Members of the London Care Leavers Trust Board were delighted to meet with Minister Daby, the government Minister for Children and Families, to discuss the Pan London Care Leavers Compact and the government’s national ambition for care leavers.
The Compact is a partnership programme to build a high quality regional offer for London’s care leavers. It brings together young leaders from the London Children in Care Council with Local Authorities, the NHS, the Greater London Authority, the Care Leavers Covenant and others to improve the experiences of our care leaver community. The work is facilitated by the London Innovation & Improvement Alliance (LIIA) and Partnership for Young London and chaired by members of the Association of London Directors of Children’s Services. You can find out more about the work programme here.
Young people highlighted to the Minister the need to collaborate across all services to ensure we are ambitious for young people with care experience. The group discussed the enormous potential stemming from upcoming legislation to extend corporate parenting responsibilities to all government departments and relevant public bodies. A key area of focus was the ‘fit’ between London and national programmes, with examples of how national positions on key areas such as mental health support, travel costs, and utilities and council tax bills could transform young lives. We are looking forward to continuing to work closely with the Minister and her office.
Chenel Singh from the London Children in Care Council commented:
I recently had the chance to meet Janet Daby, the Minister for Children and Families. Even though she came straight from another meeting, she was polite, attentive, and fully invested in what everyone had to say. The meeting was all about care leavers and the challenges they face, like homelessness, being NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), and issues tied to the criminal justice system. Janet didn’t shy away from recognising challenges like a ‘postcode lottery’ in London, pointing out how local offers differ depending on where you live.
One thing that stood out was her suggestion to create an app specifically for care leavers. The idea is that it would provide tailored information, support and resources, helping Care Leavers navigate things more consistently across the city and nationwide. This aligns up with the goals of the Children and Wellbeing Bill, which focuses on making life better for children in care and those leaving it.
Jacqui McShannon and Stephen Kitchman, Directors of Children’s Services in Hammersmith and Fulham and Bexley, and ALDCS strategic leads on care leaving commented:
Representatives from the Pan London Care Leavers Compact were delighted to meet with Minister Daby who heard compelling testimony from our care experienced young people about the very real benefits of a consistently strong offer to support London’s care leavers with improved accommodation, transport , health, education and employment. The achievements to date demonstrate the power of the diverse partnership to co-produce effective solutions that meet the needs of London’s care experienced population. We have high ambitions and look to all stakeholders to work with care leavers to unlock and utilise their amazing potential and contributions.
