Corporate Parenting has a simple objective – do for children in care what you would do for your own children. However, as we all know this simple objective is not that easy to execute either at the political level or in operational management.

Care Matters Partnership (CMP) have been leading the way in Corporate Parenting thinking through a number of consultancy and training projects with Local Authorities in 2009. Since the concept of Corporate Parenting was first introduced in 1998 the sector has had many conferences, toolkits and introductory training on the subject. Almost all Local Authorities have a Corporate Parenting Strategy as well as a Corporate Parenting Group.

Despite these important developments, Corporate Parenting is still evolving and political leaders and local authority managers want more guidance and knowledge on the future of Corporate Parenting.

When we ask professionals at all levels why they chose to work in children’s services or politics the answer is always the same – to change lives. When we ask children and young people in care what they want from their Corporate Parents, many do not understand the term. Once the term is explained to them they say they want Corporate Parents to help them to be the best they can be – one children’s council came up with a different name for Corporate Parents – ‘The Heroes’. A powerful, if not overwhelming expectation – but, as a parent you want to be your children’s hero. How could you possibly be that for all your children in care, when you are not likely to meet most of them?.

Key questions from our clients when we work with them are:

• What role should the Corporate Parenting Group play in monitoring and holding to account the outcomes for our children and young people in care?
• What are the vital indicators and information that the Corporate Parenting Group should be monitoring to ensure our children and young people can be the best they can be?
• How often should politicians speak to children and young people in care directly and how best can they do this?
• What should a Corporate Parenting Strategy look like and how is this different to the Children and Young People’s Plan and operational plans?
• What should the balance be between operational management and Corporate Parenting input and oversight?
• How wide should the Corporate Parenting role extend and how do we best engage all the agencies and partners involved in delivering services to our children and young people?
• How do we engage all political members in their role as Corporate Parenting?
• How should political members manage the conflicts that arise from their role as Corporate Parent and their role as representative to constituents and the overall governance duties of the Local Authority?

CMP have developed a series of high-level training packages for Local Authorities to help them answer these questions and which provide leading thinking in Corporate Parenting from what the role should and shouldn’t entail through to strategy and developing the ‘culture of excellence’ in Corporate Parenting.

The training is delivered by our experienced consultants with extensive knowledge of the care sector, local government politics and the latest best practice and thinking in Corporate Parenting in partnership with care leavers who have completed our participation leadership programme. This training programme is tailored for in-house delivery or available to members and officers on a number of dates across the country.