Family Voice Project
Guidance and resources for frontline practitioners
About the project
SafeLives was commissioned in June 2023, by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUCH), Department for Education (DfE), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to consult with families and work with professionals to identify, develop and implement good practice for service user participation networks to inform and shape service design and delivery locally and Nationally.
The project ended in March 2025 and covered the following four programmes:
- The Supporting Families programme
- Family Hubs and Start for Life programme
- Family Nurse Partnership
- Reducing Parental Conflict
Our team worked alongside a number of local areas, developing an understanding of local culture, context and connections, identifying best practice as well as areas for improvement, consulting with families and providers to understand opportunities, strengths, and gaps.
Through this learning and led by SafeLives’ authentic voice principles, we produced the following webinar resources for National use. These are designed to support professionals in empowering families to use their voices.
The project was funded by Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions, with input from Department of Health and Social Care.
Resources for professionals
Parent Carer Voices on SEND Services
Join Bristol Parent Carers, the official Parent Carer Forum for Bristol, for a webinar exploring what families are telling them about SEND services in the area. The session will share key themes raised by parent carers – what’s going well, and where families are experiencing challenges.
The session will also explore how Local Authorities can make the biggest impact, even in a context of rising demand and limited funding, by working in genuine co-production with the families their services support.
Authentically Engaging Children and Young People
Families are at the centre of the work you do, and children and young people are the future of service design.
Following on from our Authentic Family Voice webinar, and alongside SafeLives Changemakers, we would like to guide you through the principles which can help in gathering children’s and young people’s voices safely and transparently, so they can be at the forefront of quality service delivery.
The Changemakers are a group of dedicated young people who share a passion to end domestic abuse and tackle the social challenges facing today’s youth. Ranging in ages from 13-20, the Changemakers are based across the UK. Together, they provide a safe and inclusive environment for young voices to share their opinions and experiences.
The name Changemakers was chosen by the young people because the group gives a voice to those who are often overlooked, ignored or silenced when talking about important issues. It serves as a reminder and promise to our young people that their voices are powerful and can help create significant change. Every young person’s voice is acknowledged, valued and respected.
Authentic Family Voice
Families are experts in their own experiences, and hold a wealth of knowledge, insight and expertise. Without rooting programmes of support in the lived experience of families as well as professional expertise, we risk creating ineffective responses.
Authentic Voice is about partnering with families to develop the best response. This is the reason why Authentic Voice development and implementation is fundamental for local areas to understand what is required to support families.