Channel 4’s Kids has been hailed as an ‘amazing insight’ into the work of the Council and the lives of young people in care.
The series gave a close-up and personal look at six young people as they prepared to leave care in the city.
Viewers met Xorin, who, after being exploited as a young teen, was returning home to Coventry from a children’s home in Wales to rebuild his life with mum Kelly, and 19-year-old Annabelle, who is pregnant and determined to break the cycle of care that led to her being removed from her parents at the age of five.
They saw Bayley as she turned 18 and prepared to leave her children's home for good, and Byron, who was shown as he prepared to strike out on his own away from his foster carers.
The series concluded this week with the stories of Havana, who was seeking information on her birth father, and Kane who was questioning why he went into care.
The series looked at many aspects of the work of Children’s Services in the city, and showed the young people’s families and the social workers and teams who are helping them to prepare for the next stage in their lives.
Cllr Patricia Seaman, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Coventry City Council, said: “The series was amazing. It has really given people an insight into the incredible amount of work being done by Council teams, and also the bravery of the young people themselves as they face and overcome their challenges.
“It was a courageous decision to allow the cameras in to film the work and to give such unprecedented access, but it was the right thing to do.
“There are so many misconceptions around children and young people in care, and hopefully this has helped to dispel many myths and show people what incredible young people we have – and also the dedicated, caring people who are helping them to get the best start possible.
“I am so proud of every single person who took part.”
John Gregg, Director of Children’s Services, added: “We are very proud of our work here in Coventry to put children, young people and their families at the heart of all we do.
“Our teams are helping to pioneer ground-breaking new approaches and helping young people not just while they are in care, but also after they have left and started to build their lives.
“I hope this series will help to drive further changes for children in care and encourage more people into social work, and to act as foster carers.”
The series attracted massive interest on social media at #kids, as well as nationwide media interest.
It was featured on TV shows ‘Steph’s Packed Lunch’ and ‘Loose Women’, as well as national and regional radio and newspapers.
Matt Clayton, Strategic Lead – Looked After Children (Practice), said: “We were really pleased with the way the show has been received, but most importantly, all the young people involved are pleased with how it went and the way they were shown.
“They have said they hope to have inspired other young people in care about what they can achieve, and that would be a brilliant legacy for the show.
“The young people were the ‘stars’ - we just wanted to tell their stories and let people see what incredible, determined young people we have in our city.”
The series was screened just months after Ofsted rated the city’s Children’s Services as ‘good’.
All three episodes are available to watch on catch-up, and you can see more about the series and the Council’s work in caring for children and young people at www.coventry.gov.uk/kids