To receive an update on the YPS and Participation.
Minutes:
Roisa McCusker apologised to the group as they weren’t able to provide a Total Respect Session at the meeting following the Christmas period and knowing the Vice-Chair wouldn’t be available to support. The Total Respect Session would take place at the next meeting in March. Total Respect sessions aim to inform individuals around children’s rights and in particular, those rights of care experienced young people, and how it feels to be a looked after child/care leaver.
The Group heard The Leaving Care Forum had been participating in consultation work regarding developing the care leaver’s page on the council’s website. All the information had been updated and set out, however, Leaving Care senior management were keen to seek views on how it could be better. Young People provided feedback, stating the new website was easier to navigate, but young people would like some more colour and some videos added to make the website more interactive.
Roisa informed the group that a Microsoft forms was sent to care leavers before Christmas in order to get the ball rolling on deciding on a re-name for the leaving care service.
Roisa confirmed since the last meeting, the YPS hosted activities for children in care and care leavers, linking these to celebrations such as Halloween and Christmas. They joined up with the FCA to host a Halloween party for children in care, there was a great turnout and all the young people enjoyed pumpkin carving, bobbing for apples as well as dressing up in their outfits and having their face painted.
Leading up to Christmas, young people from both junior and senior voice groups, and the leaving care forum celebrated the holidays by going to the pantomime to see Jack and the Beanstalk. They had a Christmas meal at The Fernhurst, and YPS joined up with the FCA once again to put on a Christmas Fair. This was held on the day that Blackburn got the snow and so this affected the turnout but they still managed to raise some funds for the FCA. The Leaving Care team also held a Christmas Party for leaving care young people at Kaleidoscope. This ran in the evening and a leaving care young person showed off his talents in Dj’ing.
The Group heard on the 2nd November, Young People’s Services supported the Youth forum and led the annual Takeover Challenge. This focused on Child Poverty along with workshops on relevant topics associated, such as mental health, food poverty and resilience (with a focus on ACEs and trauma). This brought over 80 school pupils together at King Georges Hall to discuss the difficulties young people are facing around this topic.
It was a successful event and highlighted the struggles families faced and some young people admitted that the only meal they had was their lunch at school. Others saw a decline in luxury items within the home and lower quality food included ready meals and supermarket branded items being more prevalent. Young People offered their ideas on solutions they feel would benefit them and their families, young people suggested that further investment in youth provisions, a stronger PSHE Curriculum focusing on mental health and wellbeing and resilience.
Finally, Roisa informed the group that they looked forward to restarting the junior and senior voice group, as well as the leaving care forum. They looked forward to supporting children’s services at the recruitment day on Saturday 21st January and also had two care leavers who attended the children in care council in Salford on the 28th January.
RESOLVED – That the update be noted.