Hertfordshire’s children in care council (CHICC) explaining how co-production of council services improved life for care leavers.
Why?
In Hertfordshire 70% of care leavers reported they found it easy to contact their worker ‘all or most of the time’, but some reported uncertainty about the level of support they would receive. Managers wanted to ensure that despite being a large authority with over 750 care leavers a consistent service was offered to all young people.
What?
The care leaver forum co-produced standards that set out the minimum levels of support a care leaver could expect to receive up to the age of 21. The standards will be adjusted to meet individual needs and cover:
+ Contact with their workers- frequency of calls/ visits, names and number of managers and duty and cover arrangements.
+ Support at meetings and help with forms- what meetings the PA will attend and how to build young people’s confidence to manage on their own
+ Moving into their own flat – PA to attend ‘sign up’ meeting, the essentials for moving in and who will help with DIY/ decorating
+ Support through difficult times– the level of extra support. PAs have received mental health first aid training.
Young people shared the standards with the leaving care services and they have been adopted by workers & managers.
Impact
Young people were very positive about their work and felt they had been listened to. PAs felt they were helpful as it gave clarity to their work and managers are using them in supervision. The standards are being shared with social workers, IRO and fostering staff so young people and those working with them are aware of the available support. Everybody is reporting that they are helpful and give a good starting basis to agree individual support plans.
