We hear from Sara, a care experienced young person, who counts speaking about the Online Safety Bill at the Conservative Party Conference among her many achievements. Her passion for Barnardo’s voice and influence work has led to her securing a sought-after internship at the Ministry of Justice. Thank you for supporting young people like Sara in reaching their potential.
I first accessed Barnardo’s leaving care service when I was 17. They started by making sure I had plans for life, from college onwards, like where I wanted to live, what I wanted to do. General life skills.
The support has varied quite a bit as my needs have changed over time. There were times I just needed checking in on, others when they’d see me each week. The support meant a lot – someone’s there for you, not just talking but the practical stuff too.
Now I call up as and when I need it. I did a cooking class a few weeks ago with the care experienced team – none of us knew each other but we enjoyed finding out.
I’ve been involved in voice and influence work for Barnardo’s for some time. B-Amplified, the youth forum across all services, is the more recent one. With them, I’ve been to Birmingham, Liverpool, and London. I’ve met people from the mother and baby team who’ve accessed postnatal support, people from Newcastle, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. We’ve all got a different story on how Barnardo’s has supported us, which are interesting to hear.
One of my voice and influence roles took me to the Conservative Party Conference to speak about the Online Safety Bill. I told MPs what I think needs to be included to protect children.
Little did I know before but being there would take me in a whole new direction in life. I went to the conference with Jenny, who manages the Voice and Influence programme at Barnardo’s. While there, she found out about an internship at the Ministry of Justice and sent me the link to apply. I wound up with the role as an administrative officer at the Ministry of Justice, which started in July. Before the interview, I came this close to withdrawing my application through nerves but Jenny wasn’t having it! She told me she believed in me, and I’m so glad she did.
Voice and influence work gives you confidence. I’ve interviewed Lynn Perry MBE, Barnardo’s CEO. I’ve been on interview panels, having a say about whether people are a good fit for Barnardo’s – I feel quite powerful when that happens!
The young people Barnardo’s supports have all experienced different things. It means the world that you’re here with us supporting not just one aspect of Barnardo’s work but all of it. Thank you.
Keeping children safe online
Learn more about the Online Safety Bill and how we are working to keep children safe on the internet.
Amplifying the voices of young people
Learn more about our voice and influence team and the work they do to help ensure that young people get a say in services and policy.
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