Voice of the Child

Our vision is that in Barnet all children, young people and families will have the opportunity to participate in decisions which affect their lives. We envisage that they will have transparent access to the services that make decisions affecting their lives and have the opportunity to review these services and shape how these services are planned and delivered. Our vision goes further and expects that all staff and practitioners take in to account the voice of the child as a first thought, rather than an afterthought, and that the journey of the child is thoroughly and accurately mapped out at all stages

When we refer to 'participation' we mean talking to, listening to and hearing from children and young people whilst encouraging and supporting them to contribute, participate in discussions and have their voices heard. We then have to ensure that we act on the views and ideas presented and at the same time be open, honest and realistic with children and young people on the levels of involvement that they can have.

There is sometimes confusion about what we mean when we talk about participation and it is often confused with consultation. Consultation is the process by which children and young people are asked their opinions. This includes asking their opinions on various suggested options or retrospective satisfaction surveys and evaluation exercises. Consultation may support participation, but it does not replace it.

Participation is the process by which individuals can proactively influence decision making and bring about change. This may mean individuals influencing decisions about their own lives, for example children who are supported by social care or children becoming heavily involved in planning their educational pathways. Or, it could mean young people influence the development and implementation of service delivery. There are a number of examples of participation – the following is not exhaustive;

• Recruiting and selecting staff;
• Deciding how money should be spent;
• Planning, running and evaluating events;
• Being on forums or councils that lead to change;
• Making positive changes within the community;
• Involvement in commissioning services (identifying needs, drawing up service specifications, assessing tenders, inspecting services).

Participation and the championing of the rights of children and young people is enshrined in legislation and policy. The following are key drivers;

• Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC);
• Children and Families Bill 2013;
• Review of the Office of the Children's Commissioner (England) 2014 – to include giving the commissioner a statutory remit to promote and protect children's rights;
• Children Act 2004 section 7 (1);
• Adoption and Children Act 2002;
• Health and Social Care Act 2001;
• National Standards for Children's Advocacy – Department of Health 2002;
• Education and Inspection Act 2006 section 6 (9) (a) and (b).

Local authorities must take steps to ascertain the views of young people and to take them in to account in making decisions about services and activities for them, in line with Article 12 on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). They should establish and maintain structured arrangements for doing so. To inform continuous improvement these arrangements should enable young people to inspect, audit and report on, at least annually, the quality and accessibility of provision. As appropriate they should also actively be involved in service design, delivery and governance. Young people should receive the support they need to participate, ensuring representation of the full diversity of local young people and those who may not otherwise have a voice.

Within Barnet there are a number of Youth Voice Forums for children and young people to engage with and they are outlined below.

Our Youth Voice Forums are split between ‘Universal’ forums (open to all, aged 11-18 years, or up to 25 if receiving support from the council) and ‘Targeted’ forums (open to young people who need to meet certain criteria – such as having care experience).

A representative panel of young people aged 11 - 24 years acting as a voice for the wider youth community of Barnet. They are supported by Children's Services and have specific targets to achieve related to the Children and Young People's Plan 2019 – 2022.

Its purpose is to give young people a ‘voice’ that is listened to by decision makers and involve them in decisions about the issues and services that affect young people in the borough. The Youth Board focuses on themes agreed by the young people and guest speakers such as decision makers are invited to hear their opinion on policies and services and their views on how they can work best for young people. It is a chance to get involved in council or community projects to be planned and co-produced with members.

As a BYB member young people are:

• A representative voice;
• Providing advice and guidance to the London Borough of Barnet from the perspective of a young person;
• Representing their school and community, sharing views that matter to young people.

Run by young people for young people, UK Youth Parliament is a national forum which provides opportunities for 11-18-year olds from across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to use their voice in creative ways to bring about social change.

• Supported by government and opposition parties, the UKYP runs campaigns to improve the lives of young people;
• We have 2 Members of the Youth Parliament (MYPs) and 2 Deputy MYPs who are elected for a two-year term of office;
• MYPs across the UK work to give young people a voice- listening to marginalised groups, organising events, making films, meeting MPs, lobbying for change, organising campaigns and appearing in the media, all to amplify the views of their peers;
• Represent the young people of Barnet at a regional and national and sometimes international event- including the House of Commons Debate;
• Work on your very own project that is important to Barnet’s young people. Engage with Barnet Youth Board representatives;
• Work with young people in the borough, attend local festivals and events, engage with and engage with local decision makers on a regional basis.

Click here for more information about UK Youth Parliament.

The vision for #BOP is to ensure that it is at the heart of Family Services informing and improving all that we do whilst providing all Children in Care and Care Leavers the opportunity to have their say and get involved with decision making that affects them.

Our Children in Care Council delivers a broad offer to Children in Care and Care Leavers which we refer to as the ‘#BOP Offer’ -

• Barnet on Point (#BOP) – Children in Care and Care Leavers aged 12-18 years are given the opportunity to voice their opinions on the services they receive. They are able to meet senior officials responsible for their care, socialise with their peers and participate in fun activities;
• Satellite #BOP – At Satellite #BOP Children and Young People in Care aged 12 to 18 years that are based outside the borough have an opportunity to voice their opinions on the services they receive. They are able to voice their opinions on improvements we can make for Children and Young People placed outside the borough, socialise with their peers and participate in fun activities;
• Junior #BOP – Children and Young People in Care aged 8 to 11 years have the opportunity to interact with their peers, participate in various fun activities and having the opportunity to voice their opinion on the service.

Youth Assembly is delivered in partnership with Governance and it provides an opportunity for young people to debate local issues that are important to them. Youth Assembly stands as a committee ran by young people who are elected chair within their forum. The committee invite guest speakers, who have attended Youth Board previously, to update on the progress of their service and how the young people’s views have been acted upon and what has been the outcome of their involvement. The committee encourage young people to debate key issues and then voted upon and motions carried forward are then taken to the Children, Education, and Safeguarding Committee by young people for Elected Members to discuss and agree actions. As a Youth Assembly member young people can:

• Make their voice heard within the council’s decision-making process;
• Improves debating and public speaking skills whilst sitting in the same seats that the elected Councillors do at Hendon Town Hall;
• Provides young people with the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of influential guest speakers.

Our SEND Youth Voice Forum is delivered in partnership with Family Services and Cambridge Education and seeks to provide children and young people aged 11 upwards with SEND an opportunity to shape service development, the ‘Local Offer’ and co-produce with services. It also provides a great opportunity for young members to provide some peer to peer support, spend time on one another’s company.

The Youth Voice Offer extends to a wide range of broader engagement activity that seeks to provide opportunities for children and young people’s voices to be heard.

Useful websites for good sources of information on supporting young people are:

• British Youth Council website;
• UK Youth Parliament website;
• Barnet on Point (BOP).