Leeds City Council has taken a pioneering step by recognizing care experience as a new protected characteristic. This move aims to protect individuals who have been in the care system from discrimination and ensure they have equal opportunities, setting a precedent for inclusive policymaking and demonstrating the council’s commitment to their well-being and success.
What is Leeds City Council’s new protected characteristic?
Leeds City Council is recognizing care experience as a new protected characteristic. This initiative aims to protect individuals who have spent time in the care system from discrimination and ensure they have equal opportunities. The council’s action sets a precedent for inclusive policymaking and demonstrates a commitment to the well-being and success of care-experienced individuals.
Understanding the New Protected Characteristic
Leeds City Council has embarked on a pivotal initiative that will potentially transform the lives of individuals with care experience. The council’s executive board is in the process of recognizing care experience as a protected characteristic. This decision came after a compelling presentation by care leavers during a full council meeting. It illuminates the shared challenges faced by individuals who have been in the care system, akin to those encountered by people with existing protected characteristics.
Care experience includes anyone who has spent time in the care system, whether temporarily or over the long term. This encompasses children currently in care as well as care leavers. The council’s decision mirrors a growing awareness of the unique disadvantages faced by young people transitioning out of the care system. It’s a progressive step for the council, making Leeds one of 58 councils across the UK prioritizing the needs of care-experienced young people in their policymaking processes.
The importance of this action cannot be understated. It signals a commitment to ensuring that care leavers are not subject to discrimination and that they have equal opportunities to thrive. By formally acknowledging care experience as a characteristic deserving of protection, Leeds City Council is setting a precedent for local governments, extending a protective arm around some of its most vulnerable residents.
The Council’s Commitment to Care Experienced Individuals
Councillor Fiona Venner, representing children’s social care and health partnerships at Leeds City Council, has been at the forefront of this change. She articulates the council’s role as corporate parents, emphasizing the gravity of their duty toward children and young people in their care. “The council takes its responsibility to the children and young people in our care, as corporate parents extremely seriously, as all parents should,” Venner states.
This initiative is more than just a legal formality; it’s about embedding into the fabric of Leeds’ governance the ethos of equality and support. Councillor Venner further explains, “The recognition of care experience as a protected characteristic will further cement our commitment to care leavers, after young people brought a passionate and persuasive deputation to our January full council meeting.” Such a statement illustrates the council’s resolve to break down barriers that care-experienced individuals might face.
It is clear from Venner’s remarks that the council’s goal transcends the immediate scope of care experience. There is a broader ambition at work: to grant all children in Leeds the opportunity to lead fulfilling and successful lives, free from the obstacles that have historically impeded the progress of those leaving the care system. Leeds City Council’s stance, therefore, is not only about protection but also about empowerment.
Leeds City Council: A Model for Inclusion and Equality
As Leeds City Council adopts this inclusive approach, other councils and organizations might look to them as an example. The formal recognition of care experience as a protected characteristic is a testament to the council’s commitment to equality and justice for all. It is a bold move, one that acknowledges the systemic issues faced by care leavers and seeks to address them through conscientious policymaking.
Leeds City Council continues to demonstrate its duty of care, ensuring that the needs of care experienced young people are central to decision-making. This approach is not only a model for local governance but also a beacon of hope for care-experienced individuals. It enshrines their rights and guarantees that their voices are heard and acted upon.
This decision is a stepping stone towards a more equitable society for care-experienced individuals, one where their experiences are not a hindrance but a catalyst for positive change. Leeds City Council is not only recognizing a problem but is actively working towards a solution. As more councils join this movement, the impact on care-experienced individuals and the actualization of their potential can be profound and far-reaching.
For media enquiries related to this progressive step by Leeds City Council, please refer to the contact details below:
- Leeds City Council communications and marketing
- Email: communicationsteam@leeds.gov.uk
- Tel: 0113 378 6007
With this action, Leeds is sending a clear message: every individual, regardless of their care background, deserves the chance to succeed without facing the barriers of discrimination or lack of support. Leeds City Council’s initiative is more than a policy change; it is a commitment to nurturing the well-being and success of every member of the community.
- Leeds City Council has recognized care experience as a new protected characteristic to protect individuals who have been in the care system from discrimination and ensure equal opportunities.
- Care experience includes anyone who has spent time in the care system, including children currently in care and care leavers.
- This decision sets a precedent for inclusive policymaking and demonstrates Leeds City Council’s commitment to the well-being and success of care-experienced individuals.
- Councillor Fiona Venner emphasizes the council’s role as corporate parents and their duty towards children and young people in their care.
- Leeds City Council’s initiative is seen as a model for inclusion and equality, and other councils and organizations may look to them as an example.