Was not Heard
Young People have the right to be listened to, and taken seriously.
The Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland Safeguarding Children Partnership Multi-Agency Learning and Development Group helped to develop a short film advocating the right of children to be heard and the duty of those working with them to act.
The film was originally conceived by five groups of young people from around Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Their ideas were then taken and a script was written, again, by a young person. This was then made into a film with the support of Leicester City Participation Service and Badshoes Film and with performances by young actors. The film was funded by NHS England and the Safeguarding Children Partnerships of Leicester and Leicestershire & Rutland.
The virtual premiere took place on the 11th July 2020 to an invited audience.
The film is available to the public via our YouTube Channel.
Was Not Heard Film (with subtitles)
You can further watch our young actors' own views about what being listened to means to them:
Are You Listening?
Funded by Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland's Violence Reduction Network, the film entitled 'Are you listening' aims to raise awareness of the issue of Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE), some of the signs that could indicate a child is in danger and where you can go for help and support. It is important we all play an active role in tackling this issue.
For further information on the film, and to view it, please follow this link to the Leicestershire Police webpage, which includes signs to look out for.
National Voice of the Child (VoC) Resources
Acknowledgement: The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Voluntary & Community Sector have kindly put together these resources for all to use.
Learning from Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews repeatedly highlights to us all the absolute importance of listening to 'The Voice of the Child'. The Voice of the Child also includes babies who are pre-verbal and children with disabilities who may communicate in more varied ways. It is important to ensure that we listen to children and young people, take time to observe babies/children and try our utmost to understand all children's lived experiences of their daily life.
Below are links to some useful video clips:
How will you hear me? - Youth Services (Leicester City Council)
Neglect - Michelle's Story - produced by Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster Safeguarding Children Partnerships
Adverse Childhood Experiences - NHS Health Scotland
'Was Not Brought' Video
This animation is a powerful reminder that children do not take themselves to appointments; they have to be taken by parents or carers. The animation therefore encourages practitioners to reflect on the impact that missed appointments have on a child's wellbeing.
Acknowledgement
Nottingham City Council, NHS Nottingham City CCG and the NCSCB jointly commissioned a video animation to encourage practitioners to identify children as 'Was Not Brought' as opposed to 'Did Not Attend' when referring to them not being presented at medical appointments.