The Children in Care Council (CICC)
The East Sussex Children in Care Council (CICC) started in 2008. It is a group of children aged 13 to 19 who are in care and live in East Sussex. They often meet to talk about things that are important to children in care.
They stay as CICC members for 3 years.
What does the CICC do?
They try to make life better for children in care by telling adults in charge what life is like for them.
To do this, they:
· Meet with important people and adults working with children in care. They share their views and other children’s views to help make good changes to the care system.
· Meet with Council leaders and heads of Children's Services from East Sussex County Council. They share their thoughts and often help interview new staff.
· Go to events and meetings in London to learn about the care system in the rest of the country and what the Government is doing for children in care.
· Meet with other children all over the country to talk about ideas and issues.
Some projects the CICC has worked on recently are:
· Making a newsletter with news and stories about their work
· Giving free CitizenCards for 16 to 18-year-olds
· Offering free food hygiene courses to help with CVs
· Giving sexuality and gender training to staff
· Holding sessions to talk to more children in care
· Providing rucksacks full of new items for children coming into care for the first time
· Interviewing new social workers for jobs in East Sussex
· Learning about how to be safe online and becoming digital ambassadors
· Reviewing the language used in the care system
· Teaching at Brighton University for Social Work students