Agenda item

Full Council was requested to consider the recommendations of the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee following consideration of a Notice of Motion which had been referred to it by Council at its meeting held on 15 May 2024.  The recommendations of the Committee were set out in the report of that Committee at page 51 of the agenda and were that Full Council:

1. Note the points raised in the attached reports

2. Note the recommendations made by the Care Experience Task and Finish Group at Appendix 3

3. Consider the Notice of Motion that was referred to Scrutiny Board by Full Council at their meeting of 15 May 2024 and make a recommendation at today’s meeting.

The original motion that was to be debated is as detailed below:

Young people leaving social care are already in a vulnerable situation, and they are often subject to discrimination when attempting to get a job or find a place to live. Indeed, some housing providers directly stipulate “no care leavers”.

The effect of this discrimination is to push these young people, who are already vulnerable, into hostels and shelters where they are easy targets for exploitation and victimisation by criminal gangs.

We call on this council to join over sixty other local councils in the UK by treating care experience as if it is a protected characteristic by:

·       Ensuring that during development of future policy and service provision, impact on those who have had care experience is considered alongside impact on those with other protected characteristics.

·       Including care leavers and children in care in its equality objectives and reports, alongside those with other protected characteristics.

·       Proactively seeking out and listening to people who have experience of care, especially when considering decisions which affect them.

·       Formally calling on central government to add care experience as a protected characteristic in the Equality Act, as recommended by the 2022 Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.

·       Formally calling on other bodies, such as academy trusts, housing providers, and the new combined authority to treat care experience as if it is a protected characteristic in similar ways.

Proposer Councillor Andrew Timothy

Seconder Councillor Chris Aldred

The motion was moved by Councillor Timothy and seconded by Councillor Aldred.

During the debate, a named vote was requested and over 20 Members stood in support.  The vote was taken by roll call on the motion, and declared defeated with 36 for, 45 against, and one abstention.

For:  Councillors Chris Aldred, Joy Andrews, Philip Broadbank, Eric Broadbent, Barbara Brodigan, Andy Brown, Lindsay Burr MBE, Sam Cross, Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Melanie Davis, Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, Stephanie Duckett, Kevin Foster, Hannah Gostlow, Bryn Griffiths, Mike Jordan, Peter Lacey, Steve Mason, Rich Maw, John McCartney, Andrew Murday, David Noland, Stuart Parsons, Kirsty Poskitt, Jack Proud, Tony Randerson, John Ritchie, Subash Sharma, Steve Shaw-Wright,  Dan Sladden, Monika Slater, Andy Solloway, Neil Swannick, Andrew Timothy, Matt Walker and Arnold Warneken.

Against:  Councillors Karl Arthur, Alyson Baker, Derek Bastiman, Nick Brown, David Chance, Mark Crane, Gareth Dadd, Caroline Dickinson, Keane Duncan, Richard Foster, Sam Gibbs, Caroline Goodrick, Tim Grogan, Michael Harrison, Robert Heseltine, David Hugill, Nathan Hull, David Ireton, George Jabbour, David Jeffels, Tom Jones, Nigel Knapton, Andrew Lee, Carl Les OBE, John Mann, Heather Moorhouse, Simon Myers, Andy Paraskos, Yvonne Peacock, Clive Pearson, Heather Phillips, Karin Sedgwick, David Staveley, Roberta Swiers, Malcolm Taylor, Angus Thompson, Phil Trumper, Steve Watson, David Webster, John Weighell OBE, Greg White, Annabel Wilkinson, Peter Wilkinson, Andrew Williams and Robert Windass.

Abstentions: Councillor Cliff Lunn