Warwickshire County Council's commitment to becoming the best Child Friendly County continues to flourish through the ongoing success of the Voice, Influence and Change Programme.
An update on the programme's progress was presented to the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee today, Tuesday, 18th June, highlighting its positive impact across all areas of Children and Families services.
Over the past 10 years, the programme has established a proven track record of success, initially focusing on children in care and care-experienced young people. This success has been further extended over the last 18 months to include the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) community, the Youth Justice Service, the Warwickshire Youth Council, and most recently, parental participation.
Young people have been instrumental in recruiting senior roles for people working with young people, participating on the panels for the recruitment process. Additionally, they sit on strategic boards and panels, provide feedback on new pilot schemes, and run youth events where young people can come together to share their ideas, speak their minds, and discuss the actions needed to improve services for young people across Warwickshire.
The council also maintains a strong presence at key regional and national initiatives and events. This proactive engagement allows children, young people, and families in Warwickshire to influence critical policies and strategies beyond the county's borders.
Cllr Kam Kaur, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Education, stated:
"The Voice, Influence and Change programme is a cornerstone of our Child Friendly agenda. Empowering children, young people, and their families to have their voices heard at all levels – individual, family, service, and strategic – ensures their needs and perspectives are central to all the decisions that affect them.
“Young people are the future, and we all have a role in making this county the most child friendly it can be. By working together and giving young people a voice, we know can achieve so much more.”
During the meeting young people from the groups supported also expressed their views on the impact the programme has had over the last 12 months:
"The group gives us an opportunity to talk to each other about changes made and changes we want to make with things that need to be improved."
"Young people have the experience, we know what works best and can help to make the changes needed."
"Small things make a big difference. We need to feel that you care. A video has been created by IMPACT, the SEND youth forum to reinforce this message. The video can be viewed here: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/wrongsize"
"We want to work with young people to help make changes to the things that matter to them."
"It’s important that our voices are heard."
For more information on Child Friendly Warwickshire visit: https://www.childfriendlywarwickshire.co.uk/