Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Written evidence submitted by Dr Peter Appleton, Visiting Fellow, School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex (CWSB119)

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: call for evidence

Background

Together with colleagues here at University of Essex we have conducted research with care leavers, focusing on planning during the transition from care. There have been a series of papers published, and an Open Access book detailed below in 2024 with Bristol University Press. My background is as a practicing clinical psychologist, and as a research psychologist, working in both settings in multi-agency teams.

This submission focuses on Clause 7, and to the proposed assessment for receiving ‘staying close support’.

Submission

I welcome the focus on care-leavers and on potential increased support but would suggest that there is now a significant UK and international literature recommending the importance given by young people themselves to participation and direct involvement in planning, including assessment.

The point made online in December 2024 by ‘Article 39’ that the Bill has no duty in Clause 7 for the young person’s perspective to be elicited or given any weight in the LA’s assessment, seems justified.

The recent Amendment at Committee Stage suggesting 3A "Where staying close support is provided it must be provided with due regard to the wishes of the relevant person and a record must be kept of that person’s wishes" also seems justified.

Our recent Essex University book has a number of practical suggestions about co-design and co-production of transition planning jointly with care-leavers, as do a number of other publications by, for instance Professor Emily Munro and Dr Jo Dixon.

While I do feel that there is an opportunity to enshrine a duty of a public service agency to elicit and include active participation by the young person, I recognise the constraints of resources on both Local Authorities and other agencies (for instance mental health services).

https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/APPLE11004/Peter-Appleton

What Matters and Who Matters to Young People Leaving Care

What Matters and Who Matters to Young People Leaving Care

A New Approach to Planning

Open access

https://doi.org/10.51952/9781447368359

21st January 2025