Our Hearings, Our Voice

Board member Ciara skilfully and passionately shared key messages from the OHOV guide with the Children's Hearings Improvement Partnership yesterday. The six themes of relationships, support, language, children's potential, children's information, and participation were shared through voice clips, videos, artwork, and even a 'Game of Life' to help bring the voices and asks of children across Scotland to life. We were encouraged by the commitment of the multi-agency audience to apply messages from the guide to improving children's experiences of the hearings system in Fife.

Link to the OHOV guide: https://www.ohov.co.uk/guide/

At yesterday's meeting OHOV board members considered the rights and entitlements care experienced young people should know about in relation to housing, education, employment, finance, wellbeing, leaving care, and more. We discussed what support is out there and how young people are made aware of their rights. Looking forward to progressing this work further as it's an area that our board members have been interested in for a while.

Our Hearings, Our Voice and the Glasgow Promise Keepers group, Health and Social Care Partnership, had a great conversation this week based around Scottish children's views on relationships, language and participation. Great to hear such passion and commitment to ensuring all Glasgow children thrive. You can interact with the young people's work here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ex36cNty
Our Hearings, Our Voice and the Glasgow Promise Keepers group, Health and Social Care Partnership, had a great conversation this week based around Scottish children's views on relationships, language and participation. Great to hear such passion and commitment to ensuring all Glasgow children thrive. You can interact with the young people's work here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ex36cNty

OHOV speaking at the Transformative Leadership for Social Justice conference by University of Strathclyde Institute of Education. We are grateful for the opportunity to share our passion for supporting care experienced children in education settings. Thank you for having us along!

OHOV board members and the Children's Hearings Scotland Experts by Experience had a fantastic teambuilding residential in beautiful Lochgoilhead this weekend. Along with abseiling, boating, archery, and high ropes, we did work around panel member pre-service training and exploring the use of digital tools in the children's Hearings system.

It was a joy to spend time with this amazing group of young people and always inspiring to see the way they support and look out for each other. Looking forward to future joint projects with the young people from CHS ❤️

Such a fitting end to parliament yesterday- the outgoing Presiding Officer, Alison Johnstone, reminding us all that "parliament belongs to the people of Scotland and all must be heard". Last week was a tribute to hearing from and acting upon the least heard voices across Scotland, with both the passing of the new Children.... (Scotland) Act and Calum's law. You can read more about the Act here ❤️

Our Hearings, Our Voice Members Support Changes in Law for Children - Our Hearings, Our Voice Young people from OHOV observed MSPs in the chamber at the Scottish Parliament on 18th and 19th March. They were considering whether to make the Children

Young people from OHOV observed MSPs in the chamber at the Scottish Parliament on 18th and 19th March. They were considering whether to make the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill an Act i.e. the law.

OHOV has been campaigning for and supporting reforms to services, entitlements, and support for children with care and hearings experience for nearly ten years. Natalie Don-Innes, Minister for Children, Young People and the Promise attested to these efforts in tonight’s parliamentary vote:

“I want to recognise the amazing work of the young people involved in Our Hearings Our Voice. Your work has been instrumental in transforming the hearing system and you should be so proud of the contribution that you have made to this piece of legislation.”

We are absolutely delighted that this act passed today and that we were privileged to witness this piece of history.

Young people from OHOV have played a pivotal role in elements of the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning)(Scotland) Bill at every stage- lighting the spark, sharing lived experience, amplifying other children's voices, designing new possibilities and holding government and agencies to account. Last night we watched the final touches of the Bill in parliament. Today, we'll be back for the big vote 🗳️

A lovely way to round off the week! Board members Andrew and Jamie spent the morning planning OHOV's input at the Transformative Leadership for Social Justice conference by University of Strathclyde The conference is a great opportunity for us to share what children with care experience need from the education staff in their lives.

On Saturday our board got together in Glasgow to work on a number of projects, including planning and evaluating tools to support children's participation in their hearings. It was so lovely to see our young people, hear their news, and spend time together. We're all looking forward to our upcoming residential to Lochgoilhead.