The Royal Borough of Greenwich has made the new pledges to young people in care and care leavers. They've been developed in conjunction with members of the Children in Care Council.

The Council's commitment to young people in care

The Promise sets out the Council's commitment to:

• Provide young people with a safe and happy home
• Respect them and their identity
• Offer them support and guidance throughout their time in care
• Make sure they get a good education and help them achieve their aspirations
• Involve them in decisions about their life
• Support them to be active and stay healthy
• Ensure they feel fully prepared for their transition into adulthood.

The Children in Care Council provides a platform for young people to have a voice in decisions that affect them. Young people can opt to become part of a core group which meets every other week and/or take part in monthly activity days and one-off consultation events.

The Promise helps us to further improve their lives

Deputy Leader Councillor Danny Thorpe gave a token of thanks to members of the Children in Care Council who helped create the Promise at the launch event last month which was also attended by foster carers and Council staff.

Cllr Thorpe said: "The Royal Borough of Greenwich is committed to supporting young people in care and care leavers and our new Promise reinforces this. By developing the Promise with input from members of the Children in Care Council we have ensured that their needs and wishes are incorporated."

Cllr Chris Kirby, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: "Royal Greenwich is committed to improving outcomes for young people in care and our Promise will build on this to help further improve their lives."

Extra help for care leavers

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Royal Greenwich (including looked after children and adopted children) achieve at a level that is closer to their peers than nationally. In 2016 there was a 20 per cent point gap between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in Greenwich and non-disadvantaged children nationally, compared with a 28 per cent point gap nationally.

Earlier this year the Council agreed to extend Council Tax exemption for care leavers up to the age of 25 to help young adult care leavers in the Borough save money.