The Durham Family Panel is scheduled to consider updates on the Durham Family Strategy and its performance, alongside discussions on the Next Venture Fund and the Durham Children and Young People's Pledge. The meeting will also include reports on the Children in Care Council, Voices, and Ofsted updates.

Durham Family Strategy and Care Experience as a Protected Characteristic

A significant focus of the meeting is expected to be the Durham Family Strategy and the adoption of 'care experience' as a local protected characteristic. The strategy, launched in 2025, aims to provide care and support for children and young people in the council's care, with the term 'Durham Family' being preferred by young people over 'corporate parenting'. The report outlines the strategy's six key priorities, developed with input from children and young people, and details progress made in areas such as supporting children to stay with their families, ensuring young people feel listened to, promoting a sense of belonging, supporting health and wellbeing, ensuring secure homes, and helping young people achieve their aspirations. The report also highlights the ongoing work to embed 'care experience' as a protected characteristic, aiming to increase tailored support and opportunities for care-experienced individuals. The Panel will be asked to note the report and agree to receive six-monthly performance measures and updates on the strategy's progress.

Durham Family Strategy Performance Update

Further to the discussion on the Durham Family Strategy, a presentation is scheduled to provide an overview of the performance in relation to the strategy's measures. The report indicates that the Durham Family Panel's name has been changed to align with the new strategy, reflecting the preference of young people. The presentation will cover performance data across the strategy's priorities, including supporting children to stay with their families, ensuring children feel listened to, promoting a sense of belonging, supporting health and wellbeing, ensuring secure homes, and helping young people achieve their aspirations. The performance measures will also address outcomes for care leavers, focusing on their preparation for adulthood and access to support.

Next Venture Fund 2025-26

Young people are scheduled to present on the Next Venture Fund for 2025-26. This fund supports projects that have the most impact on young people, with key themes including strengthening relationships, promoting mental wellbeing, reducing loneliness, building connections, creating new opportunities, and being inclusive. The presentation is expected to cover the mission of the fund, details of projects funded in the previous year, and plans for the upcoming year, including how applications will be filtered and how the success of projects will be measured.

Durham Children and Young People's Pledge

The meeting is set to include a presentation by young people on the Durham Children and Young People's Pledge. This pledge has been co-created with children and young people, who expressed a preference for the term 'pledge' over 'promise' as they felt promises could be broken. The pledge is designed to be visually appealing and easily accessible, allowing children and young people to hold the service accountable. The proposed title for the pledge is Durham Family, aligning with the launch of the Durham Family Strategy. The pledge outlines six key priorities: Emotional and Physical Wellbeing, Feeling Safe, Positive people in your life, Being listened to, Understanding things better, and To be the best I can be.

Update from the Children in Care Council

A presentation by the Young People of the Children in Care Council is scheduled. This update is expected to cover the council's activities and achievements, including their involvement in events and initiatives. The previous meeting's minutes noted that this would be the final attendance of Investing in Children at the Durham Family Panel meetings, with the Care Day celebration being highlighted as a significant event.

Voices Update from the Care Leavers Network

The meeting will also feature an update from the Care Leavers Network, presented by the Voice and Participation Practitioner. The 'Voices' initiative focuses on ensuring care leavers' perspectives are heard and acted upon. The report pack indicates that the latest enquiry for 'Voices' is focused on housing, specifically how to improve the quality of housing and preparation for independence for care leavers. This involves gathering views from young people, co-designing resources, and connecting children's services with housing teams and providers.

Ofsted Updates

A verbal update from the Interim Head of Children's Social Care and the Head of Strategy, Assurance and Specialist Services is scheduled regarding Ofsted. The previous meeting's minutes noted that Ofsted had conducted a monitoring visit at Aycliffe Secure Centre, finding positive progress. A full reinspection of the centre was also noted to have taken place in March, with an update to be presented when the report is released.