Newcastle care leavers call for equality motion to make city more inclusive

Newcastle City Council has taken a positive step forward in advocating for the rights of care-experienced individuals by proposing to recognise 'care leaver status' as a protected characteristic.

In a motion presented by Cllr Lesley Storey, Cabinet Member for Children and Families in October, the council acknowledged the significant challenges faced by those who have experienced the care system. The motion calls for greater protection against discrimination and better support across various sectors including housing, education, employment, health, and the criminal justice system.

Cllr Storey said: "We believe that care-experienced people face significant barriers that impact them throughout their lives. Despite their resilience, society too often fails to take their needs into account.

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"We must change that. Care-experienced individuals should not face a postcode lottery of support or be met with prejudice in housing, education, or employment. They deserve equal opportunities and recognition.

"It’s our responsibility as corporate parents to act as mentors and champions for children and young people in care, ensuring that their voices are heard and their needs addressed in all areas of council work.”

The city's care leavers played a key role in drafting this motion, which resulted from engagement work. One of the young people involved, 23 year-old Stephen Creighton, explained how recognising care leaver status as a protected characteristic would make a tangible difference to their lives.

"We all know young people are the future of this great city. But what about care experienced young people? To those looking in from the outside, we are just a group of young people who have had a difficult start to life and need extra support in our day-to-day lives."

The motion highlights barriers induvial face throughout their lives, including systematic stigma, discrimination and unequal access to services. It seeks to include care experience within the Council's Equality Objectives, ensuring that care-experienced people are protected under the Public Sector Equality Duty.

The council aims to treat care experience as if it were a formally recognised protected characteristic, with future services and policies being assessed for their impact on care leavers through Equality Impact Assessments.

Stephen's care leaver journey first started when he was 16. He has been a member of the Corporate parent advisory committee at Newcastle City Council since autumn 2021. He explained while the young people feel supported in groups who have worked alongside them and know what they are capable of, many still feel unrepresented in society

"Many of us find it difficult to build-up the courage to apply for roles, and few get past the first stages. Not knowing the reason why makes them question if employers don't want the baggage of training a care-leaver, especially as not having training experience can put employers off.

"However if they were to see the determination of care-leavers, they'd know we as a group are hard-working individuals. To really unlock the potential that care experienced young people have and to support them for years to come, there is one solution.

"Give us a say. Let our voices be heard and let's make the city a welcoming space for care experienced young people like we know we can. Don't write us off. We're extremely resilient people.

"Passing a motion like this allows us to become more employable, and only serves the economy well as more get into work, which boosts our confidence, its a win-win situation. This will give us a little bit more power in our back pocket to achieve our full potential."

Stephen and the council are also urging other public bodies to follow suit, calling on them to treat care experience as a protected characteristic and to adopt corporate parenting for children in care and care leavers until legislative changes are made at the national level.

Cllr Storey concluded: "We want Newcastle to be a city that supports and champions our care-experienced young people. We must ensure they feel proud of where they live and confident in their future prospects."

The council will now call upon its cabinet to adopt these measures and work towards making Newcastle a fairer, more inclusive city for care leavers.