The Children in Care Council (CICC)
The East Sussex Children in Care Council started in 2008. It is a group of young people aged between 13 and 19 in care and living in East Sussex. They meet regularly to have their say on issues that matter to looked after children.
They serve as CICC members for 3 years.
What exactly does the CICC do?
Their role is to try to improve the lives of children in care by letting those in charge know what life in care is really like.
To do this, they:
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meet with senior managers and adults working with looked after children. They can put forward their views and the views of others in care to make positive changes to the care system.
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meet with Council leaders and heads of Children’s Services from East Sussex County Council. They can put forward their views, and are often part of interview panels for new staff recruitment.
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attend events and meetings in London. This is so they have an understanding of what is going on in the rest of the country in the care system. They can also understand what the Government are doing that involves looked after children’s lives.
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meet up with other children all over the country to discuss ideas and issues.
Some projects the CICC have been involved in recently are:
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producing a newsletter with news and articles about their work
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providing free CitizenCards for 16 to 18-year-olds
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providing free food hygiene courses to enhance CVs
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delivering sexuality and gender training to staff
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holding sessions to talk to more looked after children
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providing rucksacks full of new items for children coming into care for the first time
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interviewing newly qualified social workers for jobs in East Sussex
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learning more about how to be safe online and becoming digital ambassadors
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reviewing the language that is often used in the care system.
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facilitating lectures at Brighton University for Social Work students
The free resources below are available to any looked after child living in care from East Sussex.
Please email the East Sussex Children in Care Council if you would like something posted to you.
- CICC newsletters
- Playing cards – These explain some of your rights as a looked after child in East Sussex
- Free online Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate for ages any young person with care experience aged 14+. This is an accredited course that lasts for 3 years.
- Free Citizencard for any young person with care experience aged 16+. This is a recognised and legal form of ID and usually costs £25. This can be applied for at: https://www.citizencard.com/.
IMO Hub
Check out this website especially for children in care. It has been developed by the Children’s Commissioners office in London and has some really great stories and life hacks. The CICC were involved in the designing of this right from the start.
- Website: IMO Hub
Videos
This is a short film made by members of a previous CICC to address the myths of being a Child in Care. We hope it will help to raise awareness to those not in care as well as those working with them and explain what being in care means to them.
This is Us (5:17 minutes)
- This Is Us
These are our promises to all children in care and to young people moving on from care to adult life:
Everyone needs to feel safe and secure
- We will help find you the best place to live, where you feel safe, cared for and treated well, for as long as you need
We will:
- listen and take your views seriously
- ensure children with disabilities receive support that takes their individual needs into account
- tell you about the place where you may live and, if possible, show it to you
- expect you to be treated fairly as part of a family, or in a placement, where you feel comfortable
- respect you for who you are
- make sure you have a bank account to help your savings grow
- help you follow your own religion
Everyone should have someone to talk to
You will have your own social worker and Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) who will get to know you well, keep in touch and listen to what you say.
They will:
- Ask you who you want at your ‘My Voice Matters’ meeting (previously named LAC review) and send you a personal letter afterwards explaining what was discussed
- Involve you in all decisions affecting you
- Give you their phone number
- See you by yourself sometimes
- Explain why you are in care and be there for you to talk about any worries or problems
- Be on time for meetings
- Tell you how to complain or get an advocate
Staying in touch
We will help you stay in touch with your family and friends if you want, as long as it is safe.
We will:
- ask how often you want to see your family
- ask you how and where you want your contact to happen
- try to keep you living with your brothers and sisters and make sure you see each other check regularly that we’ve got it right for you
- make sure your social worker explains why sometimes you can’t see your family as often as you should like
Everyone has talent
We will encourage you to have fun with your interests and hobbies.
We will:
- encourage you to try out new activities
- value your strengths, gifts and talents
- expect your carers to help you take part in fun activities every week
- encourage you to volunteer in your community when you are old enough
- celebrate your achievements
Everyone deserves a good education
We will help you get the best education training and career.
We will:
- make sure you get a place at the best school or college
- keep you at the same school if that is best for your education
- arrange meetings that don’t involve you coming out of lessons
- expect your carers to support you with your education and homework
- make a personal education plan with you so you get extra support if you need it
- support you emotionally and financially onto independence, further education or university
Staying healthy
We will support you to stay fit and healthy and will:
- encourage you to eat healthily
- make sure you have regular health and dental check-ups
- have access to a looked after children’s nurse who you can speak to you by yourself about any health worries or questions you may have.
- encourage you to take regular exercise doing something you enjoy
Support your mental health and wellbeing
We all need a bit of help sometimes, mental health problems are really common and can happen to everyone. You do not ever have to cope on your own. We will:
- take your feelings and worries seriously and find the right people to help you
- help you talk to someone you trust
- understand that your emotional needs can be complex and different to other peoples.
- explain how counselling can help you understand your thoughts and feelings better
Although we get to do all these amazing things, we still need to hear your views and ideas too, so that we can pass them onto the people who make the decisions to help us shape and develop the way we are all cared for. There are over 600 young people in care in East Sussex and everyone’s ideas are important – so please tell us what you think.
If you are care experienced, you can get in touch with the CICC about anything in your life that you’d like to speak out about such as:
- a problem you have with contact with your family
- your education
- your social worker
- where you live
- an idea you have to help other children in care.
The CICC can support you to talk about whatever issue you want, and can put you in touch with other people who can help. We would love to hear about anything you have to say.
Contact us
Children in Care Council
4th Floor
St Mark's House, 14 Upperton Road
Eastbourne
East Sussex BN21 1EP
Telephone: 01323 747 159
Call or text Meshelle Carmody, CICC coordinator
Telephone: 0792 059 1138