Devon’s approach to promoting independence (our core principles)
Our three core principles that underpin how we work to promote independence in the lives of care-experienced young people are as follows:
- Putting relationships at the heart of our practice
- Corporate parenting is everyone’s responsibility
- Promoting independence early
Putting relationships at the heart of our practice
Our shared goal is to work restoratively with all children and young people across Devon. Restorative practice is about putting meaningful and trusting relationships at the heart of who we are and how we work, with the aim of supporting transformative change in children and families’ lives.
Restorative practice sees relationships as the key driver of positive and lasting change in people’s lives. For young people growing up in our care, positive relationships and connections with the people around them are crucial for their independence and readiness for life outside of care.
From as soon as a child or young person first comes into our care, we will work with them to identify who the key people are in their lives – from immediate and extended family members and friends, to teachers, youth workers, and many others. Care Plans and Pathway Plans will include what we are doing to nurture those important relationships and enable those people to play an active role in supporting the young person as they get older.
Corporate parenting is everyone’s responsibility
As corporate parents, we are committed to supporting our young people early on to develop their independence and be ready for life as a young adult outside of care. To be the best possible corporate parents in all that we do, we will always ask ourselves “would this be good enough for my child?”. This means holding high expectations and being ‘pushy’ parents when it comes to striving for the best possible outcomes for the children and young people in our care.
Our strategic plan for corporate parenting sets out our ambitions and commitments to support care-experienced young people to develop their independence and thrive as young adults.
As a Council, we are also committed, in our Strategic Plan, to making Devon a child-friendly place to live and grow up for all children and young people. The vision for a child-friendly Devon is a whole-Council ambition, which builds on collaborative partnerships with our statutory partners, voluntary and community sector and business across the county.
This vision for Devon begins with our care-experienced children and young people. To be a truly child-friendly Devon, we must be getting it right for our own children and young people as their corporate parents. Promoting independence and supporting improved outcomes in the lives of care-experienced young people is everyone’s responsibility, requiring commitment and collaboration across specialist services including carers, universal services, the voluntary and community sector and the private sector.
Promoting independence early
Responsibilities for promoting independence and preparing for life outside of care starts as soon as we become corporate parents. When a child or young person comes into our care, we will begin thinking about what they need to keep stepping forward in life as they get older. As they get closer to adulthood, we will work with them on the more specific things they need to have in place to make sure the transition to adulthood is smooth. But promoting independence is not limited to pathway planning and the transition to adulthood. It includes the conversations about goals, ambitions and dreams for later life. It includes learning skills at home, like cooking, cleaning and budgeting. It includes understanding how to keep healthy and well on a day-to-day basis and make the best possible choices in life. It includes making the most of opportunities at school, college and in the community.
Overcoming the barriers to promoting independence
We have identified three key barriers to promoting independence, both as a service and for our individual practice. Everything we do will be conscious about the negative impact these factors can have in holding back our young people from stepping forward in their lives and developing their independence.
Instability
We are committed to making sure there is sufficient accommodation for children and young people in our care, meaning they have the best possible homes for their individual needs and that they are closer to home and school. We also know the importance of a stable workforce in giving continuity for young people, so they can build positive trusting relationships with their workers.
The lasting impacts of trauma
Our practice framework is built on trauma-informed approaches which emphasises the importance of positive relationships in repairing harm and trauma. The impact of trauma is different for every young person so we will work based on an individual relational approach which sees every young person as having unique strengths and needs. We will work with our young people to tailor how we promote their independence as they get older, making sure past trauma does not hold them back.
Stigma, low aspiration and a lack of ambition for our young people
In promoting their independence, we must be ambitious for all our young people and promote their aspirations at every opportunity. We will also challenge the negative impact that stigma can have on our young people by being ambitious for them, understanding their individual strengths and working with them, not to or for them.
