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"Governmental call: Should care experience become a protected characteristic?"?

14 replies

onlytherain · 10/08/2023 22:10

Josh MacAlister has called for being care experienced to be made a protected characterstic in the Equality Act. This would provide protection against discrimination for children and adults who are care experienced, and require public bodies to tackle inequalities for care leavers.

The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, has now made a call to gather the views of care experienced people and others on this issue.
It takes only 5-10 minutes to respond to the survey.

I would like to encourage all adopters, foster and kinship carers, special guardians and their children and professionals in the field to respond to this call.

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/care_experience_protected_characteristic/

Your views on care experience as a protected characteristic

Please take a few minutes to take our survey.

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/care_experience_protected_characteristic

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Jellycatspyjamas · 11/08/2023 10:47

I’ve completed the survey, thanks for posting it. Given the level of prejudice and misinformation you see even on this site I think care experienced young people should have the protection afforded by the equalities act.

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onlytherain · 11/08/2023 15:24

@Jellycatspyjamas I agree. They are the most vulnerable group in society and most have way over 4 ACEs. I know several care experienced children with 10/10 ACEs. They need all the support and protection they can get.

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Brunoandthebigfoot · 11/08/2023 16:11

@onlytherain
What are ACEs?

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Nel81 · 11/08/2023 17:27

Adverse Childhood Experiences.

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onlytherain · 11/08/2023 20:15

The CDC-Kaiser Permanente adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study is one of the largest investigations of childhood trauma and later-life health and well-being.

Researchers asked 17,000 people for their experiences of sexual, emotional and physical abuse, neglect, domestic violence, mental health, substance abuse and other traumatic events in the their families. There were originally 10 categories of so called ACEs. People who had experienced over 4 ACEs before 18 had severely increased risks for developing mental health problems, severe illness (eg. developing cancer, lung and heart disease, diabetes), experience future incarceration, drug dependency, domestic violence, suicide etc. The more ACEs a person has the higher the risk. People with 6 or more ACEs died nearly 20 years earlier on average than those without ACEs. There were several follow up studies, all with similar results. The study and its follow ups are very well known among social workers, GPs and other health and care professionals. It is well worth a read.

ACEs:
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html

ACEs calculator:
https://americanspcc.org/take-the-aces-quiz/

Take The ACES Quiz - American SPCC

https://americanspcc.org/take-the-aces-quiz

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Jellycatspyjamas · 11/08/2023 20:25

@Jellycatspyjamas I agree. They are the most vulnerable group in society and most have way over 4 ACEs. I know several care experienced children with 10/10 ACEs. They need all the support and protection they can get.

I think too it reminds people that traumatised children grow into traumatised adults if they don’t get the care and support they need, it might be helpful in reframing the debate around care experience and care leavers who in turn become parents.

While the discourse around ACEs isn’t by any means the full story, and can have its limitations, it’s gives a useful shorthand in talking about trauma. I think recognising the life long impact of being in care for many young people and legal protection against all kinds of discrimination as a result, might help shift the discourse in a more recovery oriented direction, which can only be a good thing.

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Strawfairytart · 11/08/2023 20:38

I agree it should be a protected characteristic.

I have huge reservations about ACEs being used to taint/tarnish people. I've seen it in my line of work "of course she can't parent, she has ACEs, it's inevitable the children will be affected..." Prejudice and stigmatising, and discrimination against those with ACEs, including care experience, needs to stop.

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onlytherain · 11/08/2023 22:36

@Strawfairytart That's awful. Of course they only indicate an increased risk, not certainty.

ACEs have been very helpful for my family. When I tell professionals how many ACEs my children have, it is immediately clear that my children need support.

I think ACEs help in making people understand how severe the effects of trauma often are. A lot of people just don't get it.

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Hels20 · 12/08/2023 17:22

It’s a really interesting discussion. As a mother of 2 adopted DSs, they desperately want to fit in and be normal but unfortunately I know they will never quite be able to “escape” their past. I definitely think it needs to be much more protected during schooling years. And they should perhaps have more support at university - but beyond that? I don’t know. I will complete the survey.

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onlytherain · 12/08/2023 18:21

@Hels20 When my children were at primary, I thought they needed more family support than other children, but would get through school fine and then go off to uni. They are now teenagers and the situation has changed dramatically. One of them now has diagnosed SEN, the other has just spend several days in hospital due to a severe illness that is a result of trauma. Currently I think my children will need a ton of longterm support. We will see.

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Jellycatspyjamas · 13/08/2023 12:13

It’s worth remembering that having a protected characteristic doesn’t automatically entitle you to particular supports, it would prevent people being discriminated against on the basis of their care experience. The majority of care experienced people aren’t adopted but go through life with the constant knowledge that their care placement can be changed or ended at any point, with all the insecurity that comes with it. I’ve had young people attending LAC reviews then heading off to sit exams on the same day because neither the meeting or the exam could be moved etc.

As adults care experienced young people can experience all kinds of assumptions and prejudices in their professional and private lives. That’s why I think it should be a protected characteristic and have protection from discrimination. It’s not so much about them doing ok, but having the opportunity to flourish free from the limitations that others would place on then.

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Strawfairytart · 13/08/2023 14:26

@Jellycatspyjamas

I totally agree. Making it a protected characteristic doesn't mean care experienced people should be expected to do worse... But they already face extra challenges, and shouldn't be discriminated against for that.

My reservations are similar to that of other characteristics- you have to tell people, to get the protection, and that can provoke prejudice!

So declaring yourself to be care experienced, just as saying you're pregnant, or disabled, in work, for example, may lead to discrimination you otherwise wouldn't have experienced. It shouldn't. That isn't the idea. But it happens. I don't know the answer. Well, the main answer is for people to stop being judgemental cunts, but that's never going to happen!

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PoppyStellar · 22/08/2023 12:02

Thanks for posting this @onlytherain I wasn’t aware of it before but have filled the survey in and will ask teenage DD to do same.

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onlytherain · 23/08/2023 10:19

@PoppyStellar Thanks, I hope they'll have a good response rate.

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