New resources, available today, will give children and young people in residential care information about their right to make a complaint and be heard.
Developed by CREATE Foundation, in conjunction with Office of the Guardian, the resources provide information and tools to assist them raise issues that concern them.
Central to the new feedback process is the the Post Incident Reflection Form, developed with input from young people in residential care.
Also available is a set of posters, brochures and two videos which tell children and young people in residential care about their rights and ways to address issues.
The resources have been developed in response to a recommendation from Commissioner Margaret Nyland’s 2016 report The Life They Deserve. Recommendation 136 from that report proposed that the Guardian’s Office develop an educational program for children and young people in residential care to explain and promote their rights and give them encouragement and the means necessary to have their voices heard.
The live action video shares the stories of young people who relate some of the incidents they faced while living in residential care. It also advises young people in care why it’s important to understand their rights.
For younger people, an animated video describes the Post Incident Reflection Form and how a child in care has the ability to make a complaint at any time.
If resolving an issue with residential care staff does not work, children and young people are encouraged to fill in a complaints form or phone the Complaints Unit directly on 1800 003 305.
Printable files of the posters can be downloaded now from the Resources page of the Guardian’s website and printed copies of the posters and booklets will be available to be ordered from that page in February.
