The Corporate Parenting Board met to discuss the annual reports for care leavers and youth voice, as well as other matters relating to children and families. The board was also scheduled to appoint a vice-chair and review its work plan.

Here's a summary of the topics that were scheduled to be discussed.

Care Leavers Annual Report

The board was scheduled to discuss the Care Leavers Annual Report 24-25, which provides an overview of the support Worcestershire County Council provides to care leavers aged 16-25.

The report covers several key areas:

• The Care Leavers Service Teams: Outlines the roles of the Care Leavers Team, the Outreach Service, and the Homeless Intervention Team (HIT).
• Corporate Parenting Pledges: Details how the council is meeting its pledges to support care leavers, including providing safe housing, supporting learning and employment, and listening to their voices.
• Benchmarking: Compares the service against national standards and highlights areas for improvement based on Ofsted inspections.
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Tracks metrics such as the number of young people with pathway plans, in-date visits, suitable accommodation, and engagement in education, employment, or training (EET).
• Young Person's Summary: Celebrates achievements and outlines future plans.

The report notes that 499 young people are currently accessing support from the Care Leavers Team, with 366 aged 18-20 and 133 over 21. The Outreach service supports 125 eligible care leavers aged 16-17.

The report highlights the council's commitment to the eight corporate parenting pledges, including:

We will support you in having a safe, secure and stable home to live in

The report details initiatives to assist care leavers in accessing and maintaining housing, such as the Joint Housing Protocol, a specialist housing personal advisor, monthly housing panels, and re-commissioned supported accommodation.

In terms of learning and development, the report acknowledges that care experienced young people are more likely to be unemployed than their peers. It outlines the NEET strategy and the investment in dedicated employment personal advisors.

The report also addresses how the council listens to the voices of care leavers, noting the Action Speak group and consultations on various initiatives.

The report also includes feedback from Ofsted, which graded the Care Leavers service as Good following an inspection in May 2023. Areas for improvement include consistency in service for care leavers subject to special guardianship orders¹, participation in service delivery, and access to services for those in custody.

Youth Voice Annual Report

The Corporate Parenting Board was scheduled to discuss the Youth Voice Annual Report 2024-2025. The report highlights the work of the Youth Voice Team in empowering care-experienced young people, looked after children, and students across Worcestershire schools.

The report notes that over one thousand children and young people engaged with the programme during the year.

Key achievements include:

• National recognition for participation at the Coram Voice Amplify event[^1].
• Co-production of a museum exhibition and film.
• Planning and holding the annual Fun Day for Looked After Children.
• Supporting the regional Participation Conference.
• Participation in Language that Cares events.
• Development of a thriving allotment project.

The report also provides updates from various youth groups, including Who Cares We Care (Children in Care Council) and Action Speak.

The Young Persons Summary of Youth Voice Team Annual Report 2024-2025 lists the following groups that young people can join:

• Who Cares We Care (8–16 years)
• Action Speak (16+ years)
• Youth Interview Panel (12–25 years)
• Youth Cabinet

The report concludes with plans for 2025-2026, including celebrating achievements, launching a film to explain health assessments, creating welcome packs for care leavers, and growing the allotment project.

Feedback on use of Time-out cards

The board was scheduled to receive feedback on the use of Time-out cards. These cards were designed to allow young people to signal if they needed time out during meetings.

Feedback on district leisure offers

The board was scheduled to discuss feedback on leisure offers available in different districts. This discussion may have included offers available to children who were looked after and their Independent Visitors.

Work Plan

The board was scheduled to review its work plan and consider any matters to be incorporated. The proposed work plan included:

• CPB Annual Report (19 November 2025)
• Health assessments and the impact of the 10-year plan, NEET task and finish group (27 January 2026)
• Inspection of local authority children's services (ILACS) – An update on improvements which were being made around life stories and transitions in particular Housing (7 May 2026)
• Annual IRO Report, SEND and actions being taken to stop young people becoming looked after (July 2026)