Welcome to the Capstone Foster Care Group Youth Council.

This document explains everything you need to know about how the Youth Council works, what is expected of its members, and how you can be involved.

Who We Are

The Youth Council is part of the Capstone Group, which includes Capstone Foster Care North, Midlands, South East, and South West, as well as Excel Fostering and FosterCare UK.

The term Capstone Group is used throughout this document to indicate that the Youth Council is affiliated to all Registrations belonging to the Capstone Group; Capstone Foster Care North, Midlands, South East and South West, Excel Fostering and FosterCare UK.  

Purpose 
The Youth Council has been formed at the request of the Capstone Group Board in recognition of the values and ethos of the Group and the underpinning aim of building brighter futures for every young person who is cared for by our foster carers.

The Youth Council gives young people in foster care a voice. We want to actively engage with you and hear your ideas and opinions to help improve our services. You'll get to share your thoughts on things like feedback forms, interview questions, and other projects that affect your life.

It is a forum where young people will be able to provide direction to the Capstone Group in relation to all areas of service development which involve children’s lives. 

Membership 
Membership of the Youth Council is open to:  

• Open to anyone aged 11-18 living with a Capstone Group foster carer.
• If you’re Staying Put with your foster carer, you can join until age 19.
• You can stay a member as long as you meet these age requirements.

Membership is granted indefinitely until such a time as the above criteria no longer applies to the individual and has no restrictions on the number of individuals it is granted to. 

Support 
To support the Youth Council in the undertaking of their work and administration, and to ensure there is a good working relationship between the Youth Council, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO) and the Capstone Group Board wherever appropriate, indefinite (non-voting) membership is granted to some adults, like the Quality Standards Manager and regional Children’s Champions. They don’t vote but are there to support and guide where appropriate i.e., if individual children require specific support.  In addition, where relevant training and development opportunities shall be made available to council members to enhance their skills and knowledge

What We Expect from Members
As a member of the Youth Council, you are expected to:

• Attend and participate in meetings regularly.
• Represent the interests of young people in your area.
• Be genuinely interested in the Youth Council’s work.
• Be committed to, and actively involved in, pursuing the outcomes sought by the Youth Council within its work. 
• Promote equality, diversity, and inclusion in all activities and interactions.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Youth Council will appoint or elect a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and General Committee Members.

The Chair 

The main responsibilities of the Chair:

• Lead the meetings.
• Keeping things on track.
• Act as the main spokesperson when required to represent the Youth Council
• Take action (but not decision-making unless authorised) between meetings when it isn’t possible or practical to hold a meeting.

The Vice Chair 

The main responsibilities of the Vice Chair:

• The Vice-Chair will act as a deputy for the chair, taking on the role when the chair isn’t available.

The Secretary 

The main responsibilities of the Secretary:

• Record discussions and any decisions and with the support of Non-Voting Members, help with communication and correspondence on behalf of the group.

General Committee Members

The main responsibilities of General Committee Members:

• Participate in meetings,
• Share their ideas and opinions
• Work on projects and support the Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary.

Quorum Requirements

For a Youth Council meeting to be quorate (Quorate means having enough members present at a meeting to make official decisions)

• At least 4 young people need to be present for a meeting to happen.
• Two adult supporters will be there, with at least one trained in safeguarding and with an up-to-date DBS check to meet safeguarding requirements.
• If the Chair and Vice Chair are unavailable, but the meeting would otherwise be quorate, an alternative member of the Youth Council can be elected as a substitute for the meeting to go ahead.

How Meetings Work

Agenda items will be requested by the Quality Standards Manager a week before the meeting. 

• The agenda and any papers will be sent out five days before the meeting.
• The Secretary will prepare the meeting minutes and send them to everyone within five days after the meeting.
• Full meeting minutes will be sent out within ten days after the meeting.
• By agreement of the Members, decisions may be required to be made outside of scheduled meetings. Decisions can be made outside of meetings if needed and will be recorded in the next meeting's minutes. 

Meeting Schedule

• The Youth Council will meet every 6 to 8 weeks on Thursday evenings, mostly online, however where possible occasional in-person meetings or outings can be arranged.
• Meeting dates can be changed in advance i.e. if they fall on school holidays.
• Extra meetings can be called for special projects, with at least ten days' notice.

Reporting 

• The Quality Standards Manager will report on our progress and project outcomes to the Senior Management Group (SMG) and the Capstone Group Board.

Terms of Reference Review 

• These Terms of Reference will be reviewed every year.