Kennerley believes that the voices and opinions of our children have often been ignored by community service organisations, governments, and previous institutions, as demonstrated by the recent national Royal Commission.
To ensure children have a real voice that’s heard, we have invited our young people to be a part of our organisational culture by including them in workshops, panel members for staff recruitment, and guest speakers at our training for foster carers.
The Young Ambassador program was initiated in 2017, out of a desire to improve and inform our systems so that we could be better at listening to those we cared for. Kennerley believes that the voices and opinions of our children and young people have often been ignored, or not sought, partly because we often think as a society that adults make better decisions. We believe that the best decision is an inclusive one. We believe it’s time for a change in perspective. Rather than speaking for them, we looked to provide them with a young person, who has lived experience of foster care, to speak with them, and on their behalf, about issues that mattered to them.
To ensure children have a real voice that’s heard, we have invited our young people to be a part of our organisational culture by including them in workshops, panel members for staff recruitment, and guest speakers at our training for fostercCarers. The Young Ambassador meets with young people in a safe forum to talk about their rights, how we can improve our services, and their care experience. So, ultimately, they feel valued and heard.
This year we are excited to announce that Kirsten has agreed to be the Young Ambassador for Kennerley. Kirsten is an accomplished young woman who is currently in her second year of nursing and has been a part of our Moving On program. She has already demonstrated her courage and leadership, and recently recorded her first testimonial and interview about her experiences which we will use in our training for potential foster carers. Well done Kirsten! We are so very proud of your achievements. Welcome to the team.
Kennerley children’s homes are a child safe organisation committed to safeguarding children. This video celebrates children, their rights, and our community responsibility to educate and inform them about how their voices and opinions are important. Today, we reach out to our community and ask you to start the conversation about what their rights mean and empower them to be heard.
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