A huge moment for Young Inspectors in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire, who have been celebrated with “A National Voice” award to recognise their outstanding work to improve families’ experiences at supervised contact centres.
Young inspectors are a group of children and young people with social care involvement who are aged 13-25, that visit services for children and families across Peterborough and Cambridgeshire to review how they are working and give their feedback on what they can do to enhance the experience for other young people and families.
The eight Young Inspectors were recognised in the Participation category by “A Coram Voice” - a UK based Children’s Rights organisation who support the work of Children in Care Councils across the country and are dedicated to improving the care system through the voices of care experienced young people.
Eight Young Inspectors assessed how four supervised contact centres could be improved to make them feel more welcoming and inviting for the children and families who use them.
They demonstrated their confidence and compassion for others in their inspection report which was presented to the Corporate Parenting Committees, containing more than 50 recommendations, and much of the Young Inspectors’ feedback has already sprung into action in multiple centres.
Renovation and cleaning of some centres has already started, with artwork created by young people with care experience used to redecorate some spaces. This is an addition to an exciting project with local artists to create a mural wall for one of the supervised contact centres.
Councillor Bryony Goodliffe, Chair of the Cambridgeshire County Council’s Children and Young People Committee said: “We are so proud of the young inspectors for their involvement to bring meaningful change to help improve the experience of children and families at contact centres across the county. They have demonstrated an incredible level of confidence and empathy to deliver their recommendations to better the spaces for the benefit of others A huge congratulations to the young inspectors for winning A National Voice award in the Participation category.”
One Young Inspector said: "It's great to know that our work has made a difference to lots of other children."
