Angela Frazer-Wicks Parent, Birth Parent Co-Chair Your Family Your Voice Alliance Trustee Family Rights Group @AFrazerWicks

Redressing the balance A move away from the them vs. us culture

Your Family Your Voice Alliance Four years ago FRG secured funding to set up an Alliance to address the power imbalance within the current system. The Your Family Your Voice Alliance is made up of families, practitioners, academics and other professionals working together to transform the system. Our goal is a fair just and honest system for all. All of our work including research is done collaberatively with families and practitioners to ensure fairness and equality.

The Charter Part of the Alliances work was to address the lack of partnership working. Both families and practitioners told us that there were barriers preventing it. After much discussion about what these barriers were and how we could overcome them it was felt a Charter could be useful. We therefore designed a Charter that sets out what can reasonably be expected from both families and practitioners when working together. As always this was done collaberatively (no mean feat!). The finished Charter is simple and straight forward and is designed to break down barriers and encourage real partnership. We also made a short film to accompany it. (Link on website) We have piloted the Charter in two LAs and the feedback has been very positive from families and practioners alike.

The Charter

Parents Panel – Young Parents Panel – Kinship Care Panel Panels Parents Panel – Young Parents Panel – Kinship Care Panel

Panels FRG has ensured the voices of families are heard within the system by setting up various panels where they can meet to share ideas and discuss the issues currently affecting families. These panels are supported by FRG staff. The panels are routinely consulted and involved in FRGs work.

Training Members of the panels are now routinely involved in all of FRGs training courses. We do CP training for DV workers where a panel member works alongside a Family Lawyer. Demand for the course currently massively exceeds what we are funded to provide. We do DV training for Social Workers alongside Rights of Women.

Influence decision making I sat on the Family Justice Council Parents and Relatives Sub-Commitee ensuring families voices were heard in the Family Justice System until its funding was cut in 2012. GMC asked for advice on working with parents involved in CP and I was asked to contribute. I sit on FRG Legal and Practice Group - meets quarterly to discuss legislation and policy issues I am currently a guest lecturer at Southbank University on their Health and Social Care Degree Course. Student feedback is very positive as they feel they learn more from hearing a personal experience than just reading case studies. 2013 Care Inquiry I was involved in the inquiry and spoke at its launch in Westminster

Lifelong Links project. Came off the back of Care Inquiry Lifelong Links project. Came off the back of Care Inquiry. Families were involved from the outset. FRG made it a compulsary requirement of all LAs interested in implementing Lifelong Links that they have a panel of family members. It is also a requirement that these panels are managed and supported in the same way as FRGs panels. Our panel members are involved in the design and implementation of these panels and will be visiting the LAs involved to provide advice and support.

Southwark first LA to independantly invite us to assist in the setting up of a panel. They already have various panels but feel they are not enough and that they could be doing more. We have designed a toolkit in collaberation with the panels and will be meeting with Southwark soon to present. Mott MacDonald were funded by the Governement to undertake research into “Permanance”. We felt that it was imperative families voices were heard in such an emotive piece of research.

Care Crisis Review. Munby sent out a call to arms stating that the “looming crisis” in the care system that he spoke of in 2016 is no longer simply looming. The system is now in crisis. The rising numbers of children in care are unsustainable long term and if we dont find an alternative solution the system will simply collapse. FRG answered his call. Families have been involved in the review as key stakeholders, we developed and ensured that an online survey of parents contributed to the review. We have presented at events and and round tables.

Not just a resource FRG understands we are not just a resource to be used as and when needed. We are supported and valued as individuals. A speaking in public course was arranged for those members of the panels who felt it would be helpful to help build confidence. A creative writing session enabled panel members to learn how to write about their experiences in articles, poetry and blogs. Several members of the panels were invited to attend the Queens Garden Party