Corporate parenting: introduction

Corporate parenting is the collective responsibility of partners when a child enters care. This includes local authorities, elected members, employees and partner agencies. Every member and employee of the council has the statutory responsibility to act for that child.

However, it is not limited to local authorities and the public sector. Our goal is for corporate parenting to be a collective responsibility for our most vulnerable children. The private and the third sectors can also play a pivotal role in ensuring a care experienced child can flourish.

Being a corporate parent is about wanting the best for a child, for them to:

• be safe and happy
• do well at school
• enjoy good relationships with their peers
• contribute to their community
• make the most of leisure opportunities, youth work services, hobbies and interests
• grow towards adulthood equipped to lead an independent life
• make their way as adults through formal and informal education and jobs and careers of their choice
• be financially secure

In short, it’s about treating a care experienced child with the love and support that you would treat your own.

If your organisation can offer support to care experienced children and young people, then you can become a corporate parent. We welcome sign up from public, private and third sector organisations.

Corporate parenting is about 2 things:

• what you can do to support and nurture a care-experienced child or young person
• what you would want for your own child

This might look like:

• including the child in decisions about their care, if you are a local authority
• involving care experienced young people in the design of your service, if you are a third sector organisation
• re-evaluating hiring practices to encourage employment of care experienced individuals, if you are a private company

What care-experienced children and young people need from a corporate parent

Children and young people need a corporate parent to take a rights-based approach. This means: 

• acting in their best interests, supporting them to:
  • exercise their rights and entitlements
  • promote their physical health, mental health and wellbeing
• acting in alignment with the United Nations Covenant on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in everything that you do
• taking their views, wishes, and feelings into account and encouraging them to express these in the language of their choice
• understanding and supporting young people on questions and issues around things that are important to them, making sure staff have an understanding and can signpost them to further support
• helping them gain access to and make best use of services provided by:
  • the local authority and its partners
  • the voluntary and third sector
  • the community
• encouraging them to have high aspirations and to secure the best outcomes for themselves
• making sure they are safe and have stability in their home lives, relationships, and education or at work
• preparing them for adulthood and independent healthy living

If you are ready to become a corporate parent, follow the steps below.

Step 1

Sign up to the corporate parenting charter.

Step 2

On signing the charter, you will receive a welcome letter and pledge template from Welsh Government. Complete and send your pledge to corporateparenting@gov.wales.

Step 3

Keep us up to date on your progress as a corporate parent by emailing us at corporateparenting@gov.wales.