Become an ANV Ambassador for 2023-2024

30 Nov 22

We are looking for a new group of ambassadors for 2023-24 to drive the work of A National Voice by using the results from a national survey which all children in care and care leavers will have had the opportunity to participate in. Ambassadors will start their year with training and skills to prepare for their role and plan their campaign.

If this sounds like an opportunity for you, please complete the application form telling us why you would be a good ambassador. Alternately, you send in a voice recording or video clip answering the same question.

Successful applicants will be asked to attend a short interview to meet the team and talk more about the role.

Apply

What is a A National Voice ambassador?

Key to A National Voice is the ‘A National Voice Ambassadors Group’, which is a core group of young people aged 16-25 recruited annually from across the country, to represent each region and bridge the gap between local and national work. The A National Voice ambassador group meet on a once monthly basis.

We are looking for a new group of ambassadors for 2023-24 to drive the work of A National Voice. Ambassadors will start their year with training and skills to prepare for their role and plan the topics of focus for the year.

If this sounds like an opportunity for you, please complete the application form telling us why you would be a good ambassador. Alternately, you will find an email link at the end of the survey to upload a voice or video recording answering the same question. You can also send in a poster creation answering the same questions.

Successful applicants will be asked to attend a short interview to meet the team and talk more about the role.

How often do ANV meet?

A National Voice meet regularly once a month, in the last year this has been during a Saturday lunch time. Meetings take place virtually over Zoom.

You will be…

  • A care experienced young person living in England aged 16-25
  • Passionate about changing things for care experienced young people
  • Able to commit to being an ambassador and attend the regular once monthly meetings for the year 2023-24
  • Prepared to attend additional evening and weekend sessions when required
  • Motivated, innovative, creative, strategic, and looking to take on a new challenge
  • Willing to be involved in videos for social media during events like National Care leaver week
  • Willing to be a spokesperson for your region
  • Able to network children in care councils and other such groups
  • Willing to get involved – you don’t need to be an expert or to have done anything like this before!

Coram Voice support the development of new typology

As part of the Young People’s Voice, Influence and Power project, the Centre for Youth Impact has developed a typology (a systematic categorisation of the types of something, according to their common characteristics) of youth voice practice.

This is to provide those working with and for young people with a shared, or common, way of describing the different activities that are encompassed under the umbrella of ‘youth voice’, across the UK for young people up to the age of 25.

For many organisations working with young people, youth voice is an umbrella term that captures a range of activities with a range of intended outcomes. These activities will also vary in terms of initiation and leadership, and the accountability and collaboration between adults and young people. The practice covered in this typology is intended to apply to this range of activities. These activities will vary in both the degree of power-sharing with young people, and the quality with which the practice is delivered.

Coram Voice, alongside other organisations, supported the development of the typology by giving feedback through consultation sessions and through contributing case-studies which have been included in the document.

The Centre for Youth Impact anticipate that the typology will predominantly support practitioners who work with young people to describe what they are (and are not) doing to support young people to have their voices heard, as a first step towards evaluating and improving their practice. The types outlined in this typology provide a way of systematically sorting activities, and therefore provide a framework for description, clarification and comparison. There is also an opportunity for the typology to be used by funders, young people and evaluators.

10,000 children and young people in care share views on their wellbeing in largest survey of its kind

07 Nov 22

The views of 10,000 children and young people in care on their wellbeing are published in a new report today (7 October 2022) by Coram Voice and The Rees Centre at University of Oxford. The report summarises responses collected through the largest survey of its kind from children and young people aged 4-18 years between 2016 and 2021, giving unprecedented insight into children in care’s subjective wellbeing.

10,000 Voices reports some encouraging findings, with 83% of children and young people feeling that life is getting better. Compared with the general population of children and young people, a higher proportion reported feeling safe where they live, like school and felt that the adults they live with took an interest in their education.

However, a larger proportion of young people in care (aged 11-18 years) rated themselves as having ‘low life satisfaction’ compared with young people in the general population, and by the teenage years, 1 in 6 reported low overall wellbeing. The report also found that girls had lower wellbeing than boys, and a greater proportion of young people living in residential care or ‘somewhere else’ (mostly supported accommodation) reported lower wellbeing than those living in foster care and kinship foster care.

The report highlights other areas where children and young people in care are faring worse than their peers. A higher proportion (29%) of children in care (aged 8-10 years) reported being afraid to go to school because of bullying compared with children in the general population (17%), whilst 1 in 8 young people (aged 11-18 years) felt that adults had done things to make them feel embarrassed about being in care. In addition, around 6 out of 10 children (aged 8-18 years) wrote that they worried about their feelings or behaviour.

The report finds that most children in care felt included in the decisions that social workers made about their care, at least sometimes. However, around 1 in 7 ‘hardly ever’ or ‘never’ felt included. For the youngest children surveyed (aged 4-7 years), one in five did not know who their social worker was – twice as high as for the older children in care – and nearly half of this age group did not feel that the reasons they were in care had been fully explained.

For all children and young people in care, having good friends and trusting and supportive relationships were important. This included trusting carers and social workers, and, for the oldest age group, having trusted adults, as well as being given opportunities to be trusted. Feeling safe where they lived and settled was also important for children and young people across all age groups.

One child (aged 8-10 years) said: “I would like to get a better relationship with my carer so I feel safer where I live. I would like someone who can understand my thoughts and feelings. I would prefer to live closer to my school, my friends and my family because I feel safer.”

10,000 Voices is the latest report to be published as part of the Bright Spots programme and makes five key recommendations to improve policy and practice based on the findings:

  • Listen to children in care’s views – all local authorities should ensure they have mechanisms for capturing how their children in care feel about their lives in the areas that are important to them
  • Children’s rights and co-production – local authorities should co-produce service improvements with children to address issues they say would make their lives better
  • Make life good – services should have mechanisms to address the areas that children and young people say are important to them
  • Build trust – the care system must put trusting relationships at its heart
  • Recognise difference – professionals should be mindful of the wellbeing concerns of different groups of children in care, especially girls and those in residential care or living ‘somewhere else’. They need to be aware of how identity can impact on wellbeing

Linda Briheim-Crookall, Head of Policy and Practice Development at Coram Voice, said: “We need to shift the focus of children’s social care so that what’s important to children’s wellbeing is at its heart. To do this, those that make decisions, from individual social workers to Government ministers, need to understand how children and young people feel about their lives. Whether measuring the impact of new policy initiatives or planning the care for individual children the focus should be on what children in care say makes their lives good.”

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Photo Gallery from Amplify 2022

28 Oct 22

On 25th October 2022 we held our A National Voice ‘Amplify event’ in Manchester, celebrating the amazing work done by children in care councils and care leaver forums

We took these pictures from the day – please feel free to download and use in your own communications about the event. Thanks to everyone who came along and got involved!

A National Voice ‘Amplify’ Event Celebrates Children in Care Councils

27 Oct 22

On Tuesday (25 October 2022) we held our A National Voice ‘Amplify event’ in Manchester.

The event was attended by almost 100 care experienced children and young people and the day celebrated the amazing work done by Children in Care Councils, held workshops with Ofsted and the Department of Education on things that mattered to children and young people, launched the new ‘Support Our Journey’ mental health campaign and held the A National Voices awards. There was also some musical performances including a rap and a couple of songs!

It was a fantastic day with a great energy and a big thank you to everyone who came along and took part.

Take a look at the full list of A National Voices awards winners below, there is also a compilation of some of the nominations that were shown on the day, all nominations will be shared in full soon.

  • Campaign Award 

North Yorkshire Care Champions (video is via a QR code on their poster)

North Yorkshire Care Champions made a training film about ‘tackling the language of care’. They have used this film in training with professionals including newly qualified social workers and shared it at a Lived Experience Conference organised by the social work teaching partnership. It has provoked and prompted discussions about what needs to change and how to better support children and young people.

Judges comments: Great that the video is used for training. I also like that there are photos of how young people felt during the planning. It’s clear that all ideas have been listened to that were put forward by young people. The video is a really good example of a campaign.

The idea is a great one, the topic is important as it is a national issue and needs to be addressed and talked about. Young people definitely come across as the main focus.

Keep going you’ve really got something.

  • Participation Award 

Young Inspectors (Peterborough and Cambridgeshire)

The Young Inspectors group (ages 13 to 18 years) discussed how supervised contact centres could be improved to be more welcoming for the children and young people who use them. They arranged to visit the supervised contact centres across Peterborough and Cambridgeshire, meeting in advance to talk about the things they would be looking for and how recommendations should be given.

Judges comments: It is a fab idea to make family time more special. Fab they did so many paintings on their own! It’s a really good and thoughtful project and piece of work well done. It is clear they know what participation means, congratulations to the young inspectors.

  • The Voice Award 

YVIC Hull Young Voices Influencing Care. Hull’s Children in care council YP ages 10-16.

 

YVIC, Hull’s Children in Care Council have created an animation film called ‘Dream On’ which talks about the experience of coming into care. They worked together to create the film and supported each other throughout. The group also made a podcast about how changes in social worker effects children and young people. This has been shared through a training resource for all social workers. As a result, Hull City Council have made a commitment to lessen the impact on children and young people when a social worker changes.

Judges comments: The video is really heart-warming and impactful. It is really great that this is shared from the young person’s perspective. The fact the video has been recognised by influential people demonstrates how good and emotive it is.

  • The Community Award 

South London Refugee Association

The South London Refugee Association run a group for care experienced young migrants. The group come together to make sure the voices of young people are listened to. They feel proud to be part of this group which is a safe space and where they want everyone to feel they belong. The group have attended community organised leadership training and been the Houses of Parliament for ‘It’s Our Care’ day.

Judges comments: It’s really nice to hear there is a dedicated group for care experienced migrants. It’s important they have good representation.

The young people clearly advocate for themselves really well, we really love this group, their set-up and the work that they are doing. Particularly because language barriers can be quite difficult so to see the amazing outcomes proves this can be overcome. Really good job.