Councillors agreed they needed to make sure young people with care experience get the support they need when they leave the care system.
More young people who have left care are homeless or are facing homelessness, councillors said as they stressed the need to make sure they get the support they need. Councillors at Cambridgeshire County Council have backed a motion calling for the creation of a ‘member champion’ to “bridge the gap between councillors and those who are living in care or who have care experience”.
Councillor Bryony Goodliffe (Labour), who put forward the motion, highlighted the challenges children and young people who have been in care face. She said: “Being in care or having been in care is not a choice made willingly and comes with trauma and greatly affects life chances, life expectancy, education and health, including mental health.
“Just as my responsibility to my now adult children has not ceased, neither does our responsibilities as corporate parents to those who have been in the care system.
“Recent figures released by the government and analysed by Become, the national charity for children in care and young care leavers, show that the number of young care leavers aged 18 to 21 who are homeless has increased by 54 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels.
“The number of care leavers aged 18 to 20 facing homelessness has risen almost twice as fast as the overall number of homeless households, and 15 times faster than the overall number of young people facing homelessness. These figures are just the tip of the iceberg.
“Beyond these statistics there are many more who are the hidden homeless, sofa surfing or rough sleeping, who may be unaware of their rights and entitlements and are not accessing support through their local authority. Many of these will struggle to manage jobs, education and bills without a suitable roof over their heads.
“We live in a society that does not understand the impact of care on care experienced residents and as a county council and corporate parents we should wish to improve the experience of those in Cambridgeshire, and to ensure that by having a member who is committed to meeting with care experienced, listening to their lived experience and assisting and signposting as necessary.”
Councillors unanimously agreed to back the motion, with others sharing their support for making sure young people who leave the care system get the help they need. Councillor Simon Bywater (Conservative) said councillors as corporate parents have a “responsibility to ensure care experienced adults are treated with dignity and respect”.
He added that it is important the county council’s response is “practical, effective, and financially responsible”, and said he welcomed that the champion role would be voluntary. He said: “Care experienced young people deserve practical support that delivers results.”
Councillor Alex Bulat (Labour) said she wanted to highlight the specific challenges faced by unaccompanied asylum seekers when leaving care. She said for those leaving care without a secure immigration status they can struggle to find work or continue studying, and face the risk of being “told go back to the country they escaped war, persecution and trauma”.
Cllr Bulat said the county council needed to ensure that this group of care leavers were informed on their rights and helped to either secure citizenship if they are eligible, or to have some form of immigration status.
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