Bristolians who grew up in care will be protected from discrimination in jobs and housing after growing concerns about widespread stigma. People with care experience often struggle with employment and education compared to people who grew up in families.
A new rule proposed by Bristol City Council will clamp down on this discrimination. Councillors decided to recognise care experience as a “locally protected characteristic”, in a full council meeting on Tuesday, January 14, similar to protections against racist or ableist discrimination.
The move follows many other councils across the country, adding pressure on the government to change the law. On behalf of Bristol’s care-experienced community, three unnamed young people spoke about why they thought the move would help them.
One said: “When a child comes into care, they do not have a choice. It’s of no fault of their own, but for some reason society will still judge them for this decision. Why should we continue to carry this burden? We no longer want to feel society’s judgement in the decisions adults make on our behalf.”
Another added: “Care-experienced individuals such as ourselves often have poor life outcomes compared to their peers. By treating care experience as a locally protected characteristic, we can help to reduce their inequalities by ensuring that they receive fair treatment and access to necessary resources.”
Around 1,400 Bristolians under the age of 25 would benefit from the changes, according to council data. The council doesn’t keep records on the number of adults aged 25 or older with care experience.
Bristol has joined more than 100 other councils in the country which recognise care experience as a locally protected characteristic. South Gloucestershire Council also decided to do so last summer. Policy decisions affecting public services will now have to assess the impact on people with care experience, as they do other protected characteristics under equalities laws.
The protection also means council staff who have grown up in care can access reasonable work adjustments, while managers could be trained on how to support an employee with care experience. The council will also encourage and support other local employers to do the same.
A locally protected characteristic is different to a protected characteristic under the Equalities Act, meaning that the care-experienced community won’t face the same legal protection as other characteristics do from discrimination, such as ethnicity or disability. But councillors hope the government could review the law, protecting people who have grown up in care nationwide.
Green Councillor Christine Townsend, chair of the children and young people policy committee, said: “Hopefully, the new Labour government will get us to a point where they will review the Equalities Act. This decision sends a powerful message about our commitment to equality, inclusion and supporting our care-experienced children as they enter adulthood.
“We know that young people who have experience of being in care are less likely to access higher education, securely enter the workplace and are at greater risk of experiencing homelessness. They are a uniquely vulnerable group.
“I would like to acknowledge the work of my predecessor in getting us to this important point and, in taking this first step towards recognising care experience as a protected characteristic, we are aiming to provide additional support and consideration of how to break down barriers, ensuring that individuals who have been in care are treated with the respect, dignity and fairness they deserve.”