Join our Care Council and Care Council Juniors!
The Surrey Care Council is made up of looked after children and care leavers aged 13 to 18 years old. We also have a Care Council Juniors group for young people aged between 8 to 13 years old, and they also meet monthly. If you are 18 and over, find out more about the Care Leavers' Forum. Our sessions have now returned to face-to-face which we are very excited about, so why not read more below to find out more!
To sign up or if you would like more information, send us an email to care.council@surreycc.gov.uk, and someone from the team will be in touch. You can also find Care Council on Facebook, where we post updates about our groups, useful resources and opportunities for young people.
- What is Care Council?
- What is Care Council Juniors?
- Why should you come to our groups?
- What do our young people think about the groups?
What is Care Council?
Care Council is a session for looked after children and care leavers aged between 13 and 25. The group is a great place for young people to share their wishes and feelings on the care system, and help us to make positive changes, Care Council is also a great way to make some new friends and access support. To find out more about Care Council, check out our new trailer on the UVP YouTube channel here.
Being a part of Care Council means young people:
- can get involved in the UVP teams Recruit Crew scheme, meaning they will be able to sit on interview panels for new Surrey staff,
- can take issues to the Corporate Parenting Board (a group of senior managers who have the power to change things),
- be trained to help us deliver Total Respect training, which is a two day training course teaching frontline workers what it is like to be a looked after child or care leaver,
- and lastly, help us to make a real, positive difference to the care system.
Dates for the rest of 2022 sessions will be promoted once these are finalised, so keep an eye out for these.
Venue details will be sent to carers and/or young people once they confirm their attendance. Dates and times maybe subject to change. For more information and to get involved, please email care.council@surreycc.gov.uk.
What is Care Council Juniors?
Care Council Juniors is a group for looked after children aged 7 to 12. The group gives young people the chance to take part in themed activities and learn new skills. Care Council Juniors is a great opportunity for young people to have their say about the issues that matter to them, make services better. Our members also have the chance to make new friends and have their voices heard. To find out more about Care Council Juniors, check out our new trailer on the UVP YouTube channel here.
Activities we have completed with our Juniors include:
- A day trip to KidZania in London,
- Activities with Surrey Fire and Rescue, as well as Surrey Police to meet some of the forces police dogs,
- Cooking workshops where the young people made their own homemade pizzas.
Dates for the rest of 2022 sessions will be promoted once these are finalised, so keep an eye out for these.
Venue details will be sent to carers and/or young people once they confirm their attendance. Dates and times maybe subject to change. For more information and to get involved, please email care.council@surreycc.gov.uk.
Why should you come to the groups?
At Care Council and Care Council Juniors, young people who attend will have the chance to:
- talk about things that are important to children and young people in care,
- raise action cards (something they want to stop or change about being looked after) which are taken to Corporate Parenting Board to be actioned and responded to,
- meet other young people in care who might have been in a similar position to them and make new friends,
- and also go on fun trips with the group, such as Thorpe Park, Go Karting, as well as a summer residential outing to the Calshot Activity Centre.
What do our young people think about the groups?
Below is what young people have said about coming to our sessions:
- "I love Care Council Juniors, I wish it happened everyday".
- "I really enjoyed the session as always. I really like the staff".
- "Care Council was good as always, and I want everyone to know they are not alone".
- "This has been a really good session and I enjoyed it a lot. The highlight was when I was able to share my opinion and stick to it".
