We recognise care leavers’ status as a protected characteristic within Hartlepool Borough Council policies. This approach aims to give care leavers similar protections to those outlined in the Equality Act 2010.
The Equality Act 2010 is a key piece of legislation that protects people from discrimination based on nine protected characteristics:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
The Act ensures fair treatment in areas such as employment and access to services.
Under Section 149, the Act places a duty (known as the Public Sector Equality Duty) on local authorities to:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation of people with protected characteristics
- advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
Currently, care leavers are not legally recognised under the Act. However, Hartlepool Borough Council is committed to honouring this status within our policies and driving change across the organisation.
The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care recommended that care experience should become a protected characteristic under equalities legislation. This is because care-experienced people often face similar discrimination to those with legally protected characteristics.