Why?
The ANV AMPLIFY awards aim to champion and recognise the work of children in care councils and care leaver forums. They were held in October 2024 (Amplify – Coram Voice) – ‘Barnet On Point’ (BOP) Children in Care Council were nominated for the ‘Digital award’.
What?
Between March and June 2024, BOP created a series of short films directed and produced by six young people aged 14-16 in care. The young people chose what they wanted the films to be about and got the chance to write the scripts, use film-making equipment, contribute to the final edits and even to do a location shoot in High Barnet!
Each video has its own powerful and inspiring narrative. D’s story is about the way her carers and other adults helped her feel safe. S, W and H share the journey they are making settling into the UK and the differences they notice from their home countries. S and T focus on WWW (what works well) and EBIs (even better if) – reversing the school marking system, so that young people are giving adults feedback about how they deliver services.
The six young people were invited to present their films to the Barnet Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Senior Leaders, as well as an Ofsted Inspector. The Committee members and Senior Leaders were hugely impressed by each of the young people and the stories they shared in the videos.
What difference did it make?
BOP members have said that they wants adults to be up-to-date with their views, so that they don’t have to keep repeating themselves. Digital media is a great way to help young people communicate, and these three films are BOP’s first attempt at film making. Whilst the adults were nervous at first, it turned out that BOP members had plenty of experience creating films on social media.
The films enabled young people to share some important messages to a very wide audience. For example, the videos were recently shown to child in care service staff, and a showcase is being held in January 2025 to show them to other young people and their carers.
BOP members have helped to pioneer digital storytelling through co-production, which is now being used in other parts of the participation offer. BOPs new theme for this year is ‘Influence’ – one of the quarters from the Lundy model, and the digital model has played a big part in giving young people more influence. This was recognised by Ofsted Inspectors in Barnet’s recent report, which highlighted that, “Leaders ensure that the voices of children are heard and central to any future policy developments. Co-production is a strength and is embedded, with numerous opportunities for children to present and engage with leaders so that experiences of care and of wider services inform decision-making.”