What is Corporate Parenting?

What is Corporate Parenting?

Corporate Parenting means that the Council and the services it works with share the responsibility for supporting children in care and care leavers. It’s about making sure you are safe, well cared for, and given the same opportunities that any parent would want for their child. This responsibility belongs to everyone in the Council — staff and elected councillors — and requires all teams to work together to provide the best support possible.

The Corporate Parenting Forum

The Corporate Parenting Forum is a group that oversees how well Sutton Council is supporting children in care and care leavers.

When you’re in care, the Council becomes your corporate parent—which means every part of the Council has a shared responsibility to keep you safe, support you, and help you thrive.

The Forum makes sure Sutton is doing this properly.

Children in care and care leavers are invited to meetings so your views, ideas, and experiences can be heard.

What you say is taken seriously, and the Forum makes sure actions are followed up.

What the Corporate Parenting Forum Does

The Forum works to improve the lives of children in care and care leavers by:

• Checking how the whole Council is doing: using data, feedback, and reports to see if services are supporting young people well.

• Making sure different departments work together, so care feels joined-up and consistent.

• Listening to experiences from young people, care leavers, parents, and foster carers to help shape services.

• Ensuring young people know their rights, including what support they should receive—even if they live out of the area.

• Making sure advocacy and mentoring are available so you have trusted adults who can support and guide you.

• Keeping track of new plans and changes that might affect children in care.

• Reviewing placements and accommodation for young people to check they’re safe, good quality, and right for their needs.

• Setting expectations for good practice so professionals know how to support children in care properly.

• Referring issues to other council committees when something needs deeper investigation.

Why the Corporate Parenting Forum Is Important

The Corporate Parenting Forum checks how well the council is supporting children in care and care leavers. It makes sure the council is meeting its responsibilities as your corporate parent.

The forum:

• encourages children and young people to be involved

• monitors how well the council is doing

• helps all council departments understand their shared responsibility for young people with care experience

By working together, the council and partner agencies can improve support and create better opportunities for children in care and care leavers.

What the Forum Reviews Regularly

The Forum oversees key areas, including:

• education, health, and placement stability

• participation in child-in-care reviews

• missing episodes and return-home interviews

• offending rates

• the effectiveness of services for children in care and care leavers

• care leaver needs—like jobs, education, training, and housing

All of this helps the Forum understand what’s working well and what needs to change.

Who’s in the Forum?

The Forum includes people from across the Council and partner organisations, such as:

• Lead Member (councillor) for Children, Families and Education (Chair)

• Other elected Councillors

• Director of Children’s Services

• Head of Corporate Parenting

• Designated Health Professionals (Nurses for Safeguarding and Looked After Children)

• Head of Housing

• Head of Sutton Virtual School

• Participation Officer

• Sutton Foster Care Association representative

• Representatives from the Children in Care Council

Previous reports

To see summaries of the most recent Corporate Parenting meetings please click here

How to get involved

CiCC

Members of the Children in Care Council regularly present their views to senior leaders and councillors at Sutton’s Corporate Parenting Forum. To join the Children in Care Council or to learn more about it, please click here.

Corporate Parenting Board – Open Invite

Any child or young person in care or care leaver is welcome to attend a corporate parenting meeting to share their views or speak about the support they receive.

If you would like to attend, please contact the Participation Officer here.