Care leaver welcomes Leicestershire 'protected characteristic' vote

Care leavers are not getting the support they need from councils, campaigner Terry Galloway said

A campaigner has welcomed a move to give care leavers in Leicestershire greater protection from discrimination.

Leicestershire County Council voted this week to treat care experience as a "protected characteristic" under the Equalities Act.

Councillors unanimously voted to take the step on Wednesday.

Terry Galloway, who grew up in care himself, said the move would help vulnerable young people who were "facing tragedy on a daily basis".

Terry Galloway said change was coming but slowly

Mr Galloway, from Nottingham, said he lived in more than 100 places around Salford before leaving the care system.

He says the instability of life in care can leave young people isolated and exposed to crime.

He is running a national campaign to try to get councils to acknowledge care experience the same way they do with other protected characteristics including age, disability and race.

Mr Galloway said: "I want to thank Leicestershire for doing this. Many councils' systems are not designed to support care leavers in the best way.

"It's not an exaggeration to say that is causing tragedy on a daily basis for people who are not getting that support."

The county council has become the 81st local authority in the country to recognise care experience as a protected character.

It follows Blaby District Council and Oadby and Wigston Borough Council in taking the step in Leicestershire.

'Discrimination, stigma and prejudice'

"Change will not happen overnight but each council, that does what Leicestershire has, is really doing something to improve people's lives," Mr Galloway said.

"District councils particularly can help because they run services like housing where often care leavers face discrimination."

The council's deputy leader and cabinet member for young people Debra Taylor said the step would help shape council policy to support people who had been in care.

"Many care-experienced people face discrimination, stigma and prejudice daily often finding it challenging to access support," she said.

"Public perception of care experience is often centred on the idea that children [in care] are damaged."

Mrs Taylor added: "This stigma often comes with assumptions about their likely characteristic of children and adults with care experience.

"This can lead to them being refused employment and to unfair judgements about their ability to parent."