“You truly feel respected as an individual, and not a statistic”: How we work with children and young people

The voices and lived experiences of children and young people are, and have always been, at the heart of our work. 

But right now, children and young people don’t feel listened to or understood by the people who run the country and just 10% of teenagers believe they have the power to influence the issues they care about.   

Children and young people deserve better than this. They have a universal right to be heard, and to be taken seriously in decision-making about their lives. We know we can do better, and we’re committed to driving positive change to change childhoods and change lives.  

The children and young people we work with tell us they’re ambitious for their futures and we need to be ambitious for them too. Launched in 2024, our three-year strategy focuses on the areas where we can make the biggest impact so that all children and young people can be safer, happier, healthier and more hopeful.  
 
That means we’re committed to: 

• Listening and responding to their voices and experiences in all our work 

• Speaking out alongside them on issues they care about 

• Creating opportunities for them to shape the future 

Children and young people work with us at both a national level to engage decision makers and at a local level to improve services across the UK. The creation of our strategy and brand was shaped by 92 children and young people across the UK, which included designing the letters in the new Barnardo’s logo! 

No matter how children and young people get involved in our work, our approach always makes sure their participation is safe, ethical, inclusive and meaningful.  

Corrine's experience

Corrine (she/her) shares her experience as part of our B-Amplified Network, as well as being a member of our Youth Advisory group in partnership with Co-op. 

“Young people truly are at the heart of Barnardo’s. They have made me feel extremely valued as a young person, ensuring my voice, views and vision gets listened to, then acted upon.  

“I have participated in a number of activities, including CEO and Trustee recruitment, developing new training opportunities, attending events at parliament, rebranding the charity, designing new services as part of the Co-op and Barnardo’s partnership – and this is only a short list!  

“The work I’m doing with Barnardo’s is important to me. The country is in the worst state it has been in for years. The poverty line is just getting bigger and bigger. Without intervention from charities like Barnardo’s, it’s just going to get worse.  

“I see first-hand the impact the cost of living has had on young people, but through the work Barnardo’s do, we are hopeful to provide support to the most in need within our communities.  

“When working with Barnardo’s services, you truly feel respected as an individual, and not a statistic.” 

Raaghav's experience

Raaghav (he/him) shares his hope and ambition to shape and influence healthcare policy, practice and systems through the NHS England Youth Forum. The Forum offers young people a space to share feedback, thoughts and ideas on the changes they want to see within NHS England and wider health services. 

“I think that the NHS Youth Forum will play an essential role in influencing the healthcare sector in the UK. By bringing young people together, the Forum creates a diverse and inclusive atmosphere promoting the sharing of so many different ideas.  

“For example, my subgroup, which focuses on new hospitals, will directly shape the environment for future healthcare workers, such as aspiring doctors like me, to change it for the better.  

“Not only are we working together to improve healthcare policy, practice and systems, but we are also developing as young people. The Forum encourages discussion and debate on relevant healthcare issues, by bringing together young people to a shared space.  

“My hope is that groups such as the NHS Youth Forum are given more importance and recognition in the future, as young people provide fresh ideas from a different viewpoint, and I think this will help propose innovative solutions to current challenges that the healthcare system faces.” 

Top tips for working better alongside young people 

Raaghav’s top tips for working better alongside young people: 

1. Make sure respect is the foundation of all interactions, whatever their age. It allows people to communicate more effectively as everybody feels included and comfortable in the conversation. 

2. Promote good teamwork in a group of young people, where everybody recognises their strengths and uses those to the team’s advantage. This makes group work so much easier, and everybody does what they like best. 

3. Use active listening so people feel heard in a conversation. It also allows everybody, with different lived experiences, to feel involved and makes sure that everyone is paying attention. 

What we want to see

We believe that children and young people should have opportunities to have their voices heard and be taken seriously in decisions that affect them. And they’ve told us loud and clear: it’s the people running the country who they want to listen and respond to them. 

We call on the government to bring children to the table, putting their voices and experiences at the centre of decision-making, and we stand alongside our coalition partners ready to do whatever we can to support them to be heard, understood, and valued.