Celebrating ‘Hearing’ Ten Thousand Voices, Amplifying the Experiences of Children and Young People across CareTech Children’s services.
CareTech Children’s services, a leading provider of specialist residential care and education for children and young people, in collaboration with Mind Of My Own, celebrates a significant milestone of ‘hearing’ 10,000 voices through their digital partnership. The Mind Of My Own apps have empowered young individuals to share their views, feelings, and experiences, providing valuable insights into their lives.
Yvonne Anderson, co-founder of Mind Of My Own, captured the essence of this achievement, stating: "Imagine 143 double-decker buses in a long, long line. They are full of children, occupying every space. Now envision yourself listening to every single one of those children as they tell you something important about themselves. How informed, how very privileged would you feel to hear 10,000 different children's voices, allowing you into their worlds."
This milestone represents the dedication and commitment of CareTech and Mind Of My Own to empower young people and ensure their voices are heard. Since the rollout of the Mind Of My Own apps in January 2021, over 10,000 times children and young people have chosen to share their thoughts, emotions, needs, and wishes with the adults who care and support them.
CareTech operate children’s services under the following companies, ACAD, Branas, By The Bridge, Cambian, FSG, Greenfields, Inspire, Linx 16+, Park Fostering, Spark of Genius, and TLC Wales. These all support children and young people with a range of complex needs in specialist schools, residential care settings and through foster parents partnered with Mind Of My Own so they had a way to listen to the voice of the young people in our care. The apps have enhanced our ability to respond to the individual needs of the young people in our care.
"We hear too often about how technology is a malign influence on young people, but here is a great example of how, with knowledge and a little thought, technology can improve and even save lives," emphasises Ian Roberts, Head of Children's Performance and Improvement for CareTech. The Mind Of My Own apps have proven to be life-changing, offering support in multiple languages and providing accessibility features for neurodivergent users.
The impact of this digital partnership extends beyond the young people themselves. Patricia Jarrett, Managing Director for CareTech Fostering, explains: "The feedback directly from children helps us to improve and further develop our services based directly on what young people tell us. It also helps us advocate on their behalf." The apps have streamlined administrative tasks, saving valuable time for care and education staff, while enabling them to gain a deeper understanding of each child's lived experience.
Jeremy Wiles, Head of Children’s Services at CareTech, stated: "Hitting the milestone of 10,000 Mind of My Own statements is a testament to our commitment to hearing the voices of the young people we support. We believe that through listening and responding, Mind Of My Own will help differentiate the quality of our services."
Haroon Sheikh, CEO of CareTech, continued ‘CareTech strives to enable children, young people and adults with complex needs to make their own life choices, and to develop confidence and independence to live, learn, thrive and engage, building better futures. Our ongoing partnership with Mind of My Own has enabled us to provide our children and young people with access to this App so that we can hear their voice and improve the quality of our support to them. Reaching the 10,000 statement milestone is a good start but we are ambitious for more. We are excited with this partnership and remain committed to delivering Extra Ordinary Days Every Day for every child’.
CareTech and Mind Of My Own continue to work in partnership, fostering a culture of innovation, active listening and empowering young people to shape their own care and support. The celebration of 10,000 voices heard represents a powerful affirmation of the importance of amplifying the experiences and perspectives of children and young people.