Children and Young People’s Lived Experience Voices

The Children and Young People’s Voices team enable young people to influence positive change in domestic abuse services supporting families and young people.

What and who can young people influence?

Young people can talk about services or organisations that have been involved with them about their experiences of these services. Below are examples of topics they can feedback on:
– Places or people that made them feel safe
– How workers spoke and supported them – good or bad
– Support they needed but didn’t get
– How is life for the young person now – good or bad.
– Anything else the young person wants to highlight- this is their story.
All information shared is anonymous. The positive changes and/or information learned as a result of the information shared is given back to the young person so they really feel part of making things better for other young people.

Who are the key decision makers you can talk to?

Why do young people get involved?

Young people can make a real difference for future victim-survivors of domestic abuse by sharing their experiences. Young people say they find this project empowering. It is the first time they have been asked for their opinion and they feel they are helping other young people experiencing domestic abuse.

How does the project engage with young people?

The project team work with trusted services and/or adults that young person is already engaged with. We are happy to meet with the young person and trusted adult to explain how the project works. The team can deliver this in a group setting or 1-1.
Every young person involved decides how their information is gathered and shared, this could be a story, a poem, a painting or a drawing. Alternatively, you can tell your story to your trusted adult, and they will email us. The young people are in control and there is no timeframe.
For more information contact Nicola Marlow on [email protected].