Our Children We Look After Council (CiCC) is:
“A safe place.”
“Helps children and young people to have a say.”
“Where you will be listened to.”
“A place where you can share things.”
“Where you can change things for all young people.”
“Where senior managers have to listen.”
“An opportunity to have a go at things.”
“A chance to go on activities.”
“Talking to people who can change things.”
“Where everyone is friendly, you can make more friends.”
“Good to be with other who have experienced the same things – you don’t have to explain.”
“Helps children and young people to have a say.”
“Where you will be listened to.”
“A place where you can share things.”
“Where you can change things for all young people.”
“Where senior managers have to listen.”
“An opportunity to have a go at things.”
“A chance to go on activities.”
“Talking to people who can change things.”
“Where everyone is friendly, you can make more friends.”
“Good to be with other who have experienced the same things – you don’t have to explain.”
Why does the group meet?
To make things better for all children and young people looked after by St Helens. Our Children We Look After Council (CWLAC) want:
- Children we care for to have a say in things that affect their lives
- Children we care for know what pieces of work the group have agreed to work on and what has been made better
- To work with other people/groups to make changes for all children we care for
- To make sure that the views of children we care for make a difference
- Celebrate the good things that children and young people do
Who is on the group?
Our group is made up of children and young people, over the age of 7, who are looked after by St Helens Council, but may live either in St Helens or out of the area. Some of us live with Foster Carers, some in Children’s homes, or the older young people may live on their own. When someone leaves the group, the adults helping us make sure that other people are asked to join the group.
Who do we link with?
- Councillor Nova Charlton, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Children and Young people
- Hilary Brooks. Strategic Director of Children’s Services
- Paula Swindlehurst – Senior Assistant Director
- Managers who run services
All these people help us to get our views to the right people and make changes.
What happens at our meetings?
- Take time to catch up with each other
- Hear what has happened with the things we said at the last meeting
- Break into small groups so that everyone gets a chance to speak
- Work on a new issue and write down what we think
- We feed this back to the whole group and decide what needs to happen next
- Ask if there are people we want to invite to our next meeting
Who helps us at meetings?
There are adults who help us from across People’s Services, Health and Advocacy Focus.
Ground rules
As a group, we made our ground rules for working together so we are all respected:
As a group, we made our ground rules for working together so we are all respected:
- Listen when other people are speaking
- Get involved
- Speak up
- Turn your mobile phone off, or onto silent
- It doesn’t matter how we spell things to begin with, we sort that out later
- Help each other
- Be respectful
- Have fun
- Ask questions
- Look at people when they are speaking
When will this information be looked at again and updated?
This information will be looked at and changed every September. Next due September 2024
For more info or to ask any question please get in touch with:
Helen Sharratt, Children and Young Peoples Consultation Officer
01744 671866
helensharratt@sthelens.gov.uk or futuresteam@sthelens.gov.uk
01744 671866
helensharratt@sthelens.gov.uk or futuresteam@sthelens.gov.uk
As a group they engage in lots of different activities and projects, such as:
- Creating a template for a ‘good meeting’.
- Gaining resources for children and young people to have at meetings.
- Developing information for children having supervised contact with their families.
- Developing foster carers’ profiles.
- Engaging in craft activities, quizzes and trying new instruments.
- Canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding and a BBQ with the youth service.
- Christmas parties and summer activities such as trampolining, Inflata Nation and Rock & River.
- Organising the children and young people’s celebration event.
- Giving their views about what makes a good school, social worker and carers.
It is a great chance to meet other Looked After Children and make your voice heard! We will support you with transport if you need to get to the CICC.
We recognise that Care Leavers have the most valuable views about your experiences being looked after in St.Helens and how we can make positive changes for you and other children/young people.
The Care Leavers Forum is for Care Leavers aged 16-25. The group meet on a monthly basis and sometimes more frequently if there are specific projects they are working on. We meet primarily at the hub which is based at The Beacon in the Town Centre and we have undertaken a range of activities and projects:
- Played in the North West Care Leavers Football Tournament.
- Tried boxing at Parr Sports and Community Centre.
- Enjoyed kayaking, paddle boarding and canoeing with St.Helens Youth Service.
- Attended the IRO scrutiny panel.
- Attended the Corporate Parents forum.
- Delivered Signs of Safety training.
- Attended the Children in Care Council Network Meeting.
- Attended a retro gaming event.
- Been bowling and to the Cinema.
- Been to watch the rugby league world cup at Saints.
- Almost escaped from an escape room :)
- Organised the St.Helens Care Leavers Local Offer Event.
- Attended the Pride of St.Helens Business Awards.
- Developed and completed training to potential foster carers.
- Participated in a Fostering Panel.
- Trained police officers.
- Helped design the lifeskills package.
- Arranged the Children and Young People’s Christmas Event.
- Arranged the Children and Young People’s Celebration Event.
- Engaged in the ‘Take Over Challenge’, taking over the jobs of the St.Helens Council Chief Executive, Strategic Director and two MPs for the day.
- Interviewed for staff from Personal Advisers to the Director of Children's Services.
- Designed and painted the old hub at MD Creatives on Barrow Street.
- Mindfulness and craft sessions at the Hub.
- Trip to watch Saints
- Lazerquest activity
- Updated the pledges for 23/24
- Requested and were successful in uplifting the setting up home allowance
- Trip to Eurovision
