Corporate Parenting in Practice: training for councillors and boardsWould it be good enough for my child?

Story. Kelsey, 17, finds out from a letter that she will have to leave her home when she turns 18. The decision was made at a panel by people she has never met. Nobody at the panel would have let that happen to their own daughter.

Theory. The seven corporate parenting principles in section 1 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017 ask the council to act as a good parent would: act in children’s best interests, hear their views and take them into account, help them use services, hold high aspirations, keep them safe with stable homes and relationships, and prepare them for adult life. We cover how the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 will extend those responsibilities to schools, colleges, NHS bodies and government departments.

Action. In pairs, members take one principle each and turn it into something they will personally do or ask at board, then test it against Kelsey’s letter: would that action have changed what happened to her?

By the end of this part people can name the seven principles, explain what each asks of them in their own role, and say which partners the 2026 Act brings into the duty.

You leave with A one-page summary of the seven principles, each with an action for your board.

Story. Jodie, 15, is asked at her review what she wants. She says she wants to stay at her school. She moves anyway, and nobody tells her why.

Theory. Laura Lundy’s model of participation (2007) says hearing children takes four things: space, voice, audience and influence. Most boards have space and voice through their Children in Care Council. The test is whether the board is the audience that acts, and whether children see their influence. We bring in what your own Children in Care Council and care leavers’ forum have said.

Action. Members apply one question to two real decisions from your service: would it be good enough for my child? They rewrite each decision as it would look if their own child were the one affected, and agree what the board would need to see to be satisfied.

By the end of this part people can apply the “good enough for my child?” test to a decision and say what evidence would show it had been met.

You leave with The “good enough for my child?” test, written up to use on any board paper.

Story. Daniel, 19, has just moved into his first flat. In the same month he gets a council tax bill he cannot pay, is turned down for a gym discount and has no idea who to ask about an apprenticeship at the council that brought him up.

Theory. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1943) gives the board a simple way to see a care leaver’s life: a safe home and enough money first, then belonging, then the confidence to work and study. Each layer has a council department attached. The local offer for care leavers, which every council must publish under the Children and Social Work Act 2017, is where those departments show what they give. We cover what the 2026 Act will expect local offers to say on housing and money.

Action. Using your published local offer, members map what housing, council tax, jobs, leisure and other services offer against each layer of Daniel’s needs, mark the gaps and put a name next to each one.

By the end of this part people can explain which departments and partners hold responsibility for each part of a care leaver’s life, and name the gaps in their own local offer.

You leave with A map of which departments offer what, with each gap and a named lead to follow it up.

Story. Dominic, 18, is one of the green figures on the dashboard: a care leaver in suitable accommodation. He is in a flat an hour away from his college and his friends, and he has stopped going to college.

Theory. A figure tells the board what is happening. Children tell it why. We link the board’s work to the four ILACS judgements, including the separate judgement on the experiences and progress of care leavers, and show where inspectors will look for evidence that the board hears children directly and acts on what they say.

Action. Using your own recent board papers, members practise turning a performance figure into questions about the children behind it, then plan how the board will hear directly from children in care and care leavers and how it will tell them what happened as a result. The session ends with the corporate parenting self-check and agreed owners.

By the end of this part people can turn a performance figure into a follow-up question about children, and agree how the board will report back to young people.

You leave with The corporate parenting self-check for your board, with agreed next steps and owners.