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Keeping children and young people at the centre of proceedings

Family Justice Young People's board top tips cartoon

Introducing our guide for keeping children and young people at the centre of family court proceedings

As members of the FJYPB, we have had a lived experience of the family justice system in both public and private law proceedings. While some of our experiences have been positive and child-centred, we have identified some that could have been improved in a variety of different ways to better meet our needs and wishes. For example, giving us a better chance of feeling more connected to our family court proceedings, allowing us to have greater influence over key decisions that affect our lives and allowing us to feel more satisfied and comfortable with the outcomes of court decisions overall.

Our work is dedicated to improving family justice proceedings so that they provide the best possible outcomes for children who experience them. It is therefore key that family justice professionals always keep us at the centre of planning, thinking and decision making so that this can be achieved. To help with this, we have created this useful guide to inform social work and family justice professionals of how they can better improve their practices on a daily basis to give us a better chance of receiving an exceptional experience within family court proceedings every time. 

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Top tips for putting children and young people first

Here, we emphasise the importance of centring children and young people in family justice proceedings to ensure we feel connected, heard, and safe throughout the process:

“We have a voice, and it matters. Help us to be heard.”

— FJYPB member

  1. Communicate in ways that respect our unique needs 

  • Ask us how we want to be kept informed – don’t assume others will do it for us.

  • Offer different ways for us to stay in touch: 

    - Email, phone, text, WhatsApp 

    - Introduction and goodbye letters with a photo

  • Let us choose where and when we meet – somewhere we feel safe and comfortable. Remember that meeting at my school may be convenient for you, but I might not want to be singled out from class or feel uncomfortable with you coming to my school.
  • Use language we understand and check that we’re following what’s being said. Adapt your communication style to meet our needs. Think about using pictures as well as words and checking throughout that we understand.
  • Let me know before we meet - who you are, something about you and what types of things we will be talking about.
  • Get to know us first and listen to what we share about what makes us unique. These details are important and impact how we live.  Ask us about our identity, hobbies, skills, the people who are important to us, our beliefs etc.
  • Share with us what you have understood about our conversation and what you have recorded from it.
A young girl sits and smiles while talking to a social worker

"I don't want to feel that our meetings are really formal. Make sure I am relaxed, feel safe and comfortable." - FJYPB member

Think about...

  • Do I understand what is happening and why? How do you know this?
  • How have you shown me that you understand what my wishes are?
  • Do you know how I prefer or need to communicate?
  • Does my plan consider my heritage, faith, culture, values, identify and needs? How are you showing me this?

  1. Be clear, honest and consistent

  • Give us a timeline of your involvement – when we’ll see you, how long you’ll be around and what happens next.
  • Let us know if things change – and explain why.
  • Be honest about uncertainties and delays – we’d rather know than be left wondering.
  • Explain your role and how it’s different from the other professionals involved.
  • Don’t mix our voice with our parents’ or brother and sisters and do not misinterpret what we have said – we are separate people and have our own mind.
  • Check in regularly to see if our views or feelings have changed.
  • Our individuality matters, and it should shape the way decisions are made about us. We deserve to be seen, heard and understood—not just as a case, but as individual people. Every assessment, every piece of advice to the court, should reflect who we truly are.
A teenage girl smiling and talking with a social worker.

"Please don't assume I know who you are. I might have lots of services involved, or my parents / carers may not have explained who you are and why you need to speak to me." - FJYPB member

Think about...

  • Do I know what my rights are? Have you shared these with me?
  • How does your plan support my long-term stability?
  • Do I understand your role and how it is different to other adults? How do you know this?
  • How much value has been given to my voice in my proceedings?

  1. Involve us in decisions and recommendations

  • Share your recommendations with us, explaining why you think this is what is best and safest for us (especially if your recommendations are against our own wishes). Remember that this will be difficult for us, but it is better for us to know.
  • Encourage us to ask questions and share how we feel about your recommendations and decisions.
  • Our voice matters in your recommendations. Give us time to respond and reflect on your recommendations.
  • Consider our ability to care for ourselves and help us set boundaries that keep us safe.
  • Be mindful of your recommendations and allowing us to grow and flourish in our ambitions without being too restricted. Please think about how your decisions affect us—support us to grow and chase our goals, without holding us back with too many restrictions or leaving us to figure it all out alone.
  • Encourage judges to write to us to explain the courts decisions.
A boy sits and listens to a social work practitioner holding a clipboard

"Help me understand my rights and what my life might look like after decisions are made." - FJYPB member

Think about...

  • During these proceedings, do I feel heard, valued and understood? How do you know?
  • What will my life look like in 5 to 10 years if we follow this plan?
  • Do I feel safe with your recommendations? How do you know this?

  1. Endings, feedback and ongoing support

  • At the end of your involvement, say goodbye properly – a letter, video or storyboard can help. Also make sure to keep us central in any letters you share with other professionals involved in our lives.
  • Explain how we can access our records in the future. We have the right to understand our own history and that can start with our records. You need to know how different organisations handle access requests because the way this is done really matters. Reading our files can be confusing, emotional or even re-traumatising. We need support, not just a process. Make it clear, make it safe and make it empowering. We need you to be ready, informed and compassionate because this isn’t just paperwork, it’s our lives!
  • Give us a chance to give feedback – and talk to us how our feedback will be valued and help shape practice.
  • Check that we feel safe and know who we can turn to for support. Think about what is available to us in our local area and who we can turn to.
  • We want our homes to feel stable, secure and safe. Help us to understand where additional support can be accessed that help us with any transitional periods.
  • Ask us about who in our lives know about what has happened and ask us if we need support to explain it to our friends, family, school etc. 
A young child looks across at two social work practitioners

"Ask me about who the people are I go to for support and who I can talk to if I feel worried or unsafe." - FJYPB member

Think about...

  • If I was to read my file, would I recognise myself in your recording of our time together?
  • Have you asked me to share feedback on my experience?
  • What more can you do to empower me for my future?

If you would like to learn more about our guidance and top tips for improved practice, then head over to our dedicated Family Justice Young People's Board top tips webpage.