Briefing for councillors: Improving physical activity opportunities for care-experienced children and young people

This briefing has been developed to support councillors’ to better understand the physical activity needs and experiences of care-experienced children and young people and care leavers.  It demonstrates how through their corporate parenting role, all councillors can support care-experienced children and young people to be physically active. It shares advice and examples of good practice from councils and their partners. 

It draws on guidance and research  commissioned by the Local Government Association and developed in partnership with  Coram Impact and Evaluation, Coram Voice and Stormbreak. It has been co-produced with care-experienced children and young people, practitioners, councils and foster carers.   

Access the full guide Improving Physical Activity Opportunities for Care Experienced Children and Young People and Rapid Evidence Review.  

In 2024 there were 83,630 children and young people in care in England, of this figure 7,380 were Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC). In addition to this, there were 50,670 care leavers in England aged between 17 and 21 years old. Research shows that care-experienced children and young people are a ‘hidden group’ in relation to physical activity policy and provision, whose needs and experiences are frequently overlooked. Indeed, currently no specific data is collected on the physical activity rates of children in care or care leavers. However, we do know that physical activity rates among children in the general population are low. Data demonstrates that in 2023/24 fifty-two per cent of children and young people were not doing the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.. As a vulnerable group, care-experienced children and young people experience a range of social and health inequalities, including:  

• poorer educational outcomes
• higher rates of special educational needs
• emotional and mental-health problems
• homelessness
• unemployment upon leaving care. 

Yet, being physically active can positively affect a wide range of outcomes including:

• better physical health
• improved mental wellbeing
• decreased likelihood of developing long-term health conditions in adulthood
• boosting cognitive functioning and academic performance
• building trusting social relationships
• emotional resilience
• leadership skills
• training and volunteer opportunities
• pathways into employment.

Given the challenges facing care-experienced children and young people, it is particularly important they have access to physical activity opportunities so that they can reap the benefits.  However, research shows that care-experienced children and young people face unique, individual and systemic barriers to accessing and engaging in physical activity, which can further reduce participation rates. Understanding these barriers and how to address them will be key to supporting them.

It is important to note that Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and Young People in care and leaving care can face an additional set of challenges and barriers that affect their relationship with physical activity. Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children are children and young people who are applying for asylum in the UK, who are under 18 at the time of arrival, and who have no parent or guardian with them in the UK. These children and young people are predominately male and older. They account for a growing proportion of those leaving councils’ care. Many of these children and young people will have limited social support networks in this country, as well as limited English language, which can affect their capacity to take part in physical activities.  

Many Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking children and young people will benefit from physical-activity provision that allows them to build social networks and to access local faith and cultural communities. It is important that councils tailor their physical activity provision for these children and young people, taking into account their interests and existing skills. Provision should also be trauma informed and culturally sensitive, and aware of the potential impact of language barriers. Access and inclusion with mainstream activities should be considered where safe, appropriate and feasible to facilitate the building of social networks. 

The LGA has produced a resource pack on the wider responsibilities falling under corporate parenting. This briefing specifically focuses on how councillors can improve physical activity opportunities for care experienced children and young people as part of their corporate parenting responsibilities. Council officers and wider partners may wish to read our full guide. 

Councillors, in their role as corporate parents have a responsibility to ensure the development, wellbeing and future success of the children and young people in their care, including care leavers.  Being a corporate parent means doing everything we can for every child in the council’s care – and every care leaver – to give them the opportunities that other children get. In addition to preparing them for life as independent adults, it’s also about the smaller things that make life more fulfilling like getting to take part in the activities they enjoy and having new experiences. It’s about doing the things you’d do for your own children. Supporting care-experienced children and young people to be physically active is an important part of these corporate parenting responsibilities.  

Of course, just as not all children are the same, care-experienced children and young people are not one homogenous group. While it is true that some will have experienced trauma and disruption in their lives and need specialist support to cope with those experiences, others will have adjusted well to being in care and may be flourishing. Periods of stability can be followed by challenges, so councillors need to recognise the uniqueness of the children in their care, and make sure each child is getting what they need to thrive and be happy. 

Examples of how councils are supporting care-experienced children and young people to be physically active 

The following section includes examples of positive activities and opportunities that councils have found to be successful in supporting care-experienced children and young people to engage in physical activity. It also demonstrates some of the challenges and recommendations to address them.

Many councils offer care-experienced children and young people free or subsidised membership to council-run leisure centres. Some provide the equivalent amount of funding to allow attendance at a non-council-run gym or to pay for a different type of physical activity. This is particularly important and useful if the child or young person does not live near a local leisure centre, which is often the case in larger and more rural areas or if the child or young person is placed out-of-area (i.e. in a different council to the one that is responsible for their care), or if the child or young person has a strong preference for a different type of activity. Some councils encourage children and young people to use leisure centres regularly by offering them a ‘plus 1’ membership so that they can attend the leisure centre with a friend. Peer support is a key principle of trauma informed practice.

Many councils provide direct funding for children and young people in care to pursue activities (including physical activities) of their choice, for example by funding dance classes or membership to a sports club. Funding for these activities is typically made on a case-by-case basis and based on children’s Care Plans. Councils can further support participation by ensuring that funding covers associated costs, such as kit, equipment and transport. Many councils offer ‘physical activity grants’ or ‘wellbeing grants’ which provide a child or young person with funds to spend on an activity of their choosing.  Care-experienced children and young people told us that having a choice of activities is important as demonstrated in the section on trauma informed practice.

Many councils also offer leisure-centre memberships to care leavers up to 25 years old. This can help support care leavers who find limited finances upon leaving care a key barrier in accessing physical activity. Care leavers may also be eligible for discounts to a private gym if their council is signed up to the Care Leavers Covenant, a programme designed to connect care leavers with a network of opportunities and support across key areas such as education, employment and wellbeing. 

In many cases, activities will be paid for by foster carers, through their foster carer allowance.  Given that this allowance has to cover a wide range of expenses, some councils provide foster carers with an additional targeted allowance, specifically for physical activity for children and young people in their care. They may also provide foster carers with leisure centre access for themselves and all the children they care for, including birth children. Children and young people may also receive funding for physical activity through their Virtual School. This will depend on whether physical activity is included in their Personal Education Plan (PEP) 

As demonstrated by the quote below, grants are particularly helpful as they provide children and young people with the ability to choose a physical activity that is meaningful to them. They also allow children and young people to purchase equipment, such as a bicycle or weights, which enables them to sustain an activity over time.   

As a care leaver, a couple of years ago my personal advisor told me that there was a £50 thing for physical activity…I decided to be practical and buy some weights and then I can do weights [everyday] and it won’t cost me every single month, so the fact you could use it for different things, I liked that, and they should do that every year, more frequently.” 

Care-experienced young person, focus group, 18-25 years

Councils may also be able to secure free access to a range of council-owned local organisations and clubs under corporate-parenting responsibilities, such as mini-golf courses, outdoor activity centres, climbing walls, and sports facilities. 

Many councils also find it useful to develop partnerships with local community organisations and charities as a way of widening opportunities for children and young people in their care.  For example, some councils have negotiated free access for children and young people to local tourist and leisure attractions to ensure they have regular access to nature and outdoor space. Some councils also work with local organisations and charities that can provide grants for certain activities, or free equipment and kit, for example through bicycle-recycling schemes or football-boot donation schemes. 

Good practice examples  

• Cornwall Council ‘Funds 4 Care scheme’, run by Carefree, offers individual grants up to £250 to care-experienced children and young people aged 16-21 years old. Grants can be spent on something that will positively impact their life, including sports equipment, bicycles or class fees.
• Plymouth Council offer free gym and swim access for all Care Leavers up to 25 years. For those who live outside Plymouth, an alternative gym is funded up to £20 a month. This has recently been extended to include a ‘plus one’ admission, so that the young person can bring a friend or relative with them. Plymouth Council also offer ‘social and leisure allowances’ up to £250 which can be spent on physical activity. 

Many councils offer a range of group activities specifically for care-experienced children and young people. These may be organised by children’s services teams, care-leaver teams or the participation teams who facilitate Children in Care councils. Activities can be run by practitioners, such as social workers, residential-home staff or personal advisors, with a particular interest or experience in an activity. Many councils find this to be a cost-effective way to deliver regular activities. 

Examples of these activities include: 

• Football clubs, on a weekly or monthly basis, with regular competitions with teams from other councils;
• ‘Wellbeing walks’ or ‘walk and talk’ sessions, with visits to local nature and beauty spots;
• Social events in nature with a physical activity component, such as sports-day games;
• Running clubs;
• Gardening groups. 

Many councils – as well as Virtual Schools – also run activities commissioned by external delivery partners with specialist knowledge in running physical activity programmes for care-experienced children and young people and/or children with additional needs. 

In some councils, these activities are focused around the natural resources within their local areas, for example hill-walking in rural areas or water-based activities in coastal areas 

Examples of these activities include: 

• Residential or holiday programmes, with forest school activities or other outdoor activities, such as surfing, kayaking or rock-climbing;
• Trauma-informed activity classes, such as trauma-informed yoga or trauma-informed dance therapy;
• Sports-based leadership courses, or resilience-through-movement courses;
• Bikeability courses. 

Good practice examples 

•  Wandsworth Children Living in Care Kouncil run a sports day annually for children and young people in care, including a range of games and activities.
• Leeds City Council run the Archway Boxing Project: this involves trauma-informed Fitness and Boxing Sessions for care leavers aimed at teaching non-contact boxing for health, fitness, discipline, confidence, and to improve mental wellbeing. Separate sessions are run for female care–leavers, on their request, to ensure sensitivity to their cultural and religious needs. Over 75 young people have registered with the project, and many have gone on to complete awards in Boxing, and gain qualifications so that they can lead sessions for others. Read more on this project here. You can also watch this video.
• Calderdale Council offer monthly ‘Walk and Talk’ trips for care-leavers that include day trips to local beauty spots and tourist attractions, with food and travel included. These provide opportunities for young people to be physically active, and to build social connections and bonds with others. Calderdale worked with various partners to provide training to their staff in hill walking and first add, and to secure a grant so that their young people can purchase equipment such as boots, waterproofs and backpacks.
• Milton Keynes City Council Football Club for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and Young People run a weekly football session for UAS care-leavers. It is run by a Personal Advisor and held in a centrally-located venue with good transport links. In addition to promoting physical activity, the group provides young people with opportunities to practise their English and to connect with other young people for important social and practical support.  The team hold regular matches with other UAS football teams. The group are also currently exploring the possibility of building connections with local professional and semi-professional football clubs to provide progression and training routes for the children and young people. They are also working to create a boot donation scheme.
• North Yorkshire Council have worked with the charity North Yorkshire Sport over a number of years on a range of school and community focussed interventions supporting care-experienced young people to use movement, activity and sport to build their confidence, self-esteem and resilience. They regularly use athlete mentors to build positive relationships with young people, to share their story of overcoming adversity and to provide tools and methods to help deal with challenges in their lives.
• East Riding Council ran a series of ‘Street Sessions’ for care leavers, including workshops focused on mindfulness, confidence building and preparing for work, as well as cooking lessons and a walk-and-talk activity. Some of the immediate outcomes included one young person moving into paid work and five more finding education or training opportunities. Some of the unexpected outcomes included five UASC young people who reported that the sessions helped them improve their English while the chance to interact with other care leavers helped the group to bond and understand each other’s interests better, including a shared love of football. 

Carers (foster carers, adopters,  kinship carers and special guardians) play a key role in supporting care-experienced children and young people to be physically active. They are often responsible for researching and scheduling activities, arranging transport and equipment, and ensuring fees are paid, this can be very time intensive, particularly for carers with responsibilities for multiple children or if children have additional needs. Carers provide vital emotional support and encouragement to care-experienced children and young people who benefit greatly from trusted adults attending activities or clubs with them, encouraging them to try something new or to continue attending existing activities, and celebrating their achievements.

 Since I was 10 I have been cycling, it was my safe thing that I enjoyed. Going into care, I was very lucky that my foster carers had a bike, they offered for me to use it to get to school and they helped me fix it up, which was a nice bonding experience very early on and being able to cycle was something that brought a lot of joy back – freedom and things.”    

Care-experienced young person, focus group, 18-25 years 

Carers are more likely to be able to act as champions of physical activity if they receive adequate support. This could mean financial support, such as a free or subsidised leisure-centre membership for the whole family, or a targeted allowance to support physical activities for the children and young people they care for.  Foster carers reported they have benefitted from bespoke training and support to improve their own relationship with physical activity and social support to benefit from being part of a wider network who can promote and facilitate physical activity opportunities. This also delivers on the council’s wider priorities for physical activity as (limited) research suggests foster carers and special guardians are more likely to be overweight and obese than the general population, do not regularly engage in physical activity themselves or see the value in such activities.  We also know that foster carers are more likely to be older, with the majority of foster carers being 50 years or older, falling into one of the demographics that are less likely to be active.  

Good practice Examples  

• Stormbreak run therapeutic training sessions with foster carers exploring physical activity, different movement types and the benefits of movement on mental and physical health. Each stormbreak activity combines mentally healthy movement with conversations about resilience, relationships, self-care, self-worth and hope and optimism. For more information, see here.
• Staffordshire and Stoke Virtual School, in partnership with Together Active, organises inclusive events at various outdoor activity centers for care-experienced children, young people, their families, and carers. These activities also include opportunities for post-16 care leavers to develop leadership skills. Together Active have found through their work that including families and carers in these events helps to encourage families to make movement a regular part of their routines. The activities culminate in an end-of-year celebration to recognise the achievements and successes from throughout the year.
• Hampshire Hive project brings foster carers together into small hubs for mutual support. In addition to offering advice and support to carers, this network runs regular social events for carers, which can include physical-activity components.
• The Mockingbird project aims to create the structure and support of an extended family for foster carers. Many of the foster carers and council that participated in the research for this guide reported that their Mockingbird networks frequently organised physical activities as part of their regular

Professionals – such as social workers, residential-home managers and keyworkers, and personal advisors – can play an equally important role to carers in supporting children and young people to be physically active.  Children and young people participating in the research for this briefing described how having a trusted professional attend their activities, clubs or competitions increased their confidence and motivation and prevented feelings of social isolation and exclusion.  It can also be helpful for professionals to participate in physical activities alongside children and young people, where possible. This can support children and young people to overcome anxieties about participation and can help build trust and rapport and facilitate open conversations.  

 It was the football thing that got to me the most, because I would come to do a game, I would see everyone’s parents there, everyone’s siblings there, I had to just stand there on my own. At the end of the game, when everyone is walking out, I would walk out on my own.” 

Care-experienced young person, focus group, 18-25 years  

 I never really got on with my keyworker but after about 6 months of being [in residential care], we both realized we had a common interest, we liked going out walking, so for our keyworking sessions we used to go and get the bus, and go into the middle of nowhere and just go for a massive walk, and we would do our session on the go. So [it’s helpful] having a worker that is able to adapt and get on a level with you, and find ways that work for you.”  

Care-experienced young person, focus group, 18-25 years  

When professionals attend activities with a child or young person, they can also share information  about that child or young person’s strengths, interests and needs with the teachers or leaders of the activity. This can help ensure a supportive and safe environment for that child or young person, which is a key part of trauma-informed practice.

It is important that information is shared in a confidential and sensitive manner, and that permission is obtained from the child or young person first. This is because children and young people can find it distressing and stigmatising if their care status is revealed without their permission, or if they are singled out due to their care status.  For example, our research shows how children and young people want professionals to remove lanyards when attending activities or events, and that they should discuss with the child or young person first how they should refer to themselves. 

Support workers … always wear a lanyard, I used to hate it…when it is very clear that your lanyard says ‘social care, looked after care’ it brings a sense of ‘this person is not normal anyway’ so if they are going to activities, remove that lanyard.” 

       Care-experienced young person, focus group, 18-25 years  

 For many professionals, attending or running activities for children and young people can mean working after-hours, or travelling long distances, especially if the child or young person lives in a rural area or is placed out-of-area. This can be challenging for professionals given their often heavy workloads and extensive responsibilities. Protected time to be able to attend activities may be one option to overcome this barrier.  

 Good practice examples  

• Oldham Council set up a range of activities aimed at improving care leavers trust in their workers. These included hill-walking trips and a Thai Boxing group. Oldham found that these activities were very popular among their young people, and helped to build trust and rapport between care leavers and their workers. 

Transitioning into care can be a difficult and stressful experience for both children and young people. Many of these individuals will go on to experience further instability due to frequent moves in placements, schools, or social workers. This can result in discontinuity in accessing physical activities from which they have previously benefitted. This could be because the activity is not provided or available in the new locality or educational setting, the new carers do not support the activity, either in terms of logistics (travel, scheduling) or finances or the council cannot fund it, it is a safeguarding risk, or relevant information about their interests or attendance at previous activities was not passed on to social workers or new carers.   

Discontinuity can also arise because transitions in and out of care – and experiences of instability whilst in care – can affect the motivation of children and young people to engage in physical activity. This can be due to stress or due to the loss of trusted people and familiar settings for physical activity.  

I’ve always been a dancer but when I moved that all stopped for me…and they wouldn’t allow me to go back into it, it is very hard when you are constantly moving because you don’t feel like you belong, and when social services refuse to allow you to continue to do dance, that is when it causes issues because why are we stopping children doing something they want to do.”    

Care-experienced young person, focus group, 18-25 years old 

 Similarly, when young people leave care, it can be challenging for them to continue activities that they have previously enjoyed due to changes to funding.  Not being able to afford activities can be a significant barrier for care leavers to remain physically active. 

 It is easier for children in care to get into exercise than care leavers…When you become a care-leaver, you are no longer supported financially, so you’re paying to do those sports out of your own pocket, and it’s not cheap.”            

                                             Care-experienced young person, focus group, 18-25 years 

To help overcome some of these challenges, councils may wish to consider amendments to existing templates to ensure that information on preferences and experiences around physical activity is routinely included in children and young people’s Personal Education Plans (PEPs), Health Assessments and Health Plans, and Children in Care Review. To enhance accountability, councils may also wish to expand the role of the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) in ensuring that recommendations around physical activity in a child or young person’s care plan have been met. Personal advisors and social workers can support care leavers by ensuring that physical activity recommendations are included in their Pathway Plans (their plan for transitioning to independent living) and can also provide information on the physical activity opportunities available.

In our research, foster carers told us that it can be challenging to find suitable activities for the children and young people in their care, especially if children and young people are only staying with them for short periods of time. Children and young people who have experienced trauma may be more likely to discontinue activities if they do not feel comfortable in the setting, or if the leaders of the activity do not understand how best to support them. This can make some carers reluctant to sign up a child or young person to a new activity.  Challenges include long waiting-lists for clubs and activities and the requirement of deposits or up-front payment for classes without money-back guarantees. 

We do emergency short-term care so children can be with us anything between a day to two years. The problem I have is if they wanted to try something, you just can’t get them in… there’s [always] a waiting list, it might be six months.…And it’s really hard to get people to understand why they should jump the list.” 

Foster Carer, focus Group 

 Foster carers told us that it is helpful if local physical-activity providers are willing to give priority to care-experienced children and young people on waiting lists and to provide taster sessions and more flexible payment options.  The foster carers that we spoke to recommended that councils provide a directory of local physical activity providers who offer this flexibility, which can be accessed by carers, social workers, personal advisors and managers in residential homes. 

Care-experienced children and young people often require financial support to engage in the physical activity of their choice. For example, they may have to pay club memberships or class fees, or purchase specialist equipment or kit, and may need to be transported to an activity, or for the cost of this transport to be covered. Transport to activities can be a significant barrier to participation, particularly in rural areas where travel to an activity may be unavailable, lengthy and/or costly. Facilitating transport can really help children and young people to engage in the physical activity of their choice. Being unable to afford the right equipment and kit can be a barrier to participation for children and young people. For example, some children and young people told us that not having the right equipment or kit led to them feeling embarrassed or marginalised, which reduced their motivation to participate in the activity. 

Many councils fund children and young people’s activities, including transport and kit, on an individual basis, based on their care plans. Foster carers may also use their foster-carer allowance to cover these costs. Councils can also consider ‘physical activity grants’ to help children and young people buy kit and equipment. They can also work with local organisations and charities to improve access to kit and equipment, including PE kit in schools.

 Children who are placed out-of-area may be unable to access opportunities available to them due to lengthy travel times. However, they may be able to access services provided by the council in which they reside, at the discretion of the council.  

Councils may wish to consider building partnerships with other councils in order to negotiate access for their children and young people who are placed out-of-area. They could also consider offering the same access to children and young people from other councils who are placed in their council, as an example of good practice. This might be particularly relevant for neighbouring councils. 

Good practice examples 

•  Wandsworth Council offer monthly wellbeing grants for care leavers as well as an annual positive experience grant, which can be spent on physical activity provision. 

Children and young people in care will often need to obtain consent from an adult before taking part in many physical activities. Consent is usually obtained from a child or young person’s social worker. In some cases, carers are allowed to provide consent on behalf of the council – this is called delegated authority. Children and young people in care will typically also need consent to take part in activities associated with physical activity, such as travel and overnight stays for sports competitions, or residential holidays programmes. These sign-off processes can, in some instances, present a barrier to participation for children and young people. For example, consent may not be given because social workers are unable to ensure that safeguarding standards will be met.  Children and young people can find this difficult and frustrating, especially when their peers who are not in care are allowed to attend. 

[It would be better] not having to ask social to do everything. I want to do like my friend asked me to go horse-riding with him at the weekend but I need social permission to go”.  

Care-experienced young person, Bright Spots Survey, 11-18 years 

Gaining consent to take part in activities can sometimes take a long time and result in the child or young person missing out on the opportunity because consent was not gained in time, especially if a social worker is away or if the request is escalated to a team manager. Foster carers also told us that it was not always clear which activities they were allowed to sign off, and which activities required consent from a social worker.  

Councils can help by reviewing and, where possible, streamlining their consent and sign-off processes for physical activity, and by considering expanding delegated authority for carers, wherever possible.  They may also wish to consider providing carers and practitioners with appropriate training (for example, specialist first-aid or health and safety training) to allow them to run physical activities for children and young people in their care. 

 Care-experienced children and young people will often rely on their carers, social workers, keyworkers, personal advisors or teachers to inform them about available opportunities for physical activity.  Carers told us they would find it helpful to have access to a directory of local providers that are trauma-informed and that offer taster sessions, flexible payment options, and priority to care-experienced children and young people on waiting lists

Councils can support this with an up-to-date website page that lists all available opportunities, and ensure foster carers and professionals have access to this page. Sharing these directories with other councils and local schools– and requesting similar lists in return – can assist councils in providing opportunities for children and young people who are placed out-of-area. Some councils find it helpful to use social media and/or opt-in groups on messaging apps to communicate information about upcoming opportunities, both to children and young people, and to networks of carers 

 Practice Examples 

• Sheffield Council run a ‘Just Do It’ event which showcases local opportunities to get involved in activities, sports, hobbies, and groups. So far, 200 children and carers have attended and 40 local organisations been involved. Feedback from both carers and young people has been very positive. 

Currently, no national data is collected on the physical activity rates of care-experienced children and young people so councils and the Government do not have an understanding of how physically active this group is and therefore cannot effectively target resources. Nor do they understand the barriers and challenges facing them and the effective strategies required to increase participation and retention rates. High quality research and the right datasets is critical to improving outcomes for care-experienced children and young people. Addressing this requires the Government to prioritise the physical activity needs of care-experienced children and young people and care leavers.

At a local level, councils could consider how to improve evaluation of the impacts of their physical-activity provision for care-experienced children and young people to explore and address the reasons for any variation in participation and/or outcomes at local level. Regular consultation with children and young people – and with carers and support workers – to understand preferences and interests around physical activity, and to understand any barriers to participation will help to address local needs.  Children in Care councils can consider dedicating time to discuss what their council can do to improve opportunities for physical activity and integrating these recommendations into the broader work they do.

Good practice examples 

• Staffordshire Children in Care Council explored physical health as a ‘hot topic’ in partnership with their Corporate Parenting Panel. Children and Young People worked alongside the Corporate Parenting Panel to do a ‘deep dive’ into their experiences around health, and to co-design a wide range of recommendations for improvement. 

Care-experienced person: this is an umbrella term for anyone who, at any stage in their life and for any length of time, was cared for by people other than their birth parents. This includes, for example, being looked after by foster carers, in a residential children’s home, with family or friends or in other arrangements including hospitals, supported accommodation or secure units. Someone who is adopted after being in care is also care experienced. The term also includes care leavers. 

Care Leaver: this is a young person aged 16-25 years old who was previously in care and is now entitled to ongoing support from their council.  

Care Plan: every child in care must have a Care Plan that details how the child will be looked after by the council. It should cover: their placement details; how their needs around health, education and emotional wellbeing will be met; any arrangements to see their birth family; and a plan for permanence (i.e. the long-term plan for where they will live and with whom).  The care plan is completed and updated by their social worker, and is reviewed by an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO). The care plan should include a Personal Educational Plan (PEP) and a Health Plan. The plan might also be called a Children in Care Plan or a CIC Plan. 

Child in Care (CIC): this is a child or young person who is currently being cared for by the council, either as a result of a court order or with the agreement of their birth parents.  The council will usually place the child or young person to live with foster carers, kinship carers or in a residential care home. 

Children in Care (CIC) Council: this is a group of children and young people that represents all Children in Care within a council. The Children in Care Council gives children and young people the chance to shape and influence the services they receive at every level.  

Children in Care (CIC) Review: this is a meeting held at regular intervals to review the Care Plan of a child in care. It is a statutory requirement. The review is chaired by the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) and attended by the child, where appropriate, and others who plays an important role in the child’s life, such as their social worker, carer and parents/family members.  

Corporate Parenting: this describes the collective responsibility of councils and other public bodies to ensure that children in care have the same opportunities and chances in life as other children, as outlined in the Children and Social Work Act 2017. For more information, see here. 

Corporate Parenting Panel: this is a group within a council that brings together councillors, council officers and other key professionals to ensure the council is fulfilling its responsibilities as a corporate parent. 

Delegated authority: this is when the council – or the person with parental responsibility for a child – give carers (such as foster carers) the authority to make decisions for the child they care for. 

Family time/contact time: this refers to the time that children in care spend with birth parents, extended family members, or close family friends. This time may be supervised or unsupervised, and may or may not be a requirement of a court order, depending on individual circumstances. 

Fostering Agency:  this is an organisation that recruits, trains and supports foster carers. These may be run by the council or they may be independently run. 

Foster Carer: this is someone who cares for a child or young people in their own home on behalf of the council. They may provide short-term or long-term care for a child or young person. 

Health Assessment and Health Plan: every child in care should receive regular health assessments by a health professional, such as a doctor or a nurse, to assess their physical health, mental and emotional wellbeing, and developmental milestones. Based on this assessment, the health professional will write a Health Plan to set out the child’s health needs and support that they should receive. 

Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO): every child in care will be appointed an IRO. It is their job to chair the Children in Care Review and to make sure that their care plan is meeting their needs. They should also make sure that the child's views are listened to and that their best interests are taken into account. The IRO has the power to challenge the council where decisions have been made that are not in the best interests of the child. For more information, see here. 

 Kinship carer: this is someone who cares for a child who can no longer live with their birth parents and to whom they are closely related. They are often relatives such as grandparents, or aunts or uncles, but they may also be close family friends. 

Looked After Child: this is another word for a child or young person in care.  

Placement: this is the living arrangement made by a council for a child in care. For example, a child may be placed in foster care, in a residential children’s home, or in semi-independent or supported accommodation (for young people over 16). 

Pathway Plan: this is a document that prepares young people for leaving care. It outlines plans for a young person’s health, education, training and development; contact with their family; and financial management. Once a young person has left care, it should be regularly reviewed by their personal advisor. 

Personal Advisor: this is a person who is responsible for supporting care leavers. They should meet regularly with the care-leavers they support, and provide information and advice on living independently. They will also review the care leaver’s pathway plan to make sure their needs are being met.  

 Personal Education Plan (PEP): it is a statutory requirement that all children and young people in care have a Personal Education Plan. It forms one part of their overall Care Plan. The plan should monitor a child’s educational progress and detail what needs to happen in order for the child to fulfil their potential. For more information, see here. 

Physical activity: In this briefing we define physical activity as any bodily movement that requires the use of energy such as team and individual sports, lifestyle activities (like dance, boxing or yoga); and everyday forms of movement (like walking, cycling, gardening).  

Out-of-area placement: this is when a child is placed to live outside the council that is responsible for their care. 

Residential Care Home: also known as a children’s home, this is shared home run by specialist staff for children in care. Often, children move to a children’s home because they have complex needs or because previous foster or kinship placements have broken down. 

Special Guardian: this is someone who has been granted a Special Guardianship Order, given them parental responsibility for a child.  Special Guardians are usually kinship carers, such as relatives or family friends of the child in question. 

Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Child (UASC) or Young Person: this is a child or young people who is applying for asylum in the UK, who is under 18, and who has no parent or guardian with them in the UK. 

Virtual School: this is a council service that is responsible for ensuring the best possible educational provision for children and young people who are in care, who were previously in care or who have a social worker. This is not a physical school or a teaching institution, and does not replace the school setting that the child attends. Instead, it is a team of professionals, led by a Virtual School Head (VSH), that works with other professionals and agencies to ensure that children receive the support they need. They oversee each child’s Personal Education Plan (PEP) and they can allocate funding to support learning.