People who have spent time in care as children in Islington now have legal protection against discrimination.
By Joe Steen
People who have spent time in care as children in Islington now have legal protection against discrimination.
Following a motion put to the Town Hall, in which councillors paid tribute to the ‘resilience’ of care-experienced people (aka care leavers), members agreed to give residents a local protected characteristic.
The new rule builds on the Equality Act 2010, which laid out the nine characteristics legally protected from discrimination, harassment, and victimisation.
These are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
Cllr Michelline Safi-Ngongo, who proposed the motion, said: “The current legislation does not even mention the care experienced as a protected characteristics.
“Even the statistics show they are more at risk of being unemployed or homeless.
“They are our future, and the future of our lovely Islington.”
The council also heard from Alan Torres, a self-employed photographer who as a young person spent time in care.
Torres praised the council for “opening doors” for him and other care leavers who he believes could, like him, had “creative potential” and with the same help from local authorities “one day run their own business”.
Two years ago, the Children’s Commissioner for England also found that more than half (52%) of children in care had a criminal conviction by age 24 compared to 13% of children who had not been in care.
Cllr Gulcin Ozdemir said she was “inspired” by the resilience of care experienced individuals in the face of adversity, calling on the council to adopt the measure.
“A protected characteristic is more than a symbolic gesture. It is a concrete step towards addressing the challenges and disparities faced by those who have been in care.
“But we must also take proactive measures to remove the barriers that still exist, and make sure that care experienced people are not just surviving, but thriving,” she said.
The motion passed unanimously, which mayor Anjna Khurana hailed as “marvellous”.
