Extend corporate parenting responsibility across the public sector, say MPs
More public bodies and government departments should act as corporate parents to improve support for care-experienced children and young people.
In England, local authorities are currently the only corporate parents with requirements to act in the best interests of those with care experience. However, in Scotland there are 26 different types of corporate parenting organisations.
A government inquiry, researched and funded by Become, the national charity for children in care and young care leavers, recommends more bodies in England – such as the NHS, the Department for Work and Pensions and the police – should hold corporate parenting responsibilities to make them more accountable.
In a report published in March, the All Party Parliamentary Group for Care-Experienced Children and Young People sets out evidence from more than 200 individuals and organisations, including over 160 care-experienced young people.
It highlights how the “lack of a level playing field” for those leaving care is leaving many young people feeling “let down” by professionals.
Contact with a broad range of public services has been found to be “inconsistent, inadequate or even at times harmful”.
The report states: “Young people have reported facing stigma from professionals, such as police officers, teachers and health professionals, on the basis of prejudicial negative stereotypes of children who have been in care.
“Others have highlighted the specific barriers they have faced in accessing services or support, or how they have fallen through the cracks between services.”
Last year, the government set out its commitment to widening corporate parenting responsibilities in its Stable Homes, Built on Love strategy.
The APPG report calls for urgent action to implement this, stating there is a groundswell of “widespread support” for doing so.
Former social worker Steve McCabe MP, who chairs the group, said: “This is not about undermining or diluting local authorities’ responsibilities. But these proposals have the potential to drive a culture change in how public services support and interact with care-experienced young people.”
Katharine Sacks-Jones, chief executive of Become, added: “Throughout this inquiry, we have heard how care-experienced children and young people have been let down by public services. They’ve told us how they’ve faced stigma from professionals – such as police officers, teachers and health staff – and barriers in accessing support.
“Extending corporate parenting duties across the public sector will increase understanding and ensure better support to ultimately help improve the life chances of care-experienced young people."
Terry Galloway, a leading campaigner for care-experienced people, supports the move to extend corporate parenting responsibilities in England, but called for care experience to be recognised as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act.
A campaign led by Galloway has so far seen 81 councils adopt this in their policies, however, the government has shied away from making it law, claiming it could be stigmatising.
He added: “Without embedding care experience into the core of our societal values as a protected characteristic, corporate parenting might just remain a well-meaning yet insufficient gesture.”
The APPG report recommends:
- Existing corporate parenting principles be replaced with a new set of responsibilities that are more action-focused and measurable
- The Department for Education publishes statutory guidance and funds an independent organisation to provide training and advice to new corporate parents
- Organisations strategically consider what action they can take to improve support, services and outcomes for care-experienced young people
- Corporate parents should be required to develop and publish corporate parenting plans every three years and publish progress reports every year
The Department for Education was approached for comment.