1. A Sunday rambling. We use the term "care experienced" so much now, particularly in the context of the #carereview. But what does it mean, & who or what are care experienced people? The Review is yet to offer its definition, but it will be critical >
2. Are children still in care settings care experienced? Yes - but what is a care setting? They will include those in children's homes, residential schools, foster care. But they will include those in health & mental health care settings & those with disabilities - won't they? >
3. "Care experienced" will surely include young people aged up to 25 in higher education supported by councils. But what about those not supported by councils, or over 25. Will the #carereview identify them as care experienced & hear their views?
4. " Care experienced" should include young care leavers up to 21 supported supported by PAs & known to councils. But what of those not supported by councils - those homeless & on the streets? Those in custody? Will the Review see them & seek them out too?>
5. The #carereview will see the articulate care experienced professionals & graduates, successful & outspoken. But will it see those careleavers in the community without support, struggling to survive, with no money for WiFi or links to councils. Will it recognise them - & how?>
6. What of care experienced people over 25, not linked into the politics of care, social work or academia - the overwhelming majority of care experienced people where the wisdom of generations is invested. Will these appear in the definition of "care experienced" & be consulted?>
7. Then there are the people of all ages who were adopted, brought up in kinship care or on the periphery of the state care system whilst linked to it. Will the #csrereview define them as "care experienced" & allow them a voice? If so - how? >
8. Then of course we have the hundreds or more young people buried in unregulated settings, invisibly decanted out of care, those over 16 soon to lose their rights to care . Will the #carereview define them as care experienced & reach to them. How? >
9. The truth is all these groups & more are care experienced. Massively diverse, very different experiences but with "care experienced" as the single consistent thread. ALL need to be represented, consulted & heard. But no mechanism currently exists >
10. The #carereview will have a handful of very capable care experienced people on an Expert by Experience panel including carers etc who are not care experienced. These care experienced folk will be expected to know & speak for the entire care family. An utter impossibility >
11. The answer does not lay in the knowledge & strengths of the small number of care experienced people co-opted on to the tiny #carereview EbE panel. It lies in changing the EbE panel structure itself. This could be done very easily but the Review team elected not to do so >
12. I've suggested elsewhere how that could've been done. I also wrote to Josh MacAlister & detailed how that could've been done, in good time to do it. The proposals were discounted. That was a #carereview decision. I fear this care review is not centred on the care experience
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