Your voice matters
Children, young people, parents and carers have important experiences and ideas that can help make Health and Social Care services better.
We want children, young people and families to have real opportunities to share what is important to them and help improve the services they use.
This is especially important for people who may find it harder to have their voices heard. Everyone should be able to take part in a way that suits them and understand how their feedback will be used.
How you can get involved
There are lots of ways to get involved in Health and Social Care. You can:
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Share your views and experiences. |
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Take part in consultations or involvement opportunities. |
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Join groups, projects or discussions. |
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Help improve services and information. |
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Work alongside staff and people with lived experience to make a difference. |
Find current involvement opportunities here:
Different ways of being heard
Everyone communicates differently.
Taking part does not have to mean attending meetings or filling in forms. People can share their views through:
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Pictures and visual tools |
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Creative activities |
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One-to-one conversations |
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Communication technology |
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Support from a parent, carer or trusted adult |
The way people are involved should suit their needs, rather than expecting them to adapt to a particular process.
For Health and Social Care staff
If your work affects children, young people or families, think about involvement from the start, before decisions are made.
Ask yourself:
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What decisions or changes can people help influence? |
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Who should we hear from, including those who may face barriers to taking part? |
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How can we make participation safe, welcoming and accessible? |
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What support might people need to take part? |
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How will we let people know what happened because of their input? |
Engage offers tools, guidance and training to help staff plan meaningful and inclusive involvement activities.
Why involvement matters
Listening to children, young people and families helps Health and Social Care understand people’s experiences, identify problems and improve services.
It also helps make sure that decisions are shaped by the people most affected by them.
Get involved
If you are a child, young person, parent or carer and would like to share your views, visit the Current Opportunities section on Engage to see how you can take part.
If you are a member of Health and Social Care staff, Explore the tools, guidance and learning resources on Engage to help you plan inclusive and meaningful involvement activities.
