Cumberland Council votes to make care experience a protected characteristic
Fiona Simpson
Monday, August 1, 2022
A new local authority is the first to pass a motion to protect people with care experience from discrimination following a recommendation made in the Care Review.
Cumberland Council - a new unitary authority that will take over running the western part of Cumbria from 1 April next year - unanimously voted to make care experience a protected characteristic within its constituency.
Current protected characteristics include race, disability, gender and sexual orientation.
The motion was brought by councillor Emma Williamson, children and families portfolio holder, at a meeting of the shadow authority last week.
Williamson, who is care experienced, told councillors: “This is my passion and I want to do everything in my power to protect care leavers.”
“Cumbria County Council already has a care leavers core offer and I'll be making it my mission as the portfolio holder to ensure that offer comes through this transition so we can build on the support networks we already have in place.
Proud to have made history today at Cumberland Shadow Authority by adopting the motion to treat Care Experience as a protected characteristic. We had full cross party support. Thank you to @TerryGalloway @JoshMacAlister for all their support. pic.twitter.com/eVJZSr9rdP
— Emma Williamson (@emzkiki) July 29, 2022
"It is vital that we design and deliver services for our care-experienced young people with five key missions: they're provided with loving relationships, quality education, a decent home, fulfilling work and good health as the foundations of a good life,” she said.
Terry Galloway, managing director of careleaveroffer.co.uk, which lobbied Care Review chair Josh MacAlister to include a recommendation on making care experience a protected characteristic, attended the meeting.
He told councillors: "By the time I’d left care I’d lived in over 100 places, we were left with no voice, in the end I made a life for myself despite the early trauma.
"However, my siblings suffered great trauma, losing their children to the care system - one experienced serious trauma and is still struggling against a system not designed for care-experienced people, including having been in and out of prison and drug addiction. Into their early thirties, they have cost the state £1.2m each. People from care are 70 per cent more likely to die prematurely than others.
"My sister was so traumatised and never received the help she needed and at 33 years old, after many bad relationships, was stabbed two days after disclosing to statutory services she felt she was going to die. The system is broken."
He asked Williamson how the motion would “give a voice to care experienced people”.
She said: “This is about equality of opportunity, not feeling sorry or increasing stigma in any way for care-experienced people.”
Moving to be sat at the back of the new Cumberland Council meeting listening to @TerryGalloway make a statement about the importance of making the care experience a protected characteristic. The new Cumberland authority has agreed to lead the way. pic.twitter.com/sWZGnF6XnO
— Josh MacAlister (@JoshMacAlister) July 29, 2022
Williamson added that “time and time again, care-experienced people are retraumatising themselves every time they fight for change”.
“We are ignorant to how our rules affect them,” she said. “Unintentionally, our decisions, rules and the way we do things, have the opposite effect of helping access our services, increasing inequality.
“Treating care experience as a protected characteristic will mean we check every time we design them, the impact of our policies and the accessibility of our services and redesign where we need to.
“When we are listening, those we are listening to have a voice,” she said.
MacAlister, who also attended the meeting, responded to the passing of the motion, saying: “I'm delighted to see the new Cumberland Council leading the way by recognising the unique experiences that being in care give a person.
“The disadvantage faced by people who have spent time growing up in the care system should be the civil rights issue of our time. Children in care are powerless, are often invisible and they face some of the greatest inequalities that exist in England today. In spite of these injustices so many care experienced people go on to run businesses, start families, earn doctorates, produce drama, write poetry, become government ministers and contribute to the world in countless ways."
Cumbria’s current six district councils and Cumbria County Council will be replaced by two new unitary authorities from 1 April next year following a government decision to create two new unitary authorities in July 2021.
Cumberland Council will cover the current area of Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland, the council's name will be Cumberland Council while Westmorland and Furness Council will cover Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland.
