Keeping Myself Safe

“Speak to me, don’t tell me”.

All children and young people deserve support from people who listen to and take full account of their views. “Speak to me, don’t tell me” is a quote from one of the young people who helped Action for Children – Gweithredu dros Blant develop their latest resource for staff working with young people in residential care, Keeping Myself Safe.

Wales has a strong commitment of participation with children and young people in Wales,

supported in no small part by the ground breaking legal obligations in the Children and Families (Wales) Measure. More recently the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act has cemented the importance of service users views in delivering social care.  There is shared recognition that children and young people need to be involved in decisions that directly involve them, and that to achieve lasting positive change policy makers and practitioners need to listen to their views and respond appropriately.

Many who work with children and young people will recognise that some groups can struggle more than others to make themselves heard, particularly children in care.  We know all too well that children and young people who spend time within the care system are more likely to have poor outcomes in later life. They are disproportionately more likely to misuse substances, be unemployed, or be homeless.

We also know that when the care system works well children and young people can thrive.

This means being given the chance to grow and develop in a safe environment which they consider home, and to make the move to independent living when they are ready and equipped to do so. The commitment to enabling young people in foster care to remain with their former carers beyond 18, via the When I am Ready scheme and the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014,  is just one example amongst many which illustrates our collective ambition to make sure young people in care in Wales are able to reach their potential.

Taking time to ask young people and to listen to how they think the care system should and could work better is the best chance we have at getting it right. Last year we asked young people in our residential services in Wales and Scotland to explain what skills and qualities practitioners should have to effectively support young people in care, and help them manage risk in their own lives. We used this evidence to develop a toolkit for practitioners working in residential services for young people, Keeping Myself Safe.

Young people told us about the importance of building trust and acceptance, developing their own feelings of self-worth and providing a stable and consistent relationship so that young people know what to expect. Critically, young people told us that by involving them in decision making and problem solving staff are more likely to support young people to take ownership of their lives and gain a greater sense of self-belief. You can hear from them in their own words in the Keeping Myself Safe report.

The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 is one part of ongoing social care reform, and there is an enormous amount of work underway in Wales to make the practical changes necessary to achieve these ambitious changes. It is essential that collectively we continue to learn from children and young people about works well and make sure that they are meaningfully at the heart of these changes. This means supporting them to participate in the conversation on what their care should look like, learning from their experiences and enabling them to shape the support they receive as respected partners.

For more information please contact Rhea Stevens at [email protected]

Photo by Andy Bulmer for Action for Children © 2014

Rhea Stevens is the Campaigns and Public Affairs Officer at Action for Children