georgia, Mary, Chloe and Emma from LINX (Lancashire's Children in Care Council), April Ranking and Adam Riley, Child and Family Wellbeing Service, Lancashire County Council provided the Board with an update from the Care Leavers Forum.  The young people gave an update on what the Forum will be focusing on over the next few months.  Further details can be found in the presentation which is attached to these minutes on:

·  Our agenda

·  Education

It was noted that the Forum would like to:

·  Look at education and how it can be more supportive to children and young people

·  Continue to be involved with fostering and adoption and continue to work with the interview panels.

·  Focus on how to find and secure a job and would like more help and support with writing a CV and developing interview skills.

·  Get more mental health support in Lancashire that is easily accessible and good quality as the waiting lists for mental health support can be extensive.

·  For meetings, such as Personal Education Plan (PEP) meetings and Children Looked After (CLA) meetings to not interfere with lessons, as this takes valuable time away from their education.

·  Have more support and discussions about finance skills and how young people need to be supported with them. Young people need more of an understanding and support around the importance of saving money and how this can affect a person's finances.

One of the young people presenting at this Board was also attending the Education and Children Services Committee on 18 January 2022 representing children in care.

Young people have recently had a meeting with Fostering and Adoption to ensure that more youth voices are used in the marketing for this service. Young people will be involved in updating panel questions for new foster carers, working on updating marketing materials and social media as well as supporting the service in making videos for training purposes and sharing young people's stories.

Following work on interview panels, young people shared that it had built their confidence, by asking questions of the interviewees and that they had also given feedback too and helped to shape the questions for different job roles.  They have also learnt what the different roles are and do and know that they are having their voices and opinions heard which makes a difference by influencing the service.  They also shared that by taking part in the interview process, it enabled them to meet new people and also hear other's views and opinions.  Young people also felt able to share both positives and improvements for the interviews which ensures that the processes are kept updated and gives the opportunity to make new links and networks by meeting senior staff members and other staff members from different services within the Council, which then gives them a more in-depth knowledge of how the Council works.

Young people would also like to look at a project similar to the Ask Angela Campaign to ensure children in care and care leavers feel safe in their communities, as well as looking at mental health support for children, young people and care leavers with other Apps that can be used by adults.  They are also working with staff and services to arrange visits for the Young Inspectors programme and again this will further develop skills in being able to advice services on any improvements that come from the staff and young people.

The young people were thanked for their presentation and following it, the following points/issues were raised:

·  There is a now a Mental Health Working Group who are looking for volunteers from LINX to be involved and to share their journeys with the Group so that they can understand a young person's experience in order to put pressure on the Group to draw up a plan which would then come to a future Corporate Parenting Board meeting.  Young people agreed to be involved.

·  With regards to Education, it was requested as to whether the young people presenting would be willing to liaise with officers from the Virtual School Team around the young people's voice in Education.  Again, young people welcomed this invite to be involved.

·  County Councillor Couperthwaite commented that at a meeting of the priority group he is involved with "Improving education, employment and training opportunities and outcomes" and how help can be given to our young people, that he would offer support on financial upskilling, CV writing skills and interview skills to support our young people and also what businesses would want from the young people.  County Councillor Cosima Towneley, Cabinet Member for Children and Families also offered to support young people also if they required any help with interview skills/job applications.

·  Young people were thanked for all their contributions to the services across the Council.

·  From a health perspective it was noted that young people were asking for further support with mental health.  Across Health as a system, they are currently looking to consult with young people, so Health can get a better understanding, shape and commission services going forward.  A survey has been sent to the young people to complete.  It is also hoped that there will be some consultation live events taking place and would like young people from LINX to be involved with those.

·  It was also noted that the point raised by young people around Personal Education Plan (PEP) meetings and other meetings taking place during school hours, would be picked up and raised with the Service.

Resolved:  That the Corporate Parenting Board:

i)  Noted the young people's update from the Care Leaver Forum.

ii)  April Rankin/Adam Riley, Child and Family Wellbeing Service will link in with the Mental Health Working Group and Virtual School's Team to enable young people to have their voices heard within these areas as requested by officers on the Board.

iii)  Brendan Lee, Children in Care and Care Leavers Service, Lancashire County Council would raise the point made by young people around not wanting Personal Education Plan (PEP) meetings and other meetings to take place during school hours, and that he would raise this with the Service.