Five Rivers Fostering Youth Council – young people tell us what they want

This animated video has been produced by Five Rivers Child Care fostering services in conjunction with staff and looked-after children.

Five Rivers Fostering launched its National Youth Council in 2016. Young persons volunteer as Youth Council representatives from each region of the country.

They meet twice a year for a fun residential where they get to talk about the things that are going well and what could be better.

At the first meeting they worked on and presented their issues and suggestions for improving the lives of fostered children to the board of Five Rivers. This video covers the formation of the Youth Council;  its function and Charter;  the issues discussed at the first meeting and the responses from the Boards of Directors.

Why a Youth Council?

Five Rivers child-centred ethos encourages participation of young people in democratic decision-making and enables them to express their views about changes and improvements to their care. The Youth Council has breathed life into the organisation and keeps us in touch with our children’s feelings and ideas

Sharing our expertise

We want children everywhere to benefit from our ideas. If you want any help on setting up or running a Youth Council, you might find this presentation useful. If you would like any help or advice in setting up a Youth Council get in touch with us at Five Rivers Fostering and the Youth Council will be more than happy to help you.

Five Rivers is a leading independent, Social Enterprise that works with Looked-after Children who are in need of specialist care throughout England and Ireland.

Any questions?  Contact us at [email protected]