A National Voice

ANV News Archives Jul 08

LILAC and Care Matters White Paper One Day Seminar Conference

London: 18th and 19th September 07

Manchester: 25th and 26th September 07

A National Voice, in association with the Fostering Network, NLCAS and Shaftesbury Young People is delighted to offer a one day LILAC White Paper conference to examine the recent Care Matters proposals within the context of the LILAC framework. Delegates will participate in introductory workshops based on all of the 7 LILAC standards within the context of the recently published White Paper including training around the new ‘Pledge’ and ‘Children In Care Councils’.

You can download the LILAC report here ( pdf 360kb)

“A National Voice's ‘LILAC White Paper training’, led by young people addresses the needs of young people and pays attention to their views and experiences. I believe the LILAC framework is an excellent way of involving young people in the design, delivery and evaluation of services in the context of the new White Paper, ‘Care Matters: Time for Change’. ”

Rt Hon David Kidney MP

“A National Voice is a wonderful organisation promoting powerful and important messages for us all ”

Lord Laming

The Government's White Paper ‘Time For Change’ was launched on the 21st July. It proposes many new reforms to the Care system requiring “urgent, sustained action” from corporate parents to help improve the outcomes for Looked–After children. Young people in Care need support to overcome the extra challenges that face them and the White Paper reflects this. It offers increased stability both at home and in school, the choice to stay in Foster Care until the age of 18, councils formed for children in Care and financial support while in school and to attend university, amongst others.

“Children and young people in Care and Care Leavers must be listened to if we are serious about improving our care system in the context of Care Matters. These seminars are a great opportunity to listen, to reflect and to learn. I hope you'll come along! ”

David Holmes,
Chief Exec, British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF)

Keynote speakers include:

Maxine Wrigley MBE

FRSA (ex-Careleaver and national coordinator of A National Voice)

David Holmes

Chief Executive, British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF)

Hilton Dawson

Chief Executive Shaftesbury Young People (ex-MP)

Benni Jo Tyler

Shaftesbury/A National Voice (ex–Careleaver)

These speakers all took part in the Care Matters Green Paper working groups. Other speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.

“The LILAC standards are the most important, the most challenging and the best because they come direct from the experiences of young people from Care themselves. ”

Hilton Dawson,
Chief Executive Shaftesbury Young People (ex–MP)

To find out more and to book your place please get in touch

Can you Spare Five Minutes to Carry out our Public Poll?

We are conducting a survey with a difference. We usually just survey children and young people in and from Care, but this time we would like to engage the general public. The aim of this poll is to collect public views about children in Care so as to inform our policies and those of other organisations.

Our ‘Public Attitudes To Care’ poll can be completed online here

or you can download a printable version ( pdf 152kb)

If you think you can help us by becoming a volunteer to survey your friends and family, please get in touch to let us know that you are interested.

If you would like a paper version of this poll posting/faxing or emailing to you please get in touch (you can post back to our Freepost address!)

Brothers and Sisters

We recently produced a report based on what children and young people from care have told us about their experiences of ‘contact with their siblings’. This report is based on a questionnaire we carried out about both ‘birth’ and ‘foster’ sibling contact.

Here are some key findings:

• 83% of responders who do not live with their birth siblings would like to see more of them. 38% of responders who do not live with their foster siblings would like to see more of them.
• 75% of responders with birth siblings have some problems with seeing them compared to 37% who have problems seeing foster siblings.
• Social workers have been the most helpful and supportive to those trying to maintain contact with birth siblings while those trying to keep in touch with foster siblings believe that foster parents have been the most helpful.
• 75% of responders with birth siblings would like to see them more frequently. 37% of responders with foster siblings would like to see them more frequently.

Download a copy of the Brothers and Sisters report ( pdf 399kb)

Food for Thought

We have produced an updated version of our education and learning report ‘Please Sir! Can I Have Some More?’.

This 40 page report has been updated with feedback about education collected as part of the green paper consultation. Over 200 children and young people told us what were the main barriers to getting a good education for people in or leaving Care. They tell us what types of support has helped them and make suggestions about what support is needed from carers, social workers and schools to improve educational outcomes.

A further 218 told us their ideas about government proposals to create better financial support, creating a virtual head teacher and what training and support is needed to help more children and young people from care do well at school, college or university

Get educated »download the report and tuck in! ( pdf 618kb)

Green Paper Response

We received an amazing response to our survey on the government's ‘Care Matters’ Green Paper, with over 200 young people participating. We'd like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who took part and also to those workers and organisations that helped us in gathering this valuable information.

The importance of this green paper cannot be underestimated and we are delighted to have had such a great response to form the basis of our report and recommendations.

For a copy of ‘Care Matters: ANV Response’ please get in touch with us.

ANV Board update our Mission

We have now revisited our mission statement to ensure our priorities:

1. Coordinate a national network of Children and young people to come together to freely voice their views.
2. Young people participating in decision-making at ANV and across the care system.
3. Increasing children and young people's skills, knowledge and experience.
4. Promote good practice to decision makers.
5. Create opportunities for CYP to organise themselves and consult their peers.
6. Promote awareness and increase understanding of core issues to policy makers and the general public.