What is the purpose of the fund?
All councillors at Surrey County Council are committed to being good corporate parents and this means they will encourage and support care experienced children and young people (CYP) to achieve their potential. To help with this there is a small, discretionary fund that all Members are asked to contribute to, which as corporate parents we set aside to recognise and reward care experienced children and young people for their efforts and achievements.
What can I apply for?
There is no definitive list of what can be applied for; however, examples include:
- Holiday (school trip where it is a celebration)
- Day trip (theatre, cultural trip, experience, activity)
- Equipment for Hobbies (music or sports equipment, art supplies)
- Lessons/Training (music or sports training/lessons)
- Electronics (camera or computer monitor)
- Career/Business start-up (training courses, business equipment or clothing) where this is not covered by other funding routes.
Eligibility
- Applications must be for items or experiences beyond the Local Offer and beyond what a carer would normally be expected to provide.
- The Celebration Fund must not be used as an alternative funding source; its purpose is to recognise and celebrate meaningful achievements by care experienced children and young people.
- The Celebration Fund is not the appropriate funding source for therapy of any kind.
- Each child or young person may receive one award per financial year to ensure the fund benefits as many CYP as possible.
- Requests must demonstrate a positive impact on the young person’s personal growth, development or achievement.
- To ensure fairness, the maximum award is £300, and a clear breakdown of the amount requested must be provided.
How to make an application
Applications are to be made by professionals working with care experienced children and young people. This is an internal only form so must be completed by the young person’s Social Worker or Personal Advisor. Please contact celebration.fund@surreycc.gov.uk for more information and further guidance.
Panel dates and application deadlines
- 3 June 2026 (closing date for applications is 30 April 2026)
- 6 October 2026 (closing date for applications is 9 September 2026)
- 9 February 2027 (closing date for applications is 31 December 2026)
Application stages are as follows
- Shortlisting Panel – initial screening with nominated service representative.
- Celebration Fund Panel - Councillors from our Corporate Parenting Board will assess each application on its own merit and it is at the discretion of the panel what decision is made.
The panel's decision is final.
Finding out the result of the application
We will aim to make the result of any application known to you within two weeks of the panel's decision.
If the application is unsuccessful, we will explain the reason for this decision and will provide feedback to help improve potential future applications.
We want to hear from you!
If a successful award has been made an email will be sent to keyworkers to ask for feedback and an update. The panel would be delighted to hear about the ways this fund has helped children and young people so please do let us know by emailing celebration.fund@surreycc.gov.uk
Contact us
If you have any queries regarding this scheme, please email: celebration.fund@surreycc.gov.uk