(left-right) Lola, Skye, Trinity, Alex and Bailey with the Mayor of Solihull
A group of young people have put their creative skills into play to raise awareness of neglect.
With the support of qualified youth workers from Solihull Council, Meriden Adventure Playground, Solihull Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP), and a support worker from Solihull’s children in care council – OVOS (Our Voice Our Service), the group has written, recorded, filmed and edited a video to help show what life can be like for a young person experiencing neglect.
The video was launched earlier this week to an audience including the Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Shahin Ashraf MBE, plus parents/carers and people who work with children in Solihull. Watch the video here: Young Peoples Project – Neglect (Solihull)
The Mayor said: “It was an honour to attend this event and meet the young people behind this fantastic video. Neglect is such an important topic and one we must all play a part in trying to reduce.
“It can be hard to understand what people experiencing neglect are going through, but the way this has been captured within the video is really powerful and I hope it helps others learn more about it.
“I commend the young people for putting their heart and souls into this project – it was clear to see how much it means to them. Well done to all involved.”
The project was made possible thanks to SSCP and a team of Neglect Champions* who successfully applied for a grant from the West Midlands Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner. Young people developed many skills during the project and commissioned Solihull Music Service and Steve Friendship from Large Scale Film to help them learn the skills they needed.
As well as the video, they have produced resources for teachers and youth workers to use alongside the film to help others learn about neglect. These resources and more information about neglect and the young people’s project are available here: Neglect – SSCP Children and Young People’s page