Transcript We need to think about WHAT could change and if we could

All Party Parliamentary Group for
Looked After Children and Care Leavers
Topic: Personal Advisers
Info to help prepare for Wednesday 5th February 2014, 5.00-7.00pm
What is the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)?
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The APPG is a group of MPs and peers (they sit in the House of Lords) who are interested in improving the care
system. They have meetings that children and young people in care, adults with experience of care and professionals
from across the country can come to, to talk about ways to improve the care system.
At most meetings there is a panel of people at the front who will say what they think about the topic for a few minutes
each. Then we ask the audience to take part.
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What can I do?
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You can ask a question or you can explain what things are like for you or someone you know, and
how you think things should be changed. You can do this by putting your hand up, or you can write
your question down on a bright yellow piece of paper that staff from The Who Cares? Trust will give
to the chair of the meeting. Slips of paper will be given out at the start of the meeting.
IMPORTANT: The panel can’t give full answers to personal issues, but telling them helps people
who make decisions know what the problems are so they can try to stop them happening for you
and children and young people in care across the UK
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Main questions for the meeting:
• What makes a good personal adviser?
• What could we do to make sure that personal advisers are even better?
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A guide to personal advisers
Guidance
When Government make laws, they write something called “guidance”. This helps people understand what
the Government means by the law and what they must do.
There is guidance that tells us what has to happen for children in care when they are
leaving care and it tells us about personal advisers (PAs). You can read it here. It says that:
• The PA will be the main person who ensures that care leavers get the right kind of support
• All care leavers should know who their PA is and how to contact them.
• It is important that the PA and the care leavers they support get on and work together so that the pathway
plan can be carried out.
• Young people’s views about what type of person they would like as their PA should be thought
about when a care leaver is matched to a PA.
• If you stop being supported by your local authority when you turn 21 because you’re not
in education anymore, but decide later that you want to go back to education, your local authority
must give you support from a PA before you’re 25.
Did you know? Care leavers
told us that their personal
adviser is their most regular
source of information.
Seven things that personal advisers must
do for care leavers
What does a PA do?
There are seven things that a PA must do:
1. Give advice (including practical advice) and support.
2. Update and change your pathway plan once you have turned 18.
3. Organise reviews of your pathway plan to make sure it stays up to date and is useful.
4. Make sure your local authority does what your pathway plan says they should do.
5. Find services to help you with your needs and help you to visit the service.
6. Keep in touch with you about your progress and wellbeing.
7. Keep full, correct and up to date records of the contact they have had with you and the services they
speak to you about.
Personal Advisers could do these things in different ways. What do you think is the best way for them to do
the things above, e.g. update your pathway plan?
Do you think that there should be anything else on the list of things personal advisers must do?
Some questions to think about…
At the meeting you get the chance to take part in a debate by asking the panel members questions or sharing ideas and
comments. Top tip: put your hand up quick if you want to say something as lots of people want to speak and not
everyone gets the chance. Here are some questions to help you think about what you might want to say at the meeting.
What are good personal
advisers like?
e.g. do they know about everything or do they
just know who to ask? Are they like your
friend, or like a professional? Are they good at
involving you in decisions?
What makes it difficult for
personal advisers to do their
job? What changes would
mean they could support
you better?
When you first leave care,
what do you want from a
PA? Does this change when
you are older?
Did you know? Only 50%
of care leavers we asked
said that they had a copy
of their pathway plan.
Invite your MP
Make sure the people in power hear what you have to say!
We want MPs to come to the meeting to hear about what you have got to say. They
are very busy people and get LOADS of invites to all kinds of things… their invite to
the APPG needs to STAND OUT!
So WE NEED YOUR HELP! They are more likely to go to events that they are
invited to by people who live in their area (who could vote for them if they’re over 18!)
On the next page is a template invite that you can use.
Who is my MP and what’s their email address?
Go to findyourmp.parliament.uk and type your postcode in and it will give you the
details of where to email your invite to.
Make sure you include your address so they know you live in their area.
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What should I write?
Here’s a draft email you could use.
Dear [insert your MP’s name here]
There has been a lot of news coverage about the care system recently, though not much of it
about what young people themselves think of being in care. On 5th February 2014 I am attending
the All Party Parliamentary Group for Looked After Children and Care Leavers. I am going to
represent the views of looked after children and care leavers from [insert your council name
here]. At this meeting, we are going to discuss how young people are supported by their
personal advisers when they leave care.
The meeting is a chance for MPs, local politicians and policymakers to discuss with young people
what needs to change in the care system. It takes place in the Boothroyd Room, Portcullis
House, from 17.00 – 19.00.
I would be very pleased if you would be able to attend and join us in debating what politicians can
do to make the lives of looked after children and care leavers better. If you have any questions
you can contact me on [insert details of someone to contact e.g. your participation officer]
or contact Chloe Cockett at The Who Cares? Trust ([email protected]).
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
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