Argyll and Bute currently has 92 children and young people in its care.

COUNCIL TO APPOINT A CHILDREN’S CHAMPION


Some of Argyll and Bute’s most vulnerable youngsters are to be given the chance to recruit a ‘Champion’ to represent their interests within the Council.

Argyll and Bute Council has agreed to establish the new position of Children’s Champion among its elected members, to serve the needs of its looked after and accommodated children and young people.

The Councillor who takes on the role will not be chosen by his or her peers, but rather by those whose voices he or she will represent.

The move has the goal of enhancing the lives of looked after and accommodated children and young people in Argyll and Bute through providing them with a voice at the highest levels of the Council.

Argyll and Bute currently has 92 children and young people in its care. Fifty two of these are in foster care, 17 are in one of the Council’s own units in Oban, Helensburgh or Dunoon and 23 are in external residential units.

A significant part of the Children’s Champion’s role will be to pay regular visits to these young people, in order to build up a strong and ongoing relationship with them.

Argyll and Bute Council’s Social Services spokesperson, Councillor Donald McIntosh, said the move was part of the authority’s attempt to become the best ‘Corporate Parent’ it could be.

“This is a unique proposal, and one which I hope will have a significant impact on the young people in Argyll and Bute who are in our care,” he added.

“The Council has a responsibility to make sure that every young person in its care has the chance to reach their full potential. Establishing a Children’s Champion will support this through enhancing the wellbeing, welfare and future development of all our looked after and accommodated youngsters.

“We already work very hard to meet the needs of each young person in our care. However, a Children’s Champion will add something new to the mix.

“This person will be selected by the young people themselves to represent their interests across the whole range of council services. The Champion will therefore have a clear mandate to express their views, and I hope the young people will feel a real sense of ownership of the position, given that they will have chosen the person who occupies it.”

It is envisaged that nominations for the post will be sought from Councillors who do not already hold an office in the Council which is related to children. A selection process will then be set up – possibly through interviews with the young people – before a Champion is chosen.