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To: Bridget Phillipson - minister for equality
Making Care Experienced a protected characteristic in the UK
Making care experience a protected characteristic under the
Equality Act 2010 to legally protect care-experienced individuals from discrimination.
Why is this important?
Those who are care experienced have often had multiple adverse childhood experiences (known as ACE’s). Typically, the higher the number of ACEs, the greater the incident of negative outcomes which can include: poor outcomes in education, early involvement with the criminal justice system and homelessness as well as many others.
Shocking studies have shown that children in care are much more at risk of interacting with crime by the age of 24 than their peers. National figures indicate that over half (52%) of care experienced children had been convicted of a criminal offence by the time they had turned 24 compared with only 13% of those who had not been in care.
Only 15% of pupils who had been looked after for 12 months or more in 2019 had progressed to higher education by age of 19. However the progression rate for all other pupils is more than three times higher at 47%. Additionally, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for ending homelessness reported that ‘one third of all care leavers became homeless in the first two years immediately after they left care and 25% of homeless people had been in care at some point in their lives.
By making care experienced a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, it would ensure care experienced children could not be discriminated against and help businesses, employers and public services to put in place better support systems.
Only 15% of pupils who had been looked after for 12 months or more in 2019 had progressed to higher education by age of 19. However the progression rate for all other pupils is more than three times higher at 47%. Additionally, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for ending homelessness reported that ‘one third of all care leavers became homeless in the first two years immediately after they left care and 25% of homeless people had been in care at some point in their lives.
By making care experienced a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, it would ensure care experienced children could not be discriminated against and help businesses, employers and public services to put in place better support systems.
