South Gloucestershire Council has announced it will formally recognise the experience of young residents who are in or who have left the care system when it makes decisions.
The decision means the council will treat care leavers in the same way they treat people with other Protected Characteristics, such as race, religion, disability and gender.
Cabinet Member Councillor Maggie Tyrrell, said: “We want all children to have a great start in life and we are committed to combatting and overcoming all inequalities they might face that could prevent them reaching their full potential.
“Through talking at length with some of our care-experienced young people, it’s clear that they face discrimination in their daily lives. We want to help overcome this, both by raising awareness of the problem and in practical ways, for example, in relation to finding work.
“We have taken this decision in direct response to their call on us to take practical steps to help. This cements our commitment to our care leavers, and we will now formally consider the particular impact of our policies and decisions on them in the future.”
The council’s EPIC (Experienced Panel In Care) group has welcomed the move.
EPIC member Corrine, said: “Living in care can be really difficult, so having the council listen to us and make this change that will make our lives easier is really nice.”
EPIC member, Charlie, added: “It’s really important to us that council has listened to us and that they will keep listening to us in the future. It means a lot that have made this decision, not just for us, but for the young people who will live in care in the future.”