We have developed our own online interactive tool to capture the voices of the children and young people we serve.
The tool:
• Listens to and captures the views and opinions of those we care for
• Evidences the journey of those we care for and uses this information to improve outcomes for them
• Is more engaging than paper surveys, where the views of young people do not often get tracked effectively from one survey to another, and nothing changes because of their feedback
• Supports positive relationships and attachments with those who support them
• Can be used by children and young people as a tool to track their own progress and next steps
• Was designed by young people for their own use
• Is used to improve the quality of our service
Children and young people from our services designed all elements of the tool, from the way it looks and feels, what they are asked, the colours and the pictures. It is an excellent way of gathering information about their views, which allows the softer outcomes, the ones that are difficult to measure, to be evidenced, measured and acted upon. The tool provides high quality, yet accessible, reports that colleagues can use in a variety of contexts, with a variety of audiences, to support improving outcomes for children, young people, foster families and services. We are able to use survey responses to measure our progress against the pledge we make to children and young people, make changes to improve our practice, or introduce initiatives to improve outcomes for those we serve.
During 2022 we hope to introduce the next version of the tool for the people we care for in our adult services. This will be known simply as My Voice and will be tailored to the needs of those adults who can give us their personal feedback.