What does corporate parenting mean?
Corporate parenting refers to the shared responsibility across the council to ensure that children and young people in our care or leaving care are supported to thrive.
Young people in care and care leavers are individuals who often have had difficult experiences in some of the most formative years of their lives.
There are seven principles set out in the Children and Social Work Act 2017, which must guide the actions of corporate parents towards children in care and care leavers.
The role that the council plays in looking after children is one of the most important things we do.
The local authority has a unique responsibility to the children we care for and also to our care leavers.
A good corporate parent should have the same aspirations for a child in care or care leaver, as a good parent would have for their child.
It means providing them with the stability and support they need to make progress; and helping them to access new opportunities and experiences that inspire them to set ambitious goals for themselves.
It means celebrating their successes, but also recognising that they will sometimes make mistakes and need help to get back on track.
It also means supporting them to gain the skills and confidence to live independent lives, while letting them know that they have someone to call on for help if the going gets tough.
Our strategy has been produced to set out how we intend to challenge ourselves as corporate parents over the next three years.
It provides the legal and local context in which we operate, our vision for children in our care and how we intend to deliver on the priorities which are set out in legislation.