Experience in care to be seen as protected characteristic in Gateshead
Gateshead Council is preparing to acknowledge children taken into its care as having protected characteristics.
According to council documents, the council's top bosses have recommended the authority treat those who have experienced council care as children as in effect having a special characteristic to help tackle inequalities. Under the Equality Act 2010, the existing protected characteristics in law are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
The move would apply to children currently within the council's care, children or young people leaving care, and adults with any experience within care. The proposal comes off the back of a government review into children's social care, undertaken by Josh MacAlister MP and published in May 2022.
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The review concluded: "Tto tackle the stigma and discrimination many care leavers face in their day to day lives, the UK should be the first country in the world to recognise the care experience as a legally protected characteristic in equalities legislation." Despite this, the review's recommendations have not yet been adopted by the government, though around 100 local authorities, now including Gateshead, are committed to recognising time in care as a protected characteristic.
Gateshead Council's report has also found that care leavers offer experience housing instability, gaps in education, mental health issues, and social isolation at a greater level than those who have not been in care. In June 2024, 129 per 10,000 children were in care within Gateshead.
The most recent national data set from 2022/23 found that Gateshead had the 11th highest rate in the county and the 5th highest rate in the North East for children in care. On approval of the proposal, council officers will work to bring about a 'Care Experienced Strategy' and work with all council services to implement the new policy.
Gateshead Council cabinet is set to approve to the proposals next Tuesday at the Civic Centre.