Our Voices writing competition 2020 has launched a new category, focusing on your experiences during lockdown.
Having already shortlisted for Voices 2020, we felt that these exceptional times should also be heighted in their own category,. Therefore, we want to hear from you about your experiences during lockdown.
Here is Peter Capaldi to explain more.
This is a competition for children in young people in care or a care leavers between the ages of 4 and 25. We want you to submit a poem, story, rap or song lyrics under 500 words about your experience of Covid-19 lockdown and you could be in with the change of winning some brilliant prizes!
Enter by sending your piece to voices@coramvoice.org.uk with your name, age and contact information by Friday 3 July 2020.
Details of this year’s ceremony will be with you soon, so keep an eye out.
Coram Voice supports the campaign to Scrap Statutory Instrument 445, otherwise known as ‘The Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020’.
On 24 April 2020 without notice, consultation or Parliamentary debate, 65 safeguards for children in care were removed or changed. As an organisation, Coram Voice stated concern for the amendment and has now joined Article 39 and other child care organisation in a campaign called ‘Scrap S.I. 445’.
The campaign calls for:
The withdrawal of Statutory Instrument 445.
Any proposed changes to the law affecting children genuinely connected to COVID-19 to be transparent about the reasons why and subject to open consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. We understand that timescales for these democratic processes may have to be tighter than usual during the current health crisis.
Leader of the opposition, Keir Starmer MP, has tabled a motion to annul Statutory Instrument 445. If enough MPs add their name, it could be scrapped altogether.
We are calling on people to please ask their MP to add their name to the campaign and help annul Statutory Instrument 445.
Concerns Covid-19 regulations erode children’s rights
28 Apr 20
Coram Voice is expressing concerns over the new legislation that came into effect last Friday (24 April 2020), that relaxes the statutory rights and safeguards in council’s social care duties for children and young people in and around the care system during COVID-19.
Removing basic protection for children through a change which allows social workers who are not able to meet the six-weekly time-scales to visit “as soon as is reasonably practicable”.
Relaxing the law to such an extent that councils are not even required to make a telephone call to a child in care once every six weeks.
A substantial dilution of child protection through the six-monthly reviews of children in care move to a “where reasonably practicable” time-frame.
Twice-yearly Ofsted inspections of children’s homes no longer required.
Managing Director of Coram Voice Brigid Robinson said of the changes: “We are concerned to see these changes being brought in by the Government.
Although we understand that Local Authorities and public services are currently under pressure, these changes erode the rights of children at a time of most need. We believe that this amendment, brought in without consultation, has removed key safeguarding and legal protections for children in and around the care system.
We see this as a dangerous move at a time when children and young people need more, not less, support and safeguards.”
Coram Voice back technology support for young people in lockdown
20 Apr 20
Coram Voice welcomes the Governments decision, announced yesterday (19 April 2020), to offer technological support for disadvantaged young people during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The move will see disadvantaged children across England, care leavers, children with social worker support and year 10 pupils, who sit GCSEs next year, receive free laptops and tablets that will allow them to study online while schools are closed.
The Government will also provide 4G routers for access to the internet – where those families do not already have mobile or broadband internet. The country’s major telecommunications providers will also make it easier for families to access selected educational resources by temporarily exempting these sites from data charges.
Brigid Robinson, Managing Director of Coram Voice, says of the initiative: “We welcome this support for all young people from the Government.
“We are particularly pleased to see care leaver’s needs during lockdown being addressed. We recently released a report highlighting that many care leavers are not being supported by their local authorities to get laptops or internet access when studying. The need for this support is even greater during the current crisis. We therefore feel that making laptops, data and the internet available and accessible for care leavers is a positive.”
The Government will also launch “The Oak National Academy”, which will provide 180 video lessons each week, across a broad range of subjects, for every year group from Reception through to Year 10.
A National Voice launches online community
02 Apr 20
A National Voice, the ‘National Children in Care Council’ will launch an online community through social media on Wednesday 8 March 2020, for care experienced children and young people.
Having joined Coram Voice in 2017, A National Voice aims to improve the care system through the voices of care experienced young people, supporting them to push for change at local and national level. During this unprecedented time of COVID-19, it is more important than ever that young care experienced voices are heard and we continue to interact. We have therefore decided to relaunch A National Voice virtually on @CoramVoice, and we are looking forward to holding discussions.
As part of the campaign we will hold regular live twitter conversations under the #ANationalVoice hashtag with both young people and the professionals that work with them.
We will be talking about the things that are important to you and encouraging debate around people’s experiences with the care system, changes they would like to see and ways Coram Voice can better support them. We will also be providing links to useful resources and sharing events, activities and opportunities happening with children in care and care leavers at a local and national level.
Future plans include using the platform to let young people know about events and activities we are holding, including an ‘art club’ for children in care and care leavers to submit their art. This will have a weekly theme and be showcased each week on Instagram. There will also be a number of virtual events for young people to link with others in a safe, online space carefully led and moderated by our participation team.
We also want to know what you want to talk about, so let us know what you are interested in and conversations you want to have.
If you are or know any children in care or care leavers who want to get involved in conversations around what’s important to them, head over to Twitter to find out when our next A National Voice conversation will be taking place.
