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My Say Matters: Barnet’s Child Participation and Family Involvement Strategy (2022 – 2025)

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Have your say on My Say Matters, Barnet’s Child Participation and Family Involvement Strategy

Family Services are currently consulting on a new Child Participation and Family Involvement Strategy called: “My Say Matters”.

We recognise the value of involving children, young people and their families in the way we shape and develop our services, we think that by working together we can teach and learn from each other.

Our strategy sets out how we plan to involve children, young people and families in giving us feedback; helping us think about problems and new opportunities; and taking an active part in changing

Have your say on My Say Matters, Barnet’s Child Participation and Family Involvement Strategy

Family Services are currently consulting on a new Child Participation and Family Involvement Strategy called: “My Say Matters”.

We recognise the value of involving children, young people and their families in the way we shape and develop our services, we think that by working together we can teach and learn from each other.

Our strategy sets out how we plan to involve children, young people and families in giving us feedback; helping us think about problems and new opportunities; and taking an active part in changing how we do things at every level in our service. We plan to do this in three ways:

  • Listening: We will listen to the voices of children and young people and centre their views, wishes and experience in what we do'.
  • Working with: We will find ways to engage the voices of children and young people at an individual and/or group level to help us to hear their views.
  • Acting upon: We will make sure that what children, young people and their families tell us result in changing the way we do things and the decisions we make.

To find out more about our plans please read our draft strategy consultation document here.


How to have your say

We want to involve as many children and young people as we can, we particularly want to hear from children and young people from different backgrounds and with different experiences of using our services. We want to hear your views, thoughts and ideas.

You can share your views by either completing our online questionnaire or attending a virtual focus group discussion:

  • Complete an online questionnaire

Read the draft strategy consultation document here and then complete our online questionnaire.

  • Attend a virtual focus group discussion

We are also running a series of in-depth group discussions with families, children and young people on Microsoft teams on the following dates:

  • families and adults - Wednesday 5 January 2022, 7.00pm – 8.30pm
  • young people - Thursday 6 January, 2022, 7.00pm to 8.30pm.

Participants will be offered a £40.00 online shopping voucher as an appreciation of their time.

If you would like to attend one of these virtual discussion groups, please email: childrensworkforce@Barnet.gov.uk or call 0208 359 6118.

If we do get oversubscribed for these workshops, and cannot allocate you a place, we will add you to our participant list and ensure you get invite to future events.


  • You can also request an alternative format of the consultation

If you would like to request a paper questionnaire or another format please:

  • email childrensworkforce@Barnet.gov.uk or call 0208 359 6118.
  • alternatively you can write to us at Safeguarding, Quality Assurance & Workforce Development, Barnet Family Services, London Borough of Barnet, 2 Bristol Avenue, Colindale, NW9 4EW.

If you would like someone to help you complete the questionnaire or need more information, please contact us using one of the above methods.


What happens after the consultation closes?

Barnet Family Services will use the consultation findings to inform our final My Say Matters Strategy. We will then aim to launch the strategy in January 2022. We will publish the results of the consultation, our decision and how we are acting on the results of the consultation on this web page in March 2022.

Engagement has concluded

  • We asked, you said, we did

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    We asked

    We asked for your views on our draft Draft My Say Matters Child Participation and Family Involvement Strategy (2022 – 2025), which sets how we plan to involve children, young people and families so that they can have their say on what they think on any of our future decisions and help us design and shape our services.


    You said

    We received 10 responses to the online questionnaire and further 18 young people and families took part in the focus groups.

    Responses to the online questionnaire:

    • 10 respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the strategy overall and 9 out of 10 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that it is a good idea to implement this strategy in Barnet
    • 8 out of 10 respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the strategy is clear and easy to understand and that it is informative
    • 6 out of 8 respondents disagreed with the extent to which we plan to monitor the effectiveness of the strategy.

    Two consultation focus groups were held with Barnet children, young people and families to ask about their views on the draft strategy. A total of 20 residents attended the qualitative workshop, 12 adults and 8 young people.

    • all participants agreed that it is a good vision and when exploring the vision themes of safety, belonging, culture, and identity were identified
    • a few participants explored how more diverse representation in leadership can help to make important decisions and changes
    • participants ranked ‘Safe and Secure’ was ranked most important priority
    • a theme from qualitative discussions in both workshops was that education and community cannot be strengthened unless safety needs are met
    • when thinking about ‘Audience’ in participation spaces, participants commented on the importance of knowing who will be there and how can be there to feel safe
    • in both workshops participants highlighted the importance of accountability and that monitoring should not be focussed on satisfying leaders or counsellors but be focussed on young people
    • in both workshops participants asked for the strategy to specify what age of child and young person this strategy is for.


    You can read the full consultation findings in the consultation report.


    We did

    In response to the feedback, we set out recommendations for amendments to the strategy and action plan. The recommendations were:

    • Strategic Purpose and Aims: Review the strategy to specify the age range and enhance the purpose and aims with simple language
    • Inclusion: Review the strategy and consider how equity, diversity and inclusion is made more explicit, explored and highlight how the commitment to areas will be achieved.
    • Priorities: Review the strategy and consider how the three priorities mutually influence each other, paying particular attention to the importance and details of feedback loops
    • Monitoring the effectiveness: Review the strategy to show a clear governance and accountability process so children and young people can easily understand how they can hold leaders to account.


    The My Say Matters Child Participation and Family Involvement Strategy (2022 – 2025) has been finalised to incorporate the recommendations and was launched at an event by young people on 31 May 2022. View the final strategy.