Guidance to Ensure The Voice of The Child is Gathered, Heard and Acted Upon

The voice and lived experience of children and young people forms a significant part of the assessments, planning and decision making we do every day. It is therefore vital that professionals establish trusting relationships with children and young people that allow them to feel safe enough to share their views, feelings and what is happening in their lives. There are lots of different ways to gather the voice and lived experience of children and young people; these include but are not limited to conversations, direct work, observations, play and the mind of my own app. Professionals should tailor their approach to direct work with children and young people based on their interests, age and development. 

Everyone who works with children and young people in Cumberland should commit to seeking and recording the voice of the child with every child they work with.

• Referrals;
• Assessments;
• Child In Need, Child Protection and Cared For Care Plans;
• Court statements and care plans;
• Supervision records;
• Fostering & adoption records;
• Residential records;
• Review meeting reports;
• Case note recording of visits;
• Case summary;
• Impact chronology.

The voice of the child or young person and their lived experience should be recorded clearly; using their own words where possible or descriptions of observations that have been made. The child and young person's voice and lived experience can be gathered by: 

• Conversations;
• Direct work using tools, worksheets, play or games;
• Observations;
• The use of the mind of my own app;
• Discussion with people that know the child or young person well such as parents / carers, family members and other professionals. 

Children and young people, where age and development appropriate, should be advised what you are going to do with the information they have shared with you. For example, are you going to speak to a parent / carer about it, are you going to get support for them, are you going to take steps to make sure they are safe etc. 

When meeting with children and young people it is best practice to ensure they understand who you are, your role and why you are there to speak to them. You should ensure that the environment you are in is somewhere that the child or young person will feel safe and comfortable enough to share any worries, their feelings and what is happening is their life. 

 We should always have consent from someone with parental responsibility to speak to children and young people unless there is a section 47 enquiry in place, the children are subject to child protection planning or there is a court order in place such as an Interim Care Order that gives parental responsibility to the Local Authority. Even when there is a section 47 or child protection plan in place; parental consent should be sought and if this is overridden, this should be done so by the Team Manager with a clear rationale provided. There are some guides and leaflets to give to parents and young people to assist with explanations and participation. It can be helpful to give people some written material to take away and consider and then offer another opportunity to talk again later.

See 'Other sources of support' on the Cumberland Safeguarding Children Partnership Website.

The child and young person's voice should be recorded clearly on EHM and LCS. The recording should be in blue and bold print so that it stands out and where possible, should be written in their own words. There should always be an analysis that explores what the child or young person has told us or shown us and what this means in the context of the needs, risks and effectiveness of our planning. Recording should be in line with language that cares whereby jargon and complex language should not be used. Professionals should always remember that the child or young person's record is part of their life story and therefore recording should be something that helps us understand the child's story and so that they can understand their story should they access their records in the future.  

Many professionals  use tools to enable them to seek the views of children and young people or to aid participation in enabling children or young people to draw or write their views more freely than in open conversation.

There are lots of different types of direct work tools and resources available on sharepoint, in the council offices and online that professionals can access to use with children and young people to help gather their voice. We encourage the use of different tools and those that the child or young person is most likely to engage with. Tools can be adapted based on the age, needs and developmental stage of the child or young person. There may be times when a tool isn't necessary, and a conversation can take place instead; this may be more appropriate for teenagers for example.

A wide range of tools are available to encourage us all and help with direct work. Please take care and exercise professional judgement, as they do not fit all children or all circumstances. They are intended as a guide and can be adapted for individual use. There are many more available and in use. Please share what you use yourself among teams and services.

The Munro Review of Child Protection: Final Report, A child-centered system, 2011

Working Together to Safeguard Children

Learning from Serious Case Reviews