The Voices in Participation Council (VIP)

The Voices in Participation Council was created as a forum in July 2009 for young people in care aged from 11 to 25. They group meet at Café Laare (Youth Café) every month to discuss their experiences of the care system. Members include young people living in the care of agencies St Christopher's, the Children's Centre and Fostering First. Social Services has encouraged those in its care to express their views and is supporting the Voices in Participation programme to provide opportunities to do so.

There is also a VIP Club aimed at younger children in care aged 6 to 10. The club is designed around having fun and having a say about experiences of the care system. Sessions so far have been about enjoying and achieving, being healthy, enjoying life and achieving, making a positive contribution and learning to prosper.

Recently the VIP Council decided to present their first big project to social workers, managers and politicians in the Department of Social Care held in the Legislative Building. Their project included a 10% sample of children and young people in care (including residential care and foster care) being asked their views about their relationship with their social worker, things that they valued and things that they wanted their social worker to do more of. The information gathered in their surveys was collated into an 8 page booklet which included artwork children and young people created as part of this project.

Any young person in care can be on the VIP Council or anyone up to the age of 25 who was in the care of the IOM government.

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