Introduction and welcome by Young Person Theme: Education

Aim – to give Corporate Parents an understanding of the education experiences of children and young people in care.

1.     Two young people co-chaired the meeting.  They welcomed participants to the meeting, which would focus on education.  They allocated participants to discussion groups and introduced Amandip Johal to give feedback on the take-away themes identified at the meeting on 31 August 2022.

Feedback on the ‘take away’ actions from 31/8/22 Amandip, Assistant Director

Doc A (AJ notes)

2.     Amandip Johal, Bradford Council’s Assistant Director, Safeguarding and Review, Commissioning & Provider Services thanked young people for attending this meeting and outlined the housekeeping arrangements for the meeting and the building.  She gave feedback on the three take-away themes identified at the meeting on 31 August 2022, as follows.

Free gym passes for those living out of the authority

3.     The Council had looked at the differences in gym membership between young people living in Bradford and those living outside the District.  The Council would ensure that its social workers and personal advisers discuss health and wellbeing with all the young people in the authority’s care.  Young people can follow this up with their Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs) as part These arrangements apply to all Bradford young people in or leaving care, including those not living in Bradford. 

4.     Asked whether these arrangements applied to young people who were sixteen years old, Amandip Johal said that, if gym membership was the right thing for them, they should discuss it with their social worker, and the authority would try to make it happen for them.

A wider range of access activities to promote better physical and emotional health

5.     Amandip Johal said young people had told the authority that they would like to engage in one activity per week, as a minimum.  The Voice Forums had worked with young people to understand what activities were already available to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of the authority’s children and young people, and whether and how often they participated in them.  They had found that there were a lot of different activities across the District but that their availability varies depending on where young people live. 

6.     The residential services said that children living in children’ homes are encouraged to engage in multiple activities each week, the more physical the better.  In line with government regulations, all homes have a weekly group activity planner, and each child will also be encouraged to participate in individual activities.

7.     Amandip Johal asked whether the young people here today were aware of the weekly group activity planners and was concerned to find that they were not.  She would look into the matter and to ensure that the weekly group planners were in place in all children’s homes and that the young people in each home were aware of them.

Action: Amandip Johal

8.     Amandip Johal said that the Council’s residential and fostering services team planned to consult young people on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.