Tuesday also saw the first meeting of our new Council group for Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, OCYPC Magic (Making a Great and Important Difference)! At this first meeting, we introduced the group to the young people and explained its purpose – to give young people with additional needs an opportunity to share their views and opinions about school and what helps them learn and support them to make positive changes. We asked them about their experiences at school; what makes them happy, what makes them feel safe and what helps them learn. Finally, the young people shared some ideas for the creation of a new Logo for OCYPC Magic.

Next up was our annual Countywide Event at Kingswood Activity Centre near Ashford. This was an occasion for the Children in Care Councils and the Children WHO Care Council to meet, work together and have fun. During the meeting, our Young People made suggestions about how the government could meet one of its key missions following the Independent Social Care Review, ‘Make care better for children in care and care leavers’. They also began helping us to create a competition entry for the Coram National Voice Awards, celebrating our Challenge Card process and Children in Care Councils.

On Thursday, young people tested their aim with archery, ability in climbing and high ropes and survival skills during an action packed day at Creed Outdoor Learning in Teynham.

And last but not least, we had two activities on Friday. It was really windy at Betteshanger Country Park near Deal, but despite the weather we had so much fun with our group of young people aged 16+. Everyone tested themselves on the obstacle course and learned new skills at the archery followed by a lovely picnic on the grass.

Finally, together with young people aged 7 – 15, we explored one of the oldest castles in the UK, Dover Castle, and had fun learning more about his history.

The Participation Team met with 7 young people, aged 16+ in Canterbury, to discuss the group and their aims. The young people explained that they wanted the space to be somewhere safe for them to be heard, and shared interests in sports and cooking. They explained some of the struggles they currently face with education and shared their goals for the future. The young people were very inspiring and we hope that this group will empower them to make a positive difference.  Our next meeting will be in June. If anyone would like some more information, please contact VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk.

On Thursday 6th April, we held a Circus Skills activity day for our Kent Disabled Young People. Throughout the day, young people took part in Easter arts and crafts as well as many other Easter themed games and activities. In the afternoon, Kinetic Circus joined us to teach the young people some amazing things such as juggling, box catching and how to throw diablos.

We also held two Pizza Making days at Pizza Express. The young people who attended all had a chance to make their own pizzas and enjoy them. They then did some food related activities after, such as making banana sushi and a blind taste test game. The young people all had fun and went home with lots of food. 

And last but not least, our two “Sublime Science” activity days.  The young people started the morning with engineering activities, including a paper airplane challenge, using different weights and designs, and a tower challenge to build the strongest and tallest tower out of straws. We were then joined by “Sublime Science” who showed the children some awesome activities and scientific experiments, and the children got the chance to make their own slime and sweets!

Young People’s Council Meetings 

This Easter, all of our Council Groups focused on the support Young People with Special Educational Needs receive. We asked the young people their views on how they would like information shared with them, as well as how they prefer to share their opinions about school and their education both individually and collectively with decision makers. Their ideas and feedback will be incorporated into the new Kent Local Area Communications and Engagement Strategy

The OCYPC, Super Council and OCYPC Extra meetings also focused on what young people think helps make their homes stable and secure, the support they think they need and how they know they are being listened to when they experience challenges. This feedback has already been shared with Kent’s Practice Development Team and practitioners in a training session. Finally, the groups took part in something creative to design a new logo for Kent’s Education Safeguarding Service.

At the Children WHO Care meeting we discussed the need to create a guide for schools to support Children whose families foster. All the feedback from young people is being collated and turned into a “Hints and Tips” document ready to be shared with schools.

Finally, at the Adoptables meeting we told members about the new head of RAA (Regional Adoption Agency), and we asked them what they’d like her to be like and what qualities she should have. Alongside, this the group discussed the support young people should receive when they return from school after a long absence to help them settle back into learning and their school community.

Monday also saw the first OCYPC Extra meeting of the year in Canterbury. OCYPC Extra is a meeting for young people who cannot attend the main OCYPC and Super Council meetings in Maidstone. At the meeting, young people discussed what it is like to change social worker and how this process can be made the best possible experience for them. Some members of the Young Life Foundation team also joined the meeting, introduced themselves and YLF to the young people and asked for feedback about their leaflets and website.

We also held our Children Who Care Council, for the sons and daughters of foster carers. Members provide feedback to the Performance Management Team about the look and design of the Annual Fostering Review forms.

On Valentine’s Day, we celebrated by making bath bombs, decoupage boxes, cards, cake jars and teddies at our Valentine’s Gift Making Workshop. All the attendees had lots of goodies to take home and share by the end of the day!

Wednesday was such a great day, filled with lots of important messages from young people for Kent’s Corporate Parents. Young People representing our three Children in Care Councils joined the Corporate Parenting Panel to discuss the importance of fostering and share their experiences of being in care with their corporate parents. We also premiered our film, ‘Never Stop Listening’, created in collaboration with some of the Young People attending the event about what being in care in Kent is really like and what can help to make it the most positive experience possible.

On the following day, at our Dinosaur and Reptile Activity Day, some very brave young people had the chance to hold real life reptiles and insects as well as join in with an interactive giant dinosaur workshop from the Travelling Natural History Museum.

We closed the week with our Adoptables meeting, as well as our main Super Council and OCYPC meetings in Maidstone. At OCYPC and Super Council, we again met with Young Lives Foundation staff to look at their leaflets and flyers and discussed young people’s experiences of changing social worker. Young people told us how important it is to have a good transition from one social worker to another with a proper goodbye and introduction to the new worker. We also played some group games and ended the meeting with some yummy pizza lunch!

The Adoptables members talked about their post 16 options, how they felt they were supported in school and who they could go to for information. We also made some well-being rainbows to support Children’s Mental Health Week.  

Young people from a variety of backgrounds, both in care and living with family, shared their positive and negative experiences of attending meetings with a range of professionals and produced a list of top tips for workers. These included advice for before, during and after meetings which they felt would help young people feel genuinely and meaningfully included in these and their own plans. Tips included involving young people in the planning and organisation of meetings, helping them to prepare for what was likely to be discussed and about the kind of language they would like to be used with them. They were keen for workers to really speak to them and listen to them during meetings and discussed how they would like to receive reports and plans. These tips have now been shared with a number of staff throughout Children’s Services to help them think about their own work with young people.

It was a really positive focus group with lots of insightful opinions shared by the young people!

Top Tips For Meetings

The project lasted a couple of months, the apprentices visited her every week and came up with creative ideas to bring this film together. With their support, the young person made a film that focused on the people who have helped her whilst she has been in care. She enjoyed using our animation software and telling us about her experiences.

After completing this project, she said that she wants this video to help other young people who have been in similar situations as her. This will be done by showing this film to other Children in Care. All her hard work has been noticed and greatly appreciated by professionals who have seen the film so far, but most importantly she was very happy with the end result. Seeing this young person’s confidence grow during each session has been very rewarding to us. We are enormously proud of her!

It was amazing to see so many children and their families coming together to take part in festive games and activities and enjoying the holiday season.

There were lots of activities planned which included arts and crafts like bauble decorating, biscuit decorating, making sensory bags and creating reindeer food. We also had stalls including, ‘Guess how many candy canes in the jar’, a photo booth, a snowball target game, ‘Guess the name of the teddy’, lucky dip, knock down the cans, and a Christmas coin drop game.

And, of course there was also a Santa’s Grotto! The children were able to go and meet Santa, tell him what they wanted for Christmas and receive a very special gift from him.

It was really a great day, and everyone left with a smile on their face and lots of great memories. Merry Christmas Everyone!

You will gain skills and experience that you will be able to take anywhere in the world of work!

         What do I need to be able to apply?

• Be a care leaver.
• Aged 18-30.
• Satisfy the Civil Service nationality requirements.

(No qualifications needed!)

Applications open on 5th December 2022!

To find out more contact:

Leavers.care@education.gov.uk.

The ceremony was a little bit different this year with young people receiving their awards and prizes directly from the Corporate Parents in small groups throughout the day. There were plenty of opportunities for pictures though!

Once they had received their award, there was lots on site for young people to try out including a large selection of woodland themed games, such as a lucky dip, pin the tail on the bunny and name the woodland animal teddies. Young people could also have a go at mini golf and indoor climbing and try the leap of faith, the zipline or the 3G swing outside, which all proved very popular.

Alongside this, our special guests of snakes, lizards, and baby hedgehogs, which were available to hold, resulted in a large queue and many pictures!

We had a wide selection of freshly baked cakes with a range of drinks too for all attendees and staff!

A great day which resulted in smiling faces all around. Well done to all our fabulous award winners!

The children who care council is a group exclusively for the sons and daughters children of foster carers. It is a chance to meet and discuss issues they may face as part of a fostering family.  We work closely with Fostering, and feedback what the young people say.

The group meets every school holiday and it’s open to all children aged 7 to 16 years old. The Children WHO Care Council meetings are a chance to help make changes but also a chance to meet other young people in a fostering family and have fun!

The young people voice is so important for us to gather feedback and make a real change, and we encourage as many people as possible to join.

Participating in council is an amazing opportunity to have your voice heard to shape services in the future.

If you would like more information, please contact Louise at louise.codman@kent.gov.uk or VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk

The Royal Holloway University of London and University of Siegen are doing research trying to better understand the experiences of young people in residential care in England and Germany.

We would like young people living in or who have lived in children’s homes or semi-independent accommodation to share their experience about what it is like in residential care and what opportunities young people have and would like to have to participate in decisions about their lives and those of others in care.

• How are you involved in making decisions in your children’s home/accommodation?

• What do you think about the rules of your children’s home? What happens if someone doesn’t play by the rules?

• How are your relationships with your carers and other young people living in your children’s home?

Take part in the survey and have a chance to win Beats headphones!

Click on the link to take part in the survey:

Link to the survey

The survey is anonymous and voluntary. It takes about 20-30 minutes.

If you have questions, please contact Petra Gobbels

This is an annual event where all the Children in Care Councils can work and collaborate together, have fun, and meet some of their Corporate Parents.

We sat down with young people and presented the History of the of the OCYPC, how it started, how it grew in membership, and how it ended up splitting off with two more groups; the Super Council and Young Adult Council.

We also discussed a new constitution for the meetings with all the young people, this determined what kind of rules and behaviours they expected, not only from each other but from the staff in attendance too. We’ll take away all the suggestions and use them to create the constitution.

Young people also looked at how they want to be asked questions during the various meetings they have throughout their time in care, and what is the best way to get feedback from children in care. They were asked specifically how best to answer the questions (paper, electronically), how they want it to look (form to fill, survey with multiple choices, ranking from favourite to least favourite on a list, using emojis etc) and whether it should vary for different age groups. Young people came up with their top ten tips for a successful meeting and added some ideas about how they wanted them presented. We are planning to take this away and work with the Kent County Council Communication Team to get the relevant documents designed.

To finish, we all enjoyed pizza in the garden for lunch, and in the afternoon fun team challenges were provided by the “Wise Up Team” making use of their fantastic equipment!

The aim of the Hackathon was to find solutions to the problem of a decrease in overall wellbeing in young people at schools across Kent. Nine groups of young people (aged 5-17 years old) were asked to come up with ideas that would improve mental and physical well-being within their schools and local community and present these to a judging panel with real funds at stake to implement their ideas and turn them into reality.

To introduce the importance of looking after your emotional well-being and mental health, Kelly Hannaghan (Mental Health and Welling Consultant) gave an engaging speech to all the teams and pupils. This included some mental well-being exercises and analogies that young people could use in everyday life. This was extremely eye opening to listen to and engage with. Daniel Bromley, from Kent Sport, also gave a very active speech about the importance of physical health. He presented a quiz to highlight the extreme consequences that COVID had on young people’s physical health using statistics. This seemed to be very surprising to the young people and through discussion, they all agreed that something had to change. These ideas definitely stuck with the young people as many of the final ideas they pitched included the importance of physical activity and aimed to incorporate this into activities at their school.

The judges for the event were from the Participation Team - Amy, Ellie and Kayleigh who were partnered with a senior member of Kent County Council staff at the event. The children all pitched brilliant ideas including apps, swimming pool refurbishment, new equipment in schools and extra-curricular activities. This made judging really challenging as all the ideas were so good!

At the end of the day, there were three winners who won £1000 each for their school and runners up won £750 for their school. This made all participants excited as they were able to make their ideas a reality. That was very rewarding to see.

Views of Participation Team Apprentices Ellie and Amy

As this was our first event with young people, it was really eye opening to see how everyone including the young people bounced off each other and worked together collaboratively. Added to this, observing the young people when they were brain storming ideas was very pleasant to witness and it made our job on the day very rewarding.

The challenge consists of reading 6 books over the summer holidays, and you will be rewarded with a medal and certificate (while stocks last). And it’s all for free!

E-books, audio books, joke books, picture books and family reading all count as part of the challenge.

This year, Kent Libraries will introduce the Gadgeteers; Aisha, Eddie, Leo, Maggie, James & Ajay. The Gadgeteers celebrate adventure, friendship, reading and fun while helping children to discover science all around them. Complete the challenge to find out more about them!

To participate, visit a Kent Library to claim your joining pack, or visit the Summer Reading Challenge Website to take part online.

Good Luck!

The study runs from January to July 2022, and they are looking for children and young people to complete an anonymous survey.

If you are aged 16-25 years, you can complete the survey directly at this link:  Pets and Change Survey .

For those aged 12-15 years, the researchers need to obtain your carer/guardian/parent permission and will send the survey link to them once they have completed the online consent form:  Carer Consent .

If you would like to have more information, you can visit the webpage: Click for more info on the Pets and Change study .

For young people who may be interested in applying, there will be two information sessions:

• Tuesday 9 August | 11.30am - 1.00pm
• Thursday 18 August | 4.30pm - 6.00pm

You can choose your preferred session to attend by filling the form at the link: Civil Service Care Leavers Internship Scheme Information Sessions for LA’s

• The Care Leavers Internship Scheme is a 12-month fixed term appointment at AO (Administrative officer) / EA (Executive Assistant) or EO (Executive Officer) grade for one to two years depending on the requirements of the role.
• These are AO/EA & EO roles that are paid at the same salary as any fixed term appointment in the government department that you are allocated to.
• In order to apply for the Care Leaver Internship Scheme you must have been eligible for a leaving care support package when you left care.
• In order to qualify for leaving care support, you must have been in care for a minimum of 13 weeks, some of which must have been after your 16th birthday.
• As these are ring-fenced opportunities, across government departments, these opportunities are only available to care leavers, who are aged 18-30 years.
• You must satisfy the Civil Service nationality rules.
• No qualifications are needed; however, you will need to provide good examples to demonstrate that you have the right skills and experience for the roles on offer.
• You will need to write a personal statement to demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria as outlined in the advert.
• The advert will go live on Civil Service Jobs

Recruitment timeline for 2022-2023

• 8th August- Advert goes live
• 5th September – Advert Closes
• 20th September – Successful candidates invited to interview
• 26th September– Interviews commence 
• 7th October – Interviews finish
• Mid November- Successful candidates informed and allocation of successful candidates to departments.

Should you have any further questions, please email leavers.care@education.gov.uk

During the May half term, two members of the Participation Team, Tom and Rob, along with a group of 10 young people set out on a four-day voyage from Southampton into the English Channel with the Ocean Youth Trust.

During the journey, Tom, Rob and the young people learnt many different skills; like how to tie knots, how to put the sails up, and how to work as a team to keep the boat sailing along.

They managed to see loads of different boats, lots of jellyfish, and the wonderful scenery of the Isle of Wight. They were given the opportunity to cook dinner for everyone, play games, and even man the helm of the boat!

In total, the journey consisted of 87 nautical miles (100.1 land miles) over a total of 2 and a half days. It was a fun packed four days, everyone was very tired at the end of it, and grateful at being given the opportunity to participate in this amazing experience!

You can do this by means of colouring, painting or using any other material you can find. Include in your design anything to do with the Queen.

Prizes up for grabs for the winning designs!

To participate, take a photo of your work and send it to VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk including full name and address of the young person.

Deadline is the 10th of June 2022.

While we’re busy organising the event, we are inviting workers, foster carers and schools to nominate young people, and make sure they don’t miss out on the opportunity of being recognised and rewarded.

Every young person from Early Year’s settings, Year R to Year 13+ can be nominated using the VSK Awards 2022 nomination form: Virtual School Kent Awards 2022 nomination form.

The three categories will be:

• Key Stage Two - bake six cupcakes
• Key Stage Three - bake a sponge cake
• Key Stage Four - bake a three-layer cake

All the cakes should be decorated with a Platinum Jubilee theme. You will have to plan and design your cake on paper first and send either a drawing or a photograph of your cake, with a description of the flavours, to civic.office@kent.gov.uk by Friday 10 June 2022.

A panel of judges, including the Chairman of the Council, will select five finalists in each category and invite them to bake their cakes and bring them to County Hall on Friday 1 July 2022, when the judges will select a winner and two runners up in each category.

Each finalist will receive a Platinum Jubilee commemorative coin.

The third-place finalist will receive a £10 Amazon Voucher.

The second-place finalist will receive a £20 Amazon voucher.

The winner in each category will receive a £30 Amazon voucher plus a £100 book voucher for their school.

Full details of the competition can be found on the attached sheets (one for each category) but if you have any queries, please contact the Civic Office at Kent County Council by emailing civic.office@kent.gov.uk.

Key Stage Two

Key Stage Three

Key Stage Four

They open to all 6 - 14 year old Kent Children in Care and the Sons and Daughters of Foster Carers.

From Saturday 26th February, we’ve offered a wide range of activities for young people to take part in across the county:

• Climbing
• Cookery Cabin
• Laser Tag
• Pottery Painting
• Chocolate Making

After receiving very good feedback from children and carers, we’re planning to continue with this project in the future. Here are the activities taking place over the next terms: Pizza making at Pizza Express; Laser Tag; Mote Park Watersports; Nerf Tag and Target Archery ​​​​​​.

For children in care, your foster carers can contact your local leisure centre to find out what’s on offer and discuss what activity you would like to access. This could be anything from discounted entry or sports taster sessions to swimming sessions for children with additional needs or teenage gym membership.

Your foster carer may be asked to provide an email address for your social worker just to confirm you are in care. For unaccompanied asylum seeking young people living in shared accommodation, your PA can contact your local leisure centre in the same way as foster carers.

Care leavers aged 18-21 years are also able to access this leisure centre offer. You should contact the leisure centre directly to discuss what you would like to do. The Centre may ask you to provide a KCC email address for your PA to confirm you are eligible.

If you, your foster carer, social worker or PA have any issues, please email reconnect.kentcyp@kent.gov.uk or call 03000 423423.

Young People in Kent, including members of Kent’s Children in Care Councils, wrote and agreed the six Youth Charter principles. They worked together to think about what behaviours are needed for successful participation, what these mean to young people and the best ways for practitioners to engage with young people.

They now want all services working with young people in Kent to adopt the Youth Charter.

The Principles of the Kent Youth Charter

Young people, including those in care, should expect that all staff and volunteers will:

Respect you and be kind

• Find out about you, from you.
• Be relaxed with open body language.
• Help you to feel welcome.

Include you and accept you

• Accept everyone’s differences and individuality.
• Be a place that you want to come.
• Find out and act upon your needs.

Listen, understand and act upon what you say

• Make enough time for you.
• Give you opportunities to share your views.
• If we say we’re going do something, we will do it, and show you the outcomes.

Be honest and work to build your trust

• We will be clear about our intentions.
• We will be honest about what we’re going to do.
• We will work to build a trusting relationship with you.

Support you to grow and learn from your experience

• Staff are trained to work with young people.
• Staff understand the community and know where to seek help.
• Staff have knowledge of what opportunities are available to you.

Let you lead and make decisions

• Give you a voice about the things that affect you.
• Ensure you understand your right to make choices.
• Help you feel valued by listening to your views and opinions to make decisions together.

Download the Youth Charter.

Starting with Arts and Crafts, we had a couple of activity days for younger children at ‘The Activity Box’ in Herne Bay, where they had the chance to make their own pottery and do UV painting in the dark.

At the Canterbury Leisure, we all enjoyed a day full of fun with Crazy Golf, Laser Tag and Bowling.

For those interested in cooking (and eating!), we were back for a couple of activity days at ‘The Cookery Cabin’ in Gravesend.

Creativity and expressing ourselves were at the centre of our Wellbeing Interactive Drama Workshop, where children explored their emotions through different scenarios and tried positive thinking techniques.

Luckily, the sun was out during this Easter Holidays, and we could make the most out of our outdoor activity days! Curly’s Farm, with our disabled young people, and Yew Tree Farm.  We also hosted a filming activity day, where we interviewed our young people and children to listen to their stories and opinions about being in care. The interviews will be part of a film that we’re producing, with the aim to look at the past and compare it with the present to see how the services we offer have evolved over the years.

Our first speech was around pride of place, so we had to use the theme of what makes Kent special. We chose Dover welcoming refugees and how we work to support them. We also had to do a speech around a question set by the judges, and we chose “what would happen if animals could talk?” and wrote a humorous speech about Charmaine’s anti-social cat, his rights and his wishes to find a new home, which got lots of laughs. The final speech was on a topic of our own choosing. We decided to speak about equality for those with protected characteristics, particularly race, gender and LGBTQ+ rights, which left the crowd pondering this topic afterwards.

As apprentices we gained a great deal from the event. It led us to come out of our comfort zone, speaking in front of a large audience, as well as doing a lot of networking and meeting new people. We learnt about other parts of the UK and how their councils work and the diverse workforce amongst them. We also developed our own knowledge by listening to other people’s speeches about social media, women’s health and the impact of pets on the environment. These were really interesting, and made us think about our own point of view. We think it is so important to help young people get their voices heard, give them a chance to speak up and gain opportunities. We are really glad we got a chance to attend this competition and we really enjoyed ourselves.

By Charmaine Chapman and Shyanne Ali

By accessing Kooth, you can benefit from: 

• A free, confidential, anonymous and safe way to receive support online.
• Out of hours’ availability. Counsellors are available from 12noon to 10pm on weekdays and 6pm to 10pm at weekends
• Online Counselling from a professional team of BACP qualified counsellors is available via 1-1 chat sessions or messaging on a drop in basis or via booked sessions (all text based)
• Discussion Boards which are all pre-moderated allow you to access peer to peer support.
• Online Magazine full of moderated articles, many of which are submitted by young people offering advice and guidance on a huge range of topics.
• No referral is required.  You can register for Kooth independently at www.kooth.com

Kooth is available for children & young people in Kent & Medway from the ages of 10 - 25 & can support a young person should they be placed on a waiting list, not meet thresholds for support or as an additional support alongside other services.

Get ready for the Wild World Heroes, as Summer Reading Challenge 2021 comes to Kent libraries!

Kent libraries are excited to introduce Wild World Heroes, Summer Reading Challenge 2021; a celebration of nature and action for the environment, in partnership with WWF UK.

Running from 10 July – 11 September 2021, for the first time, children can choose to sign up and participate in the Summer Reading Challenge either by visiting a Kent Library to claim their joining pack, or by visiting wildworldheroes.org.uk to take part online.  Visit kent.gov.uk/libs to find an up-to-date list of our open libraries and information about when others will be opening.

Meet the Wild World Heroes - Carys, Marcus, Callum, Willow, Faiza, David and their trusted animal companions from Wilderville, who are all on a mission to take action and save their natural world.

Children can help the Wild World Heroes by signing up to the Summer Reading Challenge and reading six library books over the summer period.  It can be any type of reading material including stories, information books, audiobooks, eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines and more.  When they have read their six books and completed the Summer Reading Challenge, they will receive a medal and certificate (while stocks last). And it’s all for free!

Live Virtual Zoolabs

Zoolab Rangers bring their animals to our free online Zoolab events, part of Kent Libraries Summer Reading Challenge, Wild World Heroes.

Naturetown – suitable for 5-8 year olds
Wed 4 Aug 1pm-1.45pm 
Thurs 12 Aug 10am-10.45am
https://bit.ly/NatureTown
Hear about the adventure of fellow eco-warriors helping local wildlife, reinforcing what we can all do to protect and care for our animal neighbours.

Eco Investigators – suitable for 8-11 year olds
Wed 18 Aug 10am-10.45am
Thurs 26 Aug 1pm-1.45pm
https://bit.ly/EcoInvestigators
Become an Eco Investigator and learn how we can help save our animal friends - all from the comfort of your own home!

The Disabled Children and Young People’s Service is made up of a range of services that offer support to disabled children, young people, and their families.  Young people have decided on the name and look of the service and now we want your help designing the logo for the Strengthening Independence Service!

The competition is open to young people of all ages and there are prizes for the top three entries. The winning entry will be turned into the new logo for the service.

The closing date is Sunday 25th July. Good luck!

You can find out more or send your entries to Chloe-Elizabeth Mutton, the SEND Youth Participation Officer by emailing Chloe-Elizabeth.Mutton@Kent.gov.uk

Foster Carers, Social Workers, Teachers and other professionals can now nominate young people from Early Years to Year 13+ using the online nomination form -  Virtual School Kent awards nomination form 

The Awards are a great opportunity to celebrate young people’s effort and achievements.  We are hopeful that we will be able to meet up with young people in September and October to celebrate their achievements this year in person, however if this does not prove possible we will still finds ways to celebrate their achievements!

The Award Categories this year are:

Outstanding or greatly improved academic achievement

Outstanding or greatly improved engagement and/or attitude towards learning

Outstanding contribution to the education, training, or employment placement

Outstanding contribution to the community

Wider achievements of note

The deadline to make a nomination is Friday 30th July for Early Years and those in Year Reception to Year 11, and Friday 27th August for those in Year 12, Year 13 and for our Care Leavers.

National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum (NLCBF) are currently recruiting for Sessional Worker Posts - flexible and exciting paid opportunities for care experienced individuals to work with the forum

The posts are flexible and can fit around other work or education commitments.  Sessional workers help to design and deliver NLCBF & Young People’s Benchmarking Forum (YPBMF) events. They also get involved in consultations and events with partner organisations around the country. Sessional workers can be based anywhere in the country. 

The closing date for applications in Sunday 6th June.

Visit: https://www.smartrecruiters.com/Catch22/743999748471693-sessional-worker-national-leaving-care-benchmarking-forum?trid=c78b06db-806d-46d2-8133-65f56be98ad3 for more information and to apply

There are also two Q&As about the post available to attend via MS Teams on Wednesday 26th May at 12.30pm and on Tuesday 1st June at 6pm. On these calls, you will meet the team to find out what it’s like to do the job.

To sign up to these sessions please contact nlcbf@catch-22.org.uk 

The SEND co-production charter was created with the help of young people to allow for their voices to always be heard.

The main message focuses on everyone, no matter what their age is, coming together from the start, to work together as equal partners, communicating and listening in a respectful manner to achieve the best possible outcome for everybody.

Download or print the SEND co-production charter.

The Big Ask is a survey for children and young people aged 4–17 in England. The Children’s Commissioner and her team have split the survey into different age groups, so you can fill in a version appropriate for your age. They have also made an easy-read ‘accessible’ version as well as a version for care leavers.

It’s time to give something big back to young people like you after COVID — and the Children’s Commissioner (Rachel de Souza) needs your help to do it.

They want to use what you tell them to show the government what you think, and what children need to live happier lives.

They’ll use what you say to tell the people who run the country or your local area what you think needs to change to make your life better.

Privacy:

They won’t ask for your name, phone number or email, and they’ll keep what you tell them safe and private – it won’t be shared with anyone else. You don’t have to answer any question if you don’t want to.

Complete the survey here

For any other questions about The Big Ask, check out the Frequently Asked Questions page.

We are excited to announce that Coram Voice’s annual writing competition is now open!

Every year there is a theme chosen by children and young people to write about – this year it is “What Makes Life Good”.  This could be anything from places you have been, things you have done, people who are important to you, things you like to do or anything else that you feel ‘Makes Life Good’ for you. 

Your entries can be up to (but no more than) 500 words long and can be a story, poem, rap, article or anything else that fits the theme.  

The competition is open for entries from now until 31 March 2021. All the competition finalists will be published in an anthology and there is the chance to win a £100 prize, runner up prizes, books, vouchers.

To enter go to the Coram Voice website and complete the form. If you do choose to enter, the Participation Team would love to see your writing too - why not also send it to VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk and we can showcase it here on Kent Cares Town as well!

What is Nurture? 

Nurture is all about the people around you and how they help you to grow and become the best person you can be. Nurture is also about the environment that you are growing up in, this might be your school, your community or your friends. Together all of these can influence positive wellbeing and behaviour.

The National Nurturing School Programme features 6 principles. Everyone in Virtual School Kent is working hard to make sure we are following the principles in our work with young people, schools, other agencies, as well as our own staff.

The VSK apprentices have worked with young people to put the 6 key nurture principles into words for young people, by young people.

The 6 principles are:

• Whatever changes you face; we are here to guide you. 

Anyone may have changes in their lives which may be difficult to cope with or challenging. VSK are always here to support you and help you cope with these changes.

• No matter what age, everyone is at a different stage. 

Not everyone achieves things at the same time or the same age, VSK are here to help you achieve when you are ready.

• VSK can help you find your voice. 

Having your voice heard is important and VSK will help you to make sure your wishes and feelings are always heard.

• How you behave tells us how you feel. 

It’s not always easy to talk about how you are feeling but sometimes how you behave shows us instead. VSK is here to support you with how you are feeling.

• VSK can be your safe space. 

Although VSK isn’t a real-life school, we are always here for you.

• Nurture helps you feel happy and healthy. 

The VSK team are here to make sure you are getting everything you need to make sure you are happy, healthy and safe.

As well as working towards the Six Principles of Nurture, VSK has introduced a new tool to help your teachers support your wellbeing and learning.

The Boxall Profile is an assessment that helps your teachers and VSK staff understand your needs and make sure that you are supported in the right way. It’s not a test for you though! By looking at the way you play and socialise with your class mates and learn and behave in class, your teachers will be able to create targets for you and plan the extra support you might need. These will, hopefully, help you to feel happier and more settled at school and access your learning better. Your teachers will work with VSK staff to check these targets, for example at your PEP meeting, and develop new ones when you need them.

If you would like more information, you can look on the Nurture UK website; or email us at VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk. You can also watch Tony Doran, VSK’s Headteacher, explain more about Nurture and the Six Principles.

Deciding to go to university is a big step for anyone. It can be confusing and a bit overwhelming. The process can be especially difficult if you’re a care leaver, and you might not know where to turn for help. Well, we have the guide for you!

Click here for the guide, on the IMO website, to find first-hand experiences of what it’s really like to apply to and attend university as a care leaver and how to gain advice and insights directly from care leavers that have been through the same process that you will be going through. 

To do this, there is a yearly survey designed to find out about your experiences and identify where the 18 Plus Service can improve.  This survey is now open to all Care Leavers aged 18 and over who were in the care of Kent County Council and are now supported by the Care Leavers 18+ Service.

You can click here to access the survey in another tab.  You can answer in a variety of languages such as Pashto or Tigriyan and all your answers are anonymous, so you can be as honest as you want!  It’s easy to complete and should only take about 5 minutes.

We spoke to Rob, who is a Participation Support Assistant in the Participation Team about why he thinks it’s important to take part in the survey…

“Being a Care Leaver, getting my opinion across is important. Surveys are an easy way to share your opinions with staff so they get an understanding about how you, as a Care Leaver, are actually feeling about the care you are receiving. Surveys are there for you to be able to tell staff or other people what you want them to know, whether this is anonymous or not. And, you are still able to get your opinion across virtually, even if you are unable to see you PA as often due to the pandemic.”

YAC is urging as many Care Experienced Young Adults as possible to take part as you are best placed to tell the 18 Plus Care Leavers Service what being Care Experienced is really like and how the Service can make things better for you and others.  It’s your chance to let the 18+ Service know your views about Pathway Planning, your placement and how informed you feel about the services they provide. 

**SHARE YOUR VIEWS AND HAVE YOUR SAY! **

To support you with your education, we want to let you know that KCC has now opened 12 libraries for bookshelf browsing and borrowing, pre-bookable computers and WiFi sessions.

To be able to access these services you will need to register for a Kent County Council library card and account, if you don’t already have one.

Here’s how to Register for a library card online:

• Joining online will provide you with a basic library membership that will enable you to use the library for  booking computers, Wi-Fi use, as well as use our online resources, such as e-books, e-audio books, e-magazines and e-newspapers.
• Online memberships will expire after 3 months, you will then need to confirm your membership in one of the libraries to borrow items from them. To upgrade to a full library membership, you will need to show one piece of identification with your name and address on.
• Visit one of the libraries with any official identification showing your current address and you can become a full member. You will be given a library card and PIN number.

To join online visit: 

The Kent County Council Libraries website here

You can also visit one of the open libraries to register in person with ID.

This scheme gives Care Leavers the opportunity to apply for 12-month paid internships in the Civil Service.  You don’t need any qualifications to apply; you just need to be a Care Leaver aged between 18 and 30 years old.

The internships provide exciting opportunities to experience working in central Government and the chance to gain skills that will help you gain future employment.  Successful applicants are placed in a range of government departments and agencies in different areas of the country.

The internships will be offered at two levels; Administrative Officer (typical salary £17,400 per annum) or Executive Officer (typical salary £20,000 per annum). London salaries may be higher. 

Administrative Officers (AOs) provide administrative support whilst working within a team structure, and do not have line management responsibilities.

Executive Officers (EOs) are typically involved in problem solving, business planning and policy making within Government, usually working within a supportive team structure, under the direction of relevant team leaders.  EOs can also hold individual responsibility for pieces of work within a programme or project.

An online application system will be used, which will open for applications on Monday 7 September and will close at 23:55 hours on Monday 5 October.

If you are interested in the scheme, you can apply here. You can speak to your PA for help with your application too.

Aspens Fest 2020, will take place Saturday 18th - Sunday 19th July. Make sure you save the date! The weekend will be full of virtual activities and workshops, all themed around ‘Transitions’.

Aspens fest is a hub of mental health, wellbeing, music, sport, sensory and transition workshops tailored to parents, carers, siblings, children and young people with ASC, mental health difficulties and/or SEN.

To register for the festival, head to: aspensfest2020.aspens.org.uk

National Citizen Service (NCS)*   *

*The normal summer programme is unfortunately not able to go ahead and so in its place we are offering a completely free NCS experience available to all young people. *

Everyone who was previously signed up to a programme should have been contacted to have the new offer explained to them and will have been given an option of remaining involved in this summer’s experience, as well as deferring their place to next summer, if they are still age eligible.

*The summer 2020 experience includes a huge range of digital workshops, events and opportunities that can be accessed at  https://wearencs.com/.  Please do feel free to share these details with others. In addition, as we move further out of lockdown and things become safer we hope to arrange some volunteering and social action days for young people to join in with. *

Everyone at VSK would like to thank all of you who have completed our surveys that we have posted on the website. Understanding your views about lockdown has given us a valuable insight as to how we can improve our services to benefit you in the future! During these uncertain times it has been really helpful to get some direct feedback from you, helping us to make things a little bit easier during lockdown. As a thank you we have selected at random, two lucky winners of £50 vouchers! These will be sent out to you and can be spent at a variety of different shops!

We will be adding new surveys periodically to the website for you to take part in so keep your eyes open for those!

Thank you again, and we hope to see as many of you as possible very soon!

The Participation Team.

Even though libraries are closed at the moment and lots of you are learning at home, you can still take part! For the first time ever in Kent, the Summer Reading Challenge is going to be a digital only activity so you can access it at home using your laptop, tablet or phone.

This year’s theme is “Silly Squad” – focussing on funny books, happiness and things that make us laugh. If you take part in the Challenge, you can join the Silly Squad, an adventurous team of animals who love to have a laugh and get stuck into many different kinds of funny books.

In the past, you might have visited your local library to register and collect a wallet, stickers and other rewards as you progressed through the challenge, reading a total of six books. This year’s Challenge is different – it’s a digital Challenge! It’s free to access and there are games, quizzes and downloadable activities to try. You can choose your own reading goals, create book reviews, play games and collect virtual rewards. If you want to take part, ask your Foster Carer to register you online at www.sillysquad.org.uk via the safe, sign-up process.

And don’t forget, although libraries are closed, eBooks and eAudio books are free to borrow from www.kent.gov.uk/libraries.  You can have a look at what’s available to read here https://kent.overdrive.com/ and even download a free app so you can read as much as you want! Downloaded EBooks and eAudio books are automatically returned so you don’t need to keep an eye on the due date! If you need help with the online catalogue, contact our Ask A Kent Librarian Team https://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/libraries/free-computers-and-wifi/ask-a-kent-librarian

Southeastern are offering a Level 3 Engineering Apprenticeship. This 4 year scheme is designed to provide the successful applicant(s) with the appropriate training and qualifications to have a successful career as a service engineer for Southeastern.

Candidates will need to fill out an online application form, it is advised that you register and sign up for job alerts to receive notification of new jobs that are advertised. Successfully screened applicants will then go into the selection process, consisting of 3 stages: Assessment, Interview and Medical. 

The closing date for applicants is May 3rd, so if you’re looking to begin a career in engineering, head over to the site to apply now by clicking here.

An information pack, outlining the roles and responsibilities of a Southeastern apprentice can be found here.

The Kent Fire & Rescue Service will be recruiting for Wholetime Firefighters.

In order to be considered for the recruitment process you must first register your interest. The registration will open on Monday 4th May at 10am and will be available on the Kent Fire & Rescue Service website. 

If you do not register you will not be eligible to apply. The registration will close on Sunday 17th May or when no further spaces are available. Spaces will be given on a first come first serve basis, so be quick to ensure you do not miss out. 

To register, click the link on the website which will bring up an event by Eventbrite, register for a ticket and fill in your personal details. Please note - the online event to register will not require you to physically attend. 

Further details and updates will be shared regularly over the course of the next few weeks so keep an eye on your emails and the Kent Fire & Rescue Service website. 

Barclays LifeSkills is a fantastic way to help boost your CV, prepare for work and find work experience. It is a platform that can be used by Young People, Educators and businesses. It allows you to develop skills necessary to find employment and help you make decisions on your future career.

Due to the current health crisis this tool could be more useful than ever, for Young People to register it is free and gives you access to interactive tools and resources that can get you ready for the workplace. This will allow you to continue to develop skills with the support of businesses, educators and parents/carers.

Virtual Work Experience gives you the opportunity to work within a company that you may not have access to normally, allowing you to highlight key skills you may need to secure employment in the future. 

Further information for Young People can be found here.

Further information for Parents/Carers can be found here.

This update comes as the current health crisis continues to slow down/close many essential aspects of our lives. For those of you in education this can be an increasingly worrying time, however staff are working tirelessly to ensure you have the best chance at success. 

The virtual campus for The University of Greenwich is now up and running, the services available to you are:

- Student Centre

- Student Finance

- Student Well Being

- Accommodation 

- Academic Support

- IT Service Desk.

The details on how to access all services listed can be found here.

All Libraries have closed, until further notice. This is in line with Government advice surrounding COVID-19. Full details can be found here.

In addition to the above support services, Jan Orlebar, Enhanced Support Officer, is running a daily Skype Drop-in session, Monday to Friday 10:30 – 12:30, for any care leavers/care experienced students who need information and guidance or would just like a chat.

Finally, course leaders are keeping students in the loop re course related changes and the Student Union shops are continuing to support any students currently living on campus.

With regard to prospective students currently holding offers, the University have been advised by the Department of Education and the Universities Minister that universities should not make any changes to students’ offers at the current time in order to allow time for exams and admissions contingency plans to be worked through.  If students have any queries, they should contact courseinfo@gre.ac.uk, call 020 8331 9000 or visit our website to access LiveChat.

With the recent announcement that all summer exams will be cancelled due to the current COVID-19 epidemic, many of you will be left feeling anxious and worrying about how you will receive your grades. 

OFQUAL have released a letter outlining how you will be graded if you are not sitting exams and have aimed to answer any questions you may have about how this may affect your future. 

To read the full letter, please click here.

With these uncertain times ahead of us we want to stay in contact with all of you and see some of the amazing work you are doing at home. We will be running regular competitions where you can send us your very best artwork,to be in with the chance of winning some prizes! Our first competition will be Easter themed, click here to head over to the competitions page and get more info!

There are loads of new apprenticeship opportunities in Kent for those aged 16 and over, looking to kick start their careers in a wide range of sectors. These files are for reference only and it is advised that applicants still use Find An Apprenticeship to see the most up to date details. Details on how to apply can be found either on Find An Apprenticeship or through the employer’s website.

For Apprenticeship opportunities in Ashford, click here.

Bexley, click here. Canterbury, click here.

Dartford, click here. Dover, click here.

Gravesham, click here. Maidstone, click here.

Medway, click here.  Sevenoaks, click here.

Shepway, click here. Swale, click here. 

Thanet, click here. Tonbridge and Malling, click here.

Tunbridge Wells, click here.

The NHS have a huge variety of apps available to download onto any smartphone that can help to support individuals suffering from mental health conditions. The majority of the apps are free to download and can be accessed anytime, anywhere once downloaded. Any Young Person can download these apps, whether it is for personal support or to help support someone they are working with. The full list can be accessed here.

‘Voices’ is a celebration of creativity and imagination, and Coram Voice want you to enter a piece of writing themed around Dreams. You could write about a dream you have had in the past, what your dreams are for the future or anything you can imagine. Coram Voice are encouraging creativity and want imaginative pieces of writing.

There will also be prizes up for grabs! These will be awarded to the 24 shortlisted candidates, with the possibility of further prizes being announced throughout the competition. The lucky winner will receive a £100 Love-To-Shop Voucher! The competition will close on 12th February 2020.

The competition is now open, head over to the competition page by clicking here. Full Terms and Conditions are on the website.

Good Luck!!

After a powerful and inspiring keynote speech from the care experienced author, Jenny Molloy, the younger members of the Participation Team, many of whom are still teenagers themselves, took over!  They wanted to help the foster carers and practitioners in the audience understand what it is really like to be a teenager today and the pressures and challenges they face, particularly if they are growing up in care.  Many of them shared their own personal stories about growing up in care and reflected on those things that helped them the most.  Mark Vening, head of Fostering, also discussed the development of teenagers’ brains and how this can affect their behaviour and there was a trip back in time to the 1980s to remind foster carers of their own teenage years!

Then, on 21st November, the team presented to over 200 Kent headteachers at the Kent Association of Headteachers Conference in Ashford.  With the theme of the conference being how to create schools that are inclusive, aspirational and supportive of learners and staff, the Apprentice Participation Workers were pleased to be able to share with the delegates the voices of vulnerable learners.  They wanted the headteachers in the room to really put themselves in the place of a vulnerable learner whether this is a child in care, an adopted young person, a child for whom English isn’t their first language or one that may be suffering upheaval or trauma in their lives.  The Apprentices shared the strategies and ideas that young people have told them support them at school to learn so they can do their best.

The team was pleased that at both conferences the voices of young people were kept at the centre!

On November 16th, Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) are offering 300 FREE tickets to their first ever, ‘Road Savvy’ event. This will kick start the ‘Brake Road Safety Week’. 

KFRS carry out over 1000 car crash rescues every year, and to drive these numbers down they will be hosting a Road Savvy event. For anyone who manages to get hold of one of the 300 free tickets, they have the opportunity to get a glimpse into the work that our emergency services carry out. 

This event plans to inform people about safety behind the wheel and the potential impact of their actions whether they are driving, a passenger or a pedestrian. 

With a huge amount of interest already in this event, KFRS are hoping they can inform and educate people of all ages to be more aware of safety on the roads.

For more information and to register for your FREE ticket, click here. 

Members of Kent’s Young Adult Council, the Participation Team and other Kent County Council staff took over County Hall in Maidstone to complete the challenge.  As well as raising lots of money for charity, the event marked this year’s Care Leavers’ Week (28th Oct – 3rd Nov).

The Tour de Kent was designed by the VSK Participation Team and highlighted key areas in Kent that Young People in Care and Care Leavers might be familiar with. Starting from County Hall in Maidstone, we ran, cycled, walked and rowed the distance to Dover, then to Margate, into Gravesend, down to Royal Tunbridge Wells, through Ashford, into Canterbury and finishing, 229 miles later, back at County Hall.

Charlotte Creasy, a member of the Young Adult Council said: “This is a great way to get involved and give back, it was a great day and a fun way to fundraise.”

We know how important Care Leavers week is and it’s during this week that Kent County Council highlight the needs of Care Leavers and renews its commitment to providing support for Young People turning 18, to give them the best start in life.

We are proud to have raised an incredible amount of money for our chosen charity. The Young Lives Foundation provides dedicated support for over 3,500 young people within Kent every year! The support they offer includes mentoring support, advocacy work, befriending schemes and activity days. The money raised will help to continue to deliver this service and support for Kent Care Leavers.

Hearing the voice of Kent children and young people is important and to mark Care Leavers’ Week Kent County Council will be sending out a survey to all of its Care Leavers seeking their views on what it’s like to be a Care Leaver in Kent.  Find it here.

We cannot thank everyone enough for taking part and donating!

To do this, they have launched a survey designed to find out about your experiences of leaving care and identify where the 18+ Service can improve.  This survey is open to all Care Leavers aged 18 and over who were in the care of Kent County Council and are now supported by the Care Leavers 18+ Service.

Click here to access the survey.  You can answer in a variety of languages such as Pashto or Tigriyan and all your answers are anonymous, so you can be as honest as you want - tell us what you really think!  It’s easy to complete and should only take about 5 minutes.

YAC is urging as many care leavers as possible to take part as you are best placed to tell the Care Leavers 18+ Service what being a care leaver is really like and how they can make things better for you and others.  It’s your chance to rate the 18+ Service and let them know your views about Pathway Planning, your placement and how informed you feel about the services they provide. 

SHARE YOUR VIEWS AND HAVE YOUR SAY! The survey closes on 17th November.

All Colleges and Universities offer the opportunity to go and view the campus and facilities by organising open days. These are a great way to familiarise yourself with your new potential surroundings. Often current students will offer tours where you can be shown all the areas of the college or university that you will use the most so that when you start it isn’t unfamiliar. Open days are a great way to get more information that will help you make the all-important decision. You will have the opportunity to ask students and tutors about your chosen courses and what life at the college/university is really like.

Top Tips!

• Make sure you are booked in for a tour of the campus/site if necessary, not all Open Days allow you to walk straight in.
• Be prepared, make sure you have a clear idea of the information you want to gain from attending the Open Day, perhaps make a list of questions.
• Picture yourself there, going to college and university is a big commitment and you need to be sure it is suited to you.
• Check out the other facilities. Where is the gym? Are there any clubs you can join? Where’s the restaurant/café?
• Get to know the surrounding area, Open Days give you the chance to explore the surrounding areas so you can work out the easiest way to get home.

College and university Open Days are taking place throughout November and December.  You can find College Open Day dates here. Click to find out more information about visiting The University of Kent, The University for the Creative Arts or Canterbury Christ Church University here.  Don’t worry if you miss an Open Day.  You can often arrange to visit informally – just give the college or university a ring to find out more.

Don’t forget there are also advisers in Virtual School Kent and the Care Leavers 18+ Service who can help you too.  Talk to your Social Worker or PA who can put you in touch with the right person.

Q1 How are you going to help support Young People with disabilities in education?

One thing we need to do is to ensure Young People with disabilities have the Education and Disabilities Teams that support them working alongside each other, and if necessary, in conjunction with Social Workers. There needs to be more opportunities and more support for Young People to be in their local mainstream school, rather than Young People having to commute far distances to find a school that meets the Young Person’s needs. Young People should be able to connect to their local communities.

Q2 What about separate induction days for Young People in Colleges who have disabilities?

I know that they are mixed up together at present.  If you would like a more bespoke induction I will make sure when I meet all the colleges’ principals in Kent I will give them your suggestions.

Q3 What is your main priority as Corporate Director for all Children in Kent?

That all Children & Young People should have a great childhood so they feel happy, secure and loved. I want people to look at the whole child, not only things like exam results but to help them to achieve their full potential - socially as well as academically so they can build connections and feel supported in life.

Q4 Is there any advice you would give us as a Corporate Parent?

Yes, the same advice as I would give my own children - focus on your own happiness, don’t sweat about the small stuff, bad times will pass. Treat people the way you want to be treated yourself, and that you can determine your own destiny.

Q4 What role does Kent County Council have in challenging bullying in our schools?

If we hear about an individual child, we can raise this with the school. If we see multiple issues, we can alert the education safeguarding team to look into the situation. Many secondary schools are academies which we do have strong relationships with, but we don’t have as much power to address all issues. Some schools do a fantastic job and some still have some work to do, so my honest answer is it isn’t always easy.

Q5 How do you support Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Young People with housing?

We have workers and funding for this specific support. For unaccompanied care leavers, it is not easy for us to find housing as we are not a housing authority. But there is the Rent Guarantor Scheme which has been recently introduced. Some young people are entitled to housing grants so can rent through their local councils.

Q6 Why did you want to do this job? 

I was Director in East Sussex for 8 years, then worked with schools in Australia for 4 years.  I missed working with Children in Care in Australia and when this job came up and I jumped at the opportunity. I think I have always had a connection with Children in Care and young people like yourselves. My parents were foster carers and I am very passionate about making things better for Children in Care.

Q7 What do you do on a day to day basis?

Well, my youngest son – who is 15 – said when he was younger ‘my dad’s job is going to meetings!’ He’s not wrong as I do go to a lot of meetings. I normally meet with politicians and my staff. Today, I went to visit an academy in Canterbury and met with Headteachers. Then, I went back to Maidstone and had another meeting with politicians about the budget and looked at some inspection reports . Then I had some supervisor meetings with members of staff before coming to this YAC meeting.  

Q8 Are there any big changes coming up that could affect Young People in this room?

There are a few changes that are happening locally, change of Kent County Council’s Leader and nationally Brexit being two big things. Kent is doing an enormous amount of planning around Brexit. Young people have grown up in a period of austerity i.e. cuts etc. We have 45% less money then in 2010. But, for the first time in 10 years we have been promised more money by the government, although not enough to cover what we lost. This could mean there could be more support for young people and Care Leavers.

Q10 If you think about what the state does, not much is more dramatic than being the Corporate Parent for a child.  What do you think about this?

I agree. If we are going to place children in the state’s care, we need to make sure it is the best it can possibly be.  We can be the pushy, most demanding parents as we all have the advantages - we know the schools, police NHS etc. Care should be a positive experience and once you are in care, we should ensure it is just that. 

Being the eldest of our councils; we have a great opportunity to speak up and represent the voices of those starting their adult lives. Our council is commonly called YAC; our meetings are held once a month, in alternating areas so everyone has the chance to share their views and opinions. Membership has grown immensely, and we continue to become more and more involved with our Corporate Parents too. Earlier this year; we had an amazing experience at our Corporate Parent Takeover Day in which all our young people became a member of the Corporate Parenting Panel. We got to know the Corporate Parents and voice our views to some of the most important people in Kent County Council who represent us.

At YAC, we have lots of important discussions ranging from accommodation, life skills and further education, to our comments on the services we have received from KCC and how they can be improved. Another fabulous aspect of our Young Adult Council is the involvement of guest speakers that come and see us and give us fantastic information. Previously, we have had the guru of Universal Credit help us with all our questions about benefits and our entitlements; an Addaction spokesperson enabled our discussion around addiction, drug use and support that is out there for anyone who may be struggling; and some Looked After Children nurses gave us some top tips about keeping healthy.

Some of our guest speakers are looking for advice and suggestions before making any changes or introducing new policies that affect children and young people in care or care leavers. We have even had Matt Dunkley, (Corporate Director Children, Young People and Education) come and speak to us and answer our questions! Furthermore, YAC challenges their Corporate Parents through the Challenge Card process – for example, we have successfully challenged Kent County Council to become our Rent Guarantor should a Care Leaver want to rent privately! It’s an opportunity to have your say, be listened to and make a difference to the lives of children and young people in care.

One of our favourite things to do is attend activity days and focus groups. We love to have fun and make new friends at YAC. We are very lucky to be given the opportunities we have, to voice our opinions and then be able to do things like: gliding, water sports, meals out and so much more! All these are free of charge; travel is paid for to our YAC meetings as well as getting food like pizza and snacky bits! We welcome all Children in Care over 16 and young Care Leavers to our Young Adult Council, and we promise that anyone who comes along will be guaranteed a rewarding time!

Get involved and contact us at: VSK_Participation@Kent.gov.uk

For 4 days between 29th May and 2nd June, young people got the chance to sail, keep watch, help to navigate and cook aboard the 30-metre vessel Prolific.  The group joined the boat in Southampton on Wednesday and sailed to Cowes on the first night. The next day, they sailed to Studland Bay and anchored with time to enjoy fishing over the side. Friday was another sail to Weymouth for the beach and ice cream, and Saturday was a long passage back to the Solent where they moored up for the night outside Yarmouth. They even spotted dolphins along the way! The voyage finished in Southampton on Sunday after 151 nautical miles.

The Voyage was a success and eight of the eleven participants also earned Royal Yachting Association Start Yachting certificates - this award is a recognised qualification which young people can keep in their Record of Achievement. It shows that they mastered some basic sailing skills but also demonstrates they were able to listen and concentrate, persevere when things got tough, cope with living in an entirely unfamiliar situation, take responsibility when asked, and much much more.

                                 They should all be proud of themselves for doing so well.

Around 25 young people aged between 10 and 25 took part, shadowing KCC directors, officers and senior councillors to learn how the council is run and how decisions are made at County Hall in Maidstone.

Tabatha, 11, said: “It was a really great day with young people having the chance to lead the meeting with their own agenda.

“We had the chance to discuss important and current issues with our corporate parents such as social media, our dreams for the future and other topics that are important to us.”

Brad, 17, shadowed Ann Allen, chairman of the Corporate Parenting Panel. He said: “It was a phenomenal experience to be able to take over the Corporate Parenting Meeting and to co-chair the meeting with Ann.

“I would love to see this happen again and would highly recommend it as it was an amazing event to be part of.”

The Corporate Parenting Panel is a group of Kent County Council senior staff, elected members and workers from organisations across Kent who are responsible for supporting children in care to grow, thrive and lead happy, fulfilled lives.  The panel’s role is to act as an advocate for children in care and care leavers, make services better and to give young people a voice in decision making.  The young people well and truly took over, choosing topics to talk about and livening up the Council Chambers with balloons, debate and even a vote about the pros and cons of social media. 

Matt Dunkley, Corporate Director Children, Young People and Education said: “It was a memorable, moving, empowering and enlightening occasion. I was left feeling so proud of our young people for their confidence, resilience and good humour, and deeply proud to be a corporate parent.“

If you would like to get involved in activities like this or join one of our Children in Care Councils, then why not email us at VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk.

The sign-up process is simple. All you have to do is give your name, email address and …date of birth. If you get stuck, you should ask your Social Worker, Independent Reviewing Officer, Foster Carer or anyone you trust to help you sign up.

The app is very straight forward. There are so many different options to choose from!  You can choose from eight scenarios like ‘Prepare for a Meeting’, ‘Sort a Problem’ or even ‘Share Good News’. Within each scenario, you can answer different questions about what’s going well in your life, what might be more challenging and what you would like to change.  You can add as much information as you like.

Once the questions are completed, you can choose who you would like to send your statement to, whether this is your Social Worker, Independent Reviewing Officer, Virtual School Kent Worker or Personal Adviser.  Just remember to press send!

Mind of My Own is an amazing app and is an easy way for young people and care leavers to express how they are feeling at the time they want and not wait until they see their worker.  It’s particularly good if you sometimes find it difficult saying what you really feel face to face with your workers or need to get something off your chest then and there.  Your worker will receive your statement the next day they are in work and will let you know they have seen it.  

The Mind of My Own app is easily downloaded using the Apple App Store or the Google Play store on iPhone and Android. Any young person can also access the app through the Mind of My Own website. 

So why not give Mind of My Own a go today?! Download the app and send a statement; make sure you have your voice heard!

You can contribute to Kent Cares Town by emailing VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk or sending something to VSK, Kent County Council, Worrall House, 30 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, ME19 4AE.

However, you can also share your thoughts with young people around the country by sending your work to IMO – write, speak, share.

IMO is a voice for teenagers in care and for care leavers. It is somewhere you can share stories, experiences and achievements, get and give advice, and find loads of great free stuff!  They share blogs, vlogs, podcasts and more from teens in care, and they link Children in Care Councils in England together around common campaigns.  They also share opportunities for care leavers, like jobs and apprenticeships.

IMO was created by the Children’s Commissioner for England and a group of teens with care experience. If you would like to join this network and have a say in how IMO is run, get in touch with IMO!

What IMO says, “Whether you’re in care, leaving care, or a care leaver, IMO is here to represent you and your views. We need you to share your stories, experiences and advice with us, to help other teenagers and to make sure decision-makers know what you want. If you want to have your voice heard, send us stuff!”

Despite the wet weather, we planned to have a great day, and that we did! We started the day by learning how to do ‘M’ checks (checking your bike is safe to ride), making sure we all knew how to ride safely and learning how to brake properly. Once we were all ready, we headed onto the road course.  We learnt how to ride as a ‘chain gang’ (groups of four taking it in turns to ride at the front of a line). After a few laps, we took a short break to have a drink (and a few cheeky biscuits).

After the break, we ventured on to the ‘off road’ trail. On the trail, there were lots of bumps and tight corners that both groups overcame fantastically. In the middle of the trail, we stopped to ride on a downhill mountain biking course. Within the course there were very tight corners with large berms and big mounds to ride over. Everyone had at least one go and thoroughly enjoyed the course. We soon headed back to base to get ready to go home.  We had a great day and really can’t wait to do something similar again!

We have some great activities coming up during the May half term holidays. If you’re interested in attending any of these days, please email us at VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk.

In July 2016, the Government published ‘Keep On Caring’ to support young people from care to independence.

All young people who leave care are now provided with support in the form of a Local Offer.  This should include help with the transition to living independently; support with finding accommodation and with any costs of participation in education, training and employment.  Kent County Council’s Local Offer can be found here.

However, in order to help Care Leavers get the best possible start to adulthood, other organisations also need to play a part and that’s where the Care Leaver Covenant comes in!

Organisations that sign up to the Care Leaver Covenant are able to offer a support package to Care Leavers.  Some of the activities organisations might offer, include:

• Providing care leavers with opportunities to enter the world of work, such as offering work experience placements, work shadowing placements, internships, traineeships and apprenticeships
• Providing care leavers with additional support. For example, one-to-one mentoring or pastoral support and advice, such as financial guidance, career/employment guidance, educational prospects and opportunities
• Providing care leavers with opportunities to try new things e.g. discounts for sport, leisure and cultural activities along with discounted retail offers
• Providing or supporting Care Leavers in educational and training opportunities that will help open up future employment opportunities

To help you access this support, the Care Leaver Covenant App has been created to show you these useful offers provided by organisations, charities and businesses across the UK.  They are exclusive to Care Leavers, and are intended to help you start your career, stay healthy and make new friends.

Largely, this App is designed to work offline, so once it is installed you don’t need to rely on having WiFi or an internet connection to be able to use it. This also means it won’t be using any of your phone contract data. The App will be updated with new offers as they become available, and anything new will be automatically synced to your App when you have got a connection, such as in a library or a cafe.  Download it at Google Play or the Apple App Store!

The day started off with everyone arriving, saying hello and getting to know each other. Once everyone had arrived, we got into our groups which were team Panda, Lion and Asian elephant – named after the countries’ native animals. The group I was in was Lions and we started off the day with African Drumming.

We learnt that the African drum that we were playing was called a Djembe and it is normally found in West African Countries.  It is traditionally made from goat skin to provide the drum with high pitched tones. We also learnt there are three main sounds of the Djembe that can be played which are the bass, tone and slap. The bass sound is the low-pitched sound and it is made by hitting the drum in the middle with a heavy hand. The tone sound is the medium pitched sound and it is made by playing the drum on the edge with your fingers. Then the slap is the high-pitched sound (which is the hardest sound of the three to make) and is made by playing it near the edge but slightly further in than the tone sound using the palm of your hand. Once we had learnt the different sounds we could play, we started to learn rhythms on the Djembe which was so much fun. At first, it was difficult to remember the rhythms but with practice and help from the tutor and my group it became a lot easier to remember.

Next, we had Chinese ribbon dance which is a traditional art form that originates from ancient China and is performed with a thick satin ribbon on a stick.  You use the ribbon to create patterns and designs in the air. At first, everyone felt a bit silly and shy to take part but once we went through the moves and had a giggle about how we all looked together, everyone enjoyed themselves. It took some practice to make certain patterns in the air because it was harder than it looked but it was so much fun. We performed our dance to traditional Chinese music. By the end, everyone had mastered the dance with one and two ribbons without getting them tangled, twisted or knotted.

Then we had lunch and played some games all together such as stuck in the mud and duck duck goose before we went to our last workshop.

Last but not least, we had Asian Shadow puppets. The puppeteer went through the different kinds of puppets there are such as finger puppet, hand puppet, marionette, and shadow puppets. We learnt that shadow puppets are a part of ancient Indian culture and deliver a good moral or message within the story. The shadow puppetry is performed behind a white sheet with a light beaming through so the figures of the shadow puppets are easier to see. We made our own shadow puppets with black card and a stick and used them to produce a story about an elephant and a dog which is an Indian folktale.

At the end of the day, we showed each other the arts we had learnt by performing them in our groups.  This was so much fun because we were working as a team and showed everyone what we had accomplished as a team.

Chelsea Goodwin

Before the Takeover began, Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England said, “Children in care are this month taking over the Government and experiencing Whitehall’s corridors of power first-hand.”  Young people from around the country got to spend a day in London with Government Ministers or officials finding out what it’s like to make decisions at the highest level.

Bradley shadowed Kent MP Kelly Tolhurst, the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whilst Virtual School Kent Apprentice, Chelsea got to experience decision making at the Department for Education with Lord Agnew, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System. 

Both of the young people were able to share their experiences and fresh ideas with key decision makers and see how central government works. 

Bradley enjoyed the opportunity to receive a personal tour of Parliament (including the roof garden!), watch a key Brexit debate from the public gallery in the House of Commons and accompany the Minister to debates and speeches. 

Chelsea loved listening to (and taking part in!) meetings about adoption and faith schools.  She also had the chance, alongside other young people in care, to share her views and experiences about not just education, but a range of issues that face Children in Care and Care Leavers with Damian Hinds, Secretary of State for Education, Nadhim Zahawi, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families and Anne Longfield herself.

The Takeover Challenge was a great way to get young people’s voices heard at the highest levels and give them experiences they otherwise wouldn’t receive.  

Accommodation Types

You might have registered with Kent Homechoice and be hoping for an offer of Council or Housing Association accommodation. Unfortunately, there are many more people on the waiting list than there are homes, so you might not be offered anything. However, there are other options.

Private renting is a popular choice. Many landlords and letting agencies advertise their properties online. It might be more affordable to rent a room in a shared house, rather than renting a flat or house by yourself.    

Spareroom is a popular website, which also gives advice and information for people who are looking for a flatshare. Many letting agencies also have shared houses to let. In shared accommodation, the cost of gas, electricity, water, TV Licence, Council Tax, maybe even Wifi is shared with the other tenants, and you pay less rent because you share.

What to think about

When looking for accommodation, think about what you would like to live near to: your workplace or college/university? Do you need to attend regular medical appointments? Perhaps you have friends and family who you would like to live near to? It is important to find out how much you should expect to pay for rent in the area you plan to live in. Rents can be high in Kent (although not as high as in most areas of London).

If the rent is too high, is there somewhere nearby that is cheaper? Maybe even a short bus journey or drive away? Whether you will be paying your rent out of your wages, or by claiming Housing Benefit/Universal Credit, you need to be sure that you can afford it before you sign the tenancy agreement.

Kent

In Kent, the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) doesn’t cover the full monthly rent for most rental properties. This means that you will need to have some way of paying whatever is owed to your landlord after you have paid your Housing Benefit to them (“the shortfall”). As a care leaver, you are entitled to a higher rate of Housing Benefit up to the age of 22. This is helpful when you are looking for somewhere to live, but you will need to think about how you will pay your rent after the age of 22, when your benefit is reduced to Single Room Rate. There is a lot to think about, but your PA can advise you on issues around rent benefits and tenancy agreements, to help you decide what is best for you.

Guarantor

Many lettings agents ask for a guarantor. A guarantor is a person you know – usually a family member - who will be responsible for paying your rent, if you can’t (or don’t). A guarantor is usually a home owner, in employment, earning over a certain amount of money. Not everybody knows someone who they can ask to be their guarantor. Kent County Council has recognised this difficulty and has introduced a rent guarantor scheme. In certain circumstances, Kent County Council can act as a rent guarantor on behalf of a young person aged over 18, where there is no family member willing/able to do so. Your PA can give you information on the guarantor scheme.

Setting Up Home

Setting up a home is expensive, but Kent County Council can offer a Setting Up Home Allowance up to the value of £2,000.00, to buy essential items when you move into your own home. From 1st October 2018, additional financial support can be provided to you, to cover your first month’s rent, deposit, and letting agent fees, when moving into private rented accommodation. This is in addition to the £2,000.00 Setting Up Home Allowance. The Council also provides an option to put some or all the Setting Up Home Allowance into an adult ISA or Help to Buy scheme, to help promote your financial security, financial independence, and savings for future accommodation. This is something else that your PA can speak to you about.

Organised Open Days are one way to find out about college or university life and get a sense of what studying at different institutions is really like.  You can discover more about your chosen courses and explore the college or university site at your own pace.  They are a unique opportunity to find out exactly what you will study and how, explore the facilities and gain further information directly from the teachers, tutors and students already there!

Top Tips for attending Open Days

• Check if you can just turn up or whether you need to register or book on to a site/campus tour by visiting the college or university website before the Open Day.
• Go with a list of questions and things you want to find out.  Open Days are a fantastic opportunity to actually speak to real people including students studying courses you are interested in!
• Try to picture yourself studying there – different colleges/universities suit different people.  You need to find the right one for you.
• Don’t forget to check out the other facilities.  What’s the café or restaurant like? Is there a gym or clubs you can join?
• Open days are also a good way to get to know the local area, find where the college is and work out how easy it is to get to it from home.

College and university Open Days are taking place throughout November and December.   Don’t worry if you miss an Open Day.  You can often arrange to visit informally – just give the college or university a ring or visit their website to find out more.

Don’t forget there are also advisers in Virtual School Kent and the Care Leavers 18+ Service who can help you too.  Talk to your Social Worker or PA who can put you in touch with the right person.

As in previous years, lots of nominations were received and 88 awards were presented to young people, many of whom attended the awards ceremony.  It was a truly fantastic evening with over 50 young people attending, supported by their friends, carers, social workers and personal advisers.  The event had a red, black and gold theme with red carpet, balloons, photo screen, sports activities and a delicious buffet.   Everyone was blown away by the young people’s achievements.  The event also included an entertaining quiz about the Young Adult Council led by the VSK Apprentices (some tables were very competitive!) and a talk about the National Citizen Service by Ben Powell.

Awards presented at the ceremony included:

• Young people achieving excellent GCSE results
• Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards for our post 16 students
• Young Adult Council members received recognition for their commitment to the Council
• National Citizen Service Award

There were some really inspiring stories from these young people and they rightly deserved the recognition of their achievements!

Well done again to all the winners!

Hi, my name is Rob. I am now an Apprentice for the Virtual School Kent. An actor at heart, I love being able to express my feelings through shows and songs, so beware. I have become an apprentice for lots of reasons. The first reason would be because of my background - I grew up in foster care and I have a good my knowledge of the care system and how it affects young people. The second reason would be that I love seeing the enjoyment on a young person’s face when they know that things have been done for them and that rewards are coming to them as well. I’m really looking forward to my new role.

Hi, my name is Tia and I’m a new addition to the VSK Participation Team. My hobbies and interests are ice skating and horse riding. I really enjoyed doing some work experience in the summer with VSK which is when I decided I wanted to be part of the team. I am really looking forward to my role as an Apprentice Participation Worker as I can engage with and help lots of young people.

We are also happy to announce that Chelsea Goodwin will be continuing with the Virtual School Kent after successfully completing her level 2 Apprenticeship. She is now working towards a level 3 qualification, well done Chelsea!

All our Apprentice Participation Workers are undertaking an apprenticeship with Virtual School Kent and are here to help bridge the gap between you and the Kent County Council elected Members and Senior Directors. They have been in care at some point themselves or have had similar experiences. The role of an apprentice with VSK involves supporting young people, encouraging them to speak up about their views and experiences, and discussing what they would like to change about the care system. Their main responsibilities are to support the Children in Care Councils and organise the activity days that run during the school holidays.

If you are interested in becoming an apprentice within the Participation Team and would like to learn more, why not get in touch? Email VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk to see if we are recruiting new apprentices!

As well as celebrating the groups’ achievements, it’s a great chance for the Corporate Parents to meet young people and hear first-hand their views, opinions, and fresh ideas about the care they receive from Kent County Council. This year, the event took place on the 1st August in Maidstone.

What is a Corporate Parent?

The aim of the day was to explore what young people understand by the term ‘Corporate Parents’ and how Kent County Council can be the best corporate parent possible to all children in care and care leavers in Kent.

The young people had a chance to create their Corporate Parenting ‘top 10’, some of these included stability, to be given choices and to be listened to.

The young people also added their own feedback about what they would like Kent County Council and their Corporate Parents to do better, some of the things they said were:

• Corporate Parents to attend more days/events with Children in Care
• To be treated as a part of a family
• Greater consistency
• To widen opportunities for Children in Care and Care Leavers

The Participation Team will use the young people’s ideas and feedback to create a Young Person’s Guide to Corporate Parenting.

Then it was time for the fun part - the outdoor team game activities which included KCC staff and young people taking part in giant inflatable darts, limbo and a large inflatable climbing wall. Thank you to everyone who attended – your view and ideas are shaping the services that you and other children in care and care leavers receive!

If you are interested in joining one of the Children in Care Councils or just having your say, get in touch at VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk.

We started the summer trying some new sports – gliding in Ashford and water sports in Dover.

Next, a trip to Betteshanger Park near Deal gave us the chance to conquer an obstacle course, build shelters and try geocaching.

Animal lovers enjoyed trips to Howletts Zoo to see the gorillas, lions, elephants and more whilst at Huckleberry Woods in Faversham, we fed cute farm animals and even tried pig fishing! We finished the summer mountain biking and canoeing at Bewl Water and den building at Shorne County Park where even the rain couldn’t spoil our enjoyment of the day.

You told us that the activity days were a great way to try something new, have fun and meet new friends. We loved seeing so many new and familiar faces and look forward to seeing you all at another activity day in the future! If you haven’t been to one our activity days before, we’d love to meet you, give it a try! We will be running activity days during the October school holidays.

Our Activity Days are open to all children in the care of Kent County Council. We also run days for older young people in care and care leavers. If you want to find out about our next activity days or have a suggestion for something we could do, get in touch at VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk.