Council gives power to kids in care

YOUNG people in care in Liverpool are signing-up to a new group which will give them a greater say in shaping services.  Liverpool’s Children in Care Council is putting young people in care at the heart of the decisions which affect their lives, and making sure they have the opportunity to air their views.

The group, led by Executive Director for Children, Family and Adult Services, Stuart Smith, and supported by executive members and senior managers, will include up to 16 young people in care, of all ages. This will include fostered children, looked after young people with disabilities, unaccompanied asylum seekers and care leavers.  They will develop a formal written constitution in the coming weeks, detailing their aims, objectives and vision for the future of Social Care. They will also hold regular meetings with council chiefs - covering health, education, fostering and much more.

Liverpool City Council’s Executive Member for Health, Care and Safeguarding, Councillor Ron Gould said:- “The Children in Care Council will play a major role in the future of Children’s Social Care in Liverpool. It will give the people who matter - young people - a meaningful voice and the ability to shape the services we provide for them.  It’s a fantastic way of empowering young people, strengthening our work with them and better understanding what they want.”

To help launch the new group, city council directors have drawn up 10 promises about how they will improve life for children in care. Young people have responded with 10 pledges of their own, outlining how they will help and support each other.

2 of the young people, Chloe Molyneux, 17 and Liam Kent, 18 – both from Toxteth - will meet with directors and executive members tomorrow to sign the pledges and officially get the new Children in Care Council underway.

Chloe said:- “I’m really positive about the Children in Care Council – I think it’s a great idea. We are really pleased that the council is making promises about the work they will do for us. And we will be making sure they stick to those promises!”

Liam said:- “The Children in Care Council will give us the chance to put our views and opinions across. It’s going to be really important for young people in care, and I’m looking forward to playing my part.”

The pledges made by the city council to all children in care in Liverpool include:-

• All young people will have a named social worker who will keep in touch.

• The council will involve young people in all the decisions that affect their lives.

• Young people will be helped to do the best they can at school and in their hobbies and talents.

• They will be encouraged to be healthy.

• Every effort will be made to find a home that suits them.

• They will be helped to stay in touch with family and friends

Young people’s responses include, encouraging young people to air their views, to always tell the truth, attend school, stay healthy, stay in contact with their social worker and talk about their problems.

The council’s executive member for education, skills and employment, Councillor Keith Turner, said:- “We are working hard to keep young people in care safe and healthy and give them every opportunity to achieve - and we have invested in additional experienced social workers to help us achieve this.  The next vital step is to make sure young people’s views are taken on-board and give them a vehicle to communicate directly with us about how we can improve care services. The new Children in Care Council is just that vehicle and I’m looking forward to it growing into a central part of the work we do.”

As well as giving each young person an individual voice, the Children in Care Council aims to get them involved in joint decision making and discussions. Young people will receive agendas and reports before each meeting and will be responsible, with support, for producing minutes, newsletters, reports and surveys.  The group will see young people elected into roles of Joint Chair, alongside Stuart Smith. And relevant groups will be invited to meetings to respond to young people’s specific issues, such as the fostering team or external groups like the Refugee Council.

Liverpool is one of the first local authorities in the country to set up a Children in Care Council. It follows the Government’s recommendation that all children and young people should be given the chance to put their experiences of the care system directly to staff.

SEAFARING CHARITY APPEALS FOR WORTHY CASES IN LIVERPOOL

MANY seafarers in Liverpool are needlessly living in poverty, says the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners’ Royal Benevolent Society which is appealing to ex-merchant seafarers, fishermen and the families of those lost at sea, to contact the charity in times of crisis or financial hardship.

The Society, which operates throughout the UK and has had a representative (Honorary Agent) in Liverpool since 1840, exists to provide financial aid to elderly seafarers and their dependants who are in need. Over the last year the Society’s Honorary Agent, John Wilson has noticed the number of applications for assistance rise due to the increase in the cost of gas and electricity, however he still feels that there are people who would benefit from the Society’s help who are unaware of its existence and what support it can provide.

“We work with people in Liverpool who have spent their lives at sea to ensure they, and their families, enjoy the standard of living they deserve. I have been working with the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society for over three years, and have met plenty of people who are in need but did not understand what help was available The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society is there to assist as many people as possible which is why it is important to get the message out about the work we do, and the help we provide.” said John Wilson.

The Society specialises in providing specific items which are needed in a crisis, such as replacement washing machines or fridge freezers, help towards the cost of equipment required due to a medical condition, such as mobility scooters, stairlifts, adjustable beds or riser/recliner chairs, and helps with priority debts and essential household repairs – things which can make a huge difference to an individual’s quality of life but which they just cannot afford because they are on a low fixed income and have no savings. We want to make sure we can help as many people as possible and we are appealing for those in need to make contact.

Liverpool is the Society’s largest local agency and it makes grant payments totalling up to £147,000 per year to around 476 regular beneficiaries who require ongoing support along with special one-off cases of need. The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society relies heavily on the generosity of the public either by way of donations or funds raised through sponsorship, without which these grants cannot be paid.

One such donation was received this year by Maghull’s Catherine Johnson, who raised nearly £1,000 for the charity by running the Reading Half Marathon. She Said:- “Many generations of my family are ex merchant mariners or worked on Liverpool’s docks and I still feel a great affinity for the sea. The work the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society does is fantastic and being able to be part of that is wonderful. As I was running in my Shipwrecked Mariners t-shirt, it was great to hear people cheering me on and asking for more information about the charity. I’m glad I was able to spread the word about the good work it does, and will continue to fundraise for them into the future.”

Local recipient Rachel Spencer said:- “The help the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society provide is fantastic, there is no other way to describe it. My husband and I have only just started working with them, but we wish we had known about them a long time ago. They are so caring and helpful they really are amazing.”

Another resident, who would rather not be named, explained:- “The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society has been helping me for over 10 years. My husband was a fitter in the engine rooms for the Blue Funnel Line, and when he was suffering with cancer the Shipwrecked Mariners’ provided us with support and the grants helped us pay for the things that we needed. Even after his death they continued to care for me. The generosity of the society and John Wilson has meant that I was able to replace my cooker and fridge freezer. Without them I don’t know where I would be today – there will never be enough words for me to say thank you.’

With a volunteer network of over 200 Honorary Agents throughout the British Isles, the Society handles many hundreds of new applications for assistance each year and distributes nearly £2 million in grants. It relies on legacies, funds raised through its annual Christmas Card appeal, investments and grants, principally from Seafarers UK (formerly King George’s Fund for Sailors) and Trinity House, and individual donations, to meet its commitments.

For further information, please visit the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society’s website or by calling:- 01243 789329.