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Voices in Partnership (VIP) / Children's Rights Champion (CRC)

1. VIP provides a voice for Looked After Children. There are 3 aspects to VIP: the VIP Club, Junior Council, Senior Council and Steering Group. The Junior and Senior Councils have chairs and vice chairs from the membership. The chairs’ roles include acting as the young person’s representative on the Corporate Parenting Group and chairing council meetings;
2. VIP members support both commissioned services and Children and Families services by being active participants on interview panels, the interviews have ranged from residential care workers to senior managers within the Division;
3. They also provide “Through the Keyhole Training” which has been very successful with many professionals attending throughout the year;
4. VIP members have been asked to support both the Health Service and the Education Service in collating young peoples’ views and experiences to help develop their services;
5. VIP can be contacted by email: Katherine.Ash@gov.im and by telephone 01624 686230;
6. In addition, the Division has a dedicated Children’s Rights Champion (CRC) who supports children and young people in preparing for Child Protection Conferences or LAC Reviews. She has both a consultative and direct role in helping the young person’s voice to be heard by professionals and family members at these very important times. Her work consists of a combination of: face to face work; telephone conversations; the use of Skype, social media and via the MOMO (Mind of My Own) App. She sometimes liaises with allocated social workers, on behalf of children to ensure that their rights are upheld. As a result of her work we have excellent high levels of children’s participation with the service. The CRC can be contacted by email: Ellen.Hoskisson-Ennet@gov.im and by telephone 01624 687503;
7. Social Workers are expected to encourage communication to them from children in touch with the Department using Mind of My Own (MOMO). See Appendix 1: MOMO Use within Children and Families Division.

Appendix 1: MOMO Use within Children and Families Division

Mind of My Own (MOMO) is the feedback app chosen by the department to allow services users to tell us what they think.

There are 2 Apps available: MOMO (one), which allows the young person to create a user account, via their email address and feedback independently to the department and MOMO (express) which is designed for younger service users and allows the young person to provide feedback supported by a worker. The worker providing the support will need to have created a worker account to facilitate the feedback.

MOMO creates “scenarios” to guide service users through feedback. The scenarios relate to: Prepare for a meeting; Change something; Sort out a problem; Plan for Adulthood and prepare for a Child Protection Conference.

The Children’s Rights Champion will make contact with every child aged 4 and above who is to be subject of a CP Conference but this does not exclude workers from obtaining the views of the young person directly themselves.

At induction stage all new workers within the department who will have direct contact with children/young people should receive basic instruction, from Victor/Dee on how to use MOMO, create a user account and download the app onto their work phone.

The MOMO app once downloaded works on mobile phones, tablets (which are available for visits) and normal computers. The app does require internet connection via Wi-Fi or connection to the Network.

At each stage of the child’s pathway through our service, they should be encouraged to provide us with feedback and their views on what is happening to them. It is expected that workers will attach as a minimum a MOMO statement to each NARRATES Assessment and each pre-meeting report for CP/LAC & CWCN Meetings.

Workers should ensure that children/young people are aware that MOMO is not an emergency service and although we will endeavour to respond to any MOMO statements within 24 hours, the service is not designed for emergency use.

Workers can find out more information from the MOMO website: mindofmyown.org.uk.

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