Coram Voice welcomes Department for Education withdrawal of the ‘myth busting’ guide
25 Mar 19
Coram Voice was delighted to hear that the Department for Education has withdrawn its inaccurate ‘myth busting’ guide. The withdrawal of the guide comes after our colleagues at children’s rights charity Article 39 launched an application for judicial review. The Department for Education has also committed to consult with relevant organisation and young people before publishing similar guides in the future. The Department has also advised local authorities that it has withdrawn the guide and the guidance it contained.
This legal action followed from the government’s refusal to withdraw or amend the guide after 50 organisations, including Coram Voice, highlighted the issues with the guide in September 2018 in a letter to Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families, Minister Nadhim Zahawi in September 2018.
The ‘myth busting’ guide undermined key protections given to vulnerable children and young people including suggesting that local authorities did not have to offer a return home interview to children who had run away; did not have to appoint separate social workers to foster carers and children in long term placements, and could reduce the number of visits social workers needed to make to children in foster care.
Whilst we welcome the government’s decision to withdraw the guide it is disappointing that this only came after legal action was initiated and after over 6 months period which saw important protections for vulnerable children and young people being undermined by the guide. However we hope that the commitment from the Department for Education to follow a proper consultation process in the future will make sure that future guidance will be accurate and promote improved support to young people in care.
We’re delighted to announce that for the third year in a row, actor Peter Capaldi will be hosting the awards ceremony for our annual Voices writing competition (now in its fourth year) on 10 April in London.
Capaldi who is best known for playing the last incarnation of ‘The Doctor’ on the long-running BBC series Doctor Who, will once again join us as we celebrate the creative talents of children in care and young care leavers from across the country.
Voices 2019 closed last month for entries and the competition received an incredible response with 250 submissions on the theme of ‘growing up’. All entrants showed flair and creativity by sharing their experiences of growing up in care through imaginative raps, poems, short stories and other writings.
24 entries have been shortlisted and winners will be decided by this year’s fantastic line-up of expert judges including BBC reporter Ashley John-Baptiste, children’s book author Jarvis, and rapper Ric Flo among many other brilliant authors, journalists, and poets. All those who have been shortlisted will attend the awards ceremony where the winners will be announced.
A big thank you and well done to all the young people who entered this year, they should be extremely proud!
For more information about the competition, please visit our Voices 2019 section and sign up to our newsletter for competition updates.
Coram Voice renews call for the immediate withdrawal of the Department for Education’s ‘myth busting’ guide
22 Feb 19
Coram Voice supports the ongoing efforts of our colleagues at Article 39 to have the Department for Education’s ‘myth busting’ guide withdrawn.
The guide published on the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme microsite undermines the protections given to vulnerable children and young people in a number of ways. These include suggesting that local authorities do not have to offer a return home interview to children who have run away, do not have to appoint separate social workers to foster carers and children in long term placements, and reducing the number of visits social workers need to make to children in foster care.
In September 2018 Coram Voice joined with 49 other organisations in writing to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families, Minister Nadhim Zahawi requesting that parts of the document be removed as they incorrectly described the statutory framework for England’s care system and risked creating confusion and negatively impacting on the support offered to vulnerable children and young people.
Since then we have supported Article 39’s continuing efforts to have the guidance withdrawn or amended. However to date this erroneous guidance still appears on Department for Education’s website with the Ministers’ position being that the ‘myth busting’ guide does not undermine existing legislation and statutory guidance.
Article 39 have now launched legal action to secure the withdrawal of ‘myth busting’ guide by seeking judicial review at the High Court. Coram Voice hopes that this step will lead to the immediate withdrawal of guidance that undermines important protections for vulnerable children and young people.
Voices 2019, Coram Voice’s annual writing competition for children in care and young care leavers closes in 5 days, but there’s still time to submit your entry before 10 February!
Looking for some writing inspiration? We’ve asked some of our fantastic Voices 2019 judges to provide some writing hints and tips that can help you carve out the perfect story. Read on to become a creative writing pro…
What are your best writing tips?
Ric Flo: “Your potential is limitless”
“Don’t just write when you’re inspired…the more you write, the stronger you’re writing muscles will become.” Ric thinks that the best thing to do is to treat writing as an exercise, so why not practise writing three short poems on the same topic, and see what style works for you. Ric believes, ‘your potential is limitless’, so keep flexing your writing muscles and you will be producing amazing pieces in no time.
Kiran Millwood Hargrave: “Think about what sort of ‘feel’ you want your story to have”
“Think about where the ‘camera’ is when writing. Are you inside your character’s head? On their shoulder? Watching from above? How does this impact how they see the world, and therefore the story?” Great storytelling is all about how we see the world through the character’s eyes, so make it clear in your mind what kind of a storyteller you want to be. As Kiran says, ‘think about what sort of ‘feel’ you want your story to have – do you want us dropped into the centre of the action, or do you want to set the scene?
Alice Broadway: “Write from the heart”
“Writing is meant to be enjoyable – write something you like, not what you think other people want to read. You’ll have more fun and the work you produce will show it!” Your voice is the most important one readers want to hear, so make sure you are writing creatively for you and not with other people’s opinions in mind. Alice says, “know that what you have to say matters – your experiences and thoughts are unique to you. Write from the heart.”
Jarvis: “Change up the pace”
“Think about rhythm and pace. Does your story start slow and build pace?” Make sure your story grips readers and keeps them hooked. “If your story feels flat and one paced maybe you could change up the pace.” Read through your story again and see if you think it’s moving at the right speed, or whether it needs to speed up (or slow down!)
Watch Jarvis’ tips to help you get started on your entry!
How do you deal with writer’s block?
Ric Flo: “Just be honest”
“Writer’s block can often happen when you put pressure onto yourself to be ’the best’”, says Ric. “It’s good to be your best… But I often find its better to just be honest.” Write honestly about how you feel and be confident! Never underestimate your writing skills, you might be surprised what happens when you put pen to paper.
Jarvis: Don’t put pressure on yourself.
“Inspiration will hit at some point and if you’re there to catch it and run with it then you’ll be fine.” Don’t panic about not having any ideas, or try force an idea you’re not sure about. The best ideas come to you when you least expect it, so take Jarvis’ advice and “don’t put pressure on yourself”.
Kiran Millwood Hargrave: “The key to good writing is re-writing”
“I don’t get ‘writer’s block’ exactly, but I do sometimes let the voices of doubt in my head speak too loud, telling me what I’m writing isn’t good enough.” Don’t doubt your creative ability, and remember that no one gets it right first time. Kiran says that “the key to good writing is re-writing”, so keep trying different things until you find something that works.
Alice Broadway: “Reading inspires your creativity”
“Read! Read things you really like and if you’re not sure what you really like, ask a librarian for ideas – I found my favourite author because a librarian helped me out – reading inspires your creativity.” Why not visit your local library and get stuck into a new book? It might ignite your imagination!
You still have time to submit your entry into Voices 2019! Entries close on 10 February, and children in care and care leavers are invited to write up to 500 words on the theme of ‘Growing Up’. By entering into Voices 2019, you could be in with a chance of winning up to £100 in Love2Shop vouchers, books, and the chance to attend our amazing awards ceremony in London. Find out more here: https://coramvoice.org.uk/young-peoples-zone/how-enter-voices-2019
John Kemmis – a children’s rights champion
14 Dec 18
John Kemmis – a children’s rights champion
It is with great sadness that Coram Voice mourns the news that John Kemmis, our friend, colleague, and former Chief Executive died on Tuesday.
We have lost a children’s rights champion who throughout his life worked unceasingly to improve the lives of children and young people. Following a successful career in social work John worked with Voice for the Child in Care, now Coram Voice, for over 15 years, 11 of which were as our Chief Executive (from 2000 to 2011).
John created a caring and supportive ethos within the Voice team. He was a much loved leader, colleague and friend. John was an inspiration to all of us who worked with him.
Under John’s capable leadership Voice became the leading charity for children and young people in the care system. During his time with Voice his achievements included fostering the creation of the National Standards for the Provision of Children’s Advocacy, launching the Start with the Child Stay with the Child blueprint for a child-centred approach to children and young people in care, developing and delivering the model for advocacy in Young Offender Institutions and Secure Training Centres, creating our specialist advocacy projects, and greatly increasing the numbers of children and young people we supported.
Although John retired as our Chief Executive in 2011 he continued to vigorously campaign on behalf of children and young people. Most recently he conceived and drove forward the national campaign for strengthening children’s independent advocacy.
John dedicated his life to helping children and young people take control of their lives and fulfil their potential. He was tireless campaigner for a better care system. With our memories of John as our inspiration all of us at Coram Voice will redouble our efforts to continue this vital work.
