My Say Matters
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My Say Matters film
Your say matters
If you have something to say or want to share an idea, get involved!
Did you know that children and young people under the age of 19 make up a quarter of the total number of people living in Barnet? That’s almost 100,000 children and young people using local services and attending our schools and colleges.
With this many of you living in our borough we want it to be family friendly by making sure Barnet is a great place to live and go to school.
We know we need to talk to and listen to you and your families that use our services. We need you to tell us how well we are doing and what we need to do differently to help us make the changes that you want to see.
My Say Matters Strategy
We have developed the My Say Matters strategy, with a group of children and young people, many of which have told us that they know they have a right to be heard and they have lots to say.
They told us that equalities, diversity and inclusion need to be at the heart of My Say Matters and this means everyone will be supported to share their voice and express themselves fully. Especially those from racially minoritised, migrant and LGBT+ communities, disabled children and other marginalised groups.
They hope that this strategy will ensure that their voices are listened to and that the impact of their ideas, opinions and feedback will be obvious and evident.
The strategy sets out the way we are going to connect with and involve children and young people to tell us what you think, help us make decisions, design and shape our services. This will happen by us making sure we give you the time, space and resources.
We will do this by:
- listening to you
- working with you
- acting on what you tell us
Importantly, we will be evaluating the impact and effectiveness of our strategy with children and young people.
We look forward to the future as we expand our approach and increase your influence over the services you use and things that affect you.
Press release
View the press release from the My Say Matters launch event which took place on 31 May 2022.
How can I get involved?
We have a participation group to suit everyone! Below are details of some of our more established forums, most of which are for ages 11-18 years, to find out more click on the related links section of this page. Each of our forums are supported by our Participation Officers and young people who attend get to learn about the workings of the council, build new skills (for example public speaking and event planning) as well as the chance to socialise with those with similar interests.
Youth Board
This group meets monthly and gives advice to the council and other services about plans and policies to make sure that they reflect the needs and ideas of young people. Recent topics discussed have included responding to climate change, delivering services for young people with mental health needs, covid and equality. Feedback from young people has influenced policy documents and the way services are offered.
Youth Assembly
This group is linked to the councils democratic decision making process and gives young people a chance to share their views with local Councillors. It meets monthly and might suit someone who wants to get involved in civic life at a local or regional level.
Youth Parliament and Youth Ambassadors
We have recently elected our 2 members of Youth Parliament and Youth Ambassadors – 7,700 Barnet schoolchildren elect their new Youth Ambassadors and Youth Parliament Members
Barnet on Point - #BOP – our Children in Care Council
This forum is for our children in care. Young people meet regularly to feedback about the services they use, to plan events and to socialise and have fun. BOP members have shared their views with staff about what makes a good social worker, contributed to child friendly documents and delivered training for foster carers.
Barnet Inclusive Next Generation – BING - Barnet SEND Youth Voice Forum
BING is for young people with special educational needs and disabilities. BING meet monthly with a mix of business and social sessions. The forum shapes service delivery, Barnet’s “local offer” and has recently had impact making a video sharing their experiences with schools.
Y-QAG – Young Quality Assurance Group
Y-QAG is for young people who use Family Services in particular those with a social worker. It meets to gather feedback from young people about their experiences of using our services and things they want to change or improve. This is a new group and details are available from mysaymatters@barnet.gov.uk
Upcoming Events
June- July 2022
A chance for Barnet residents aged 11-17 to get a £30 shopping voucher by sharing their opinions to help improve services for young people.
Barnet Council wants to know how young people feel about their local area to help develop its new plan for improving the lives of young people. Over 500 young people across the borough have already voiced their views (via a survey conducted late 2021/early 2022) on topics such as safety, schooling, and wellbeing
We are running group discussions mid-July 2022 to better understand young people’s experiences and we’re keen to involve a wide range of young people. Even if a young person has never participated in similar sessions or has little interest in them, we welcome their input. Potential participants need to register by Sunday 3 July 2022, see full details on Engage Barnet.
Contact us
If you would like to get involved or find out more information please email us: mysaymatters@barnet.gov.uk
Your say matters!