Agenda item

The Panel will receive a presentation on this item from representatives of the Youth Forum.

Lily Blackmore, Off The Record and Jasmin Miller, In Care Council addressed the Panel and gave a presentation, a summary of which is set out below and a copy of it will be attached as an online appendix to these minutes.

Covid-19

·  It has changed how we live our lives

·  More than ever, it is important to think about new ways to connect

·  We have been focusing our efforts on how best to connect and collaborate to support ALL young people.

In Care Council

·  A group of young people who are in care in BANES

·  This group enables young people to guide development and delivery of services to their peers, get their voice heard and create their own projects to make change. They meet regularly with professionals and decision makers to share their views and experiences.

·  Jasmin has been appointed as a Young Ambassador to the Council to help shape Children’s Care Services across Bath and North East Somerset, ensuring the voices of children and young people are heard.

Junior In Care Council (JICC)

·  This group of 7-11 year olds meets 4 times a year for fun activities and consultation.

·  Consultation on the new Looked After Children (LAC) pack from the IRO (Independent Reviewing Officer) service

·  Halloween bowling & Pizza event held in October

Senior In Care Council (SICC)

Our recent work includes:

·  Podcast

·  Connecting with the JICC through activity videos

·  Training for Foster Carers & ACE Team

·  LAC Nurse interviews

·  Glossary for LAC information pack

·  Foster Carer video – first 48 hours

Care Leavers

·  Starting a group of young people who have left care

·  Celebrating Care Leaver’s week in partnership with Social services

·  Consulted with Care Leavers about activities they would like to see and improvements to the info they receive

·  Held a Movie Night, Bake Off and Tour of Bath in response to these suggestions and feedback

Youth Forum

Last Year the Forum worked on:

·  Make Your Mark

·  Night Stop

·  Youth Parliament Elections

During Lockdown the Forum has worked on building an Activity Website.

·  We have researched and created a website for young people in BANES.

·  It will provide activities and support for young people.

·  It is currently going into consultation with other young people.

Participating & Representing Young People

Consultation

·  Transport Delivery Action Plan

·  Survey for the Council about lockdown

Spoken for young people at various events, conferences and webinars:

·  UK Youth Parliament: Annual Conference (MYP voted on key issues for YP)

·  British Youth Council South West Summit

·  IMPACT 20: A roundtable event across the South West from the Cabinet office for the Inclusive Economic Partnership – looking at the economic recovery post Covid-19 and getting young people’s views.

·  MYP contributed to the Covid-19 19 and Black Lives Matter webinars for BANES.

Moving forward with our Campaigns

Protect the Environment:

·  Promote reusable masks in schools

·  Educate young people about the ecological emergency and how they can make a change

Respect (Consent & healthy relationships)

·  Learning more about respect through training and research

·  Encouraging respect through speaking out for causes we care about e.g. BLM

Mental Health

·  Planning & creating a video about how Covid-19 has affected young people

·  Provide best practice guidance for schools on what young people want and need to help with their mental health in these difficult times

·  Developing workshops & training

Councillor Paul May thanked them both for the presentation. He commented that the Council currently has less contact with most schools as a lot of them have become Academies and he asked how could more schools become aware of the work of Off The Record and the groups mentioned in the presentation.

Lily Blackmore replied that participation was encouraged through the Youth Forum and that she would like small groups to develop in schools. She added that it was possible to refer to Mental Health services through Off The Record.

Councillor Liz Hardman commented that it was great to see Jasmin carry on her work by becoming a Young Ambassador. She asked if the Looked After Children (LAC) pack from the IRO (Independent Reviewing Officer) service was a new piece of work and when was it likely to be available.

Jasmin Miller replied that a pack does already exist, but it was felt that it needed updating to be more holistic and young person friendly.

The Director for Children & Young People said that the review of the pack had been most welcome.

The Deputy Safeguarding Lead added that having the pack informed by young people will help to ensure that it provides relevant information.

Councillor Jess David commented that their work was inspiring and asked how the Panel could help or engage with the three campaigns mentioned. She added that she would welcome the Panel being updated on their work at a future meeting.

Jasmin Miller replied that any promotion of their workshops or providing information to schools would be welcome.

Councillor Andy Wait asked regarding the Make Your Mark work, how easy was it to spread the word due to Covid-19.

Lily Blackmore replied that it had been quite tricky and that a lot of work was carried out online, through email communications with schools and a social media campaign. She added that promotion had also been provided within tutor groups.

The Chairman commented that it was great to see such enthusiasm and thanked them for the presentation on behalf of the Panel. He added that he looked forward to hearing from them in the future.