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The annual Voice of the Child Conference

Family Justice Young People's Board group picture

Our 15th annual Voice of the Child Conference on 31 July

The annual FJYPB Voice of the Child conference is entirely led, organised and run by members of the FJYPB with a goal is to bring together the key professionals in family justice to deliver speeches, participate in a panel discussion, and lead workshops that are focused and on a wide range of key family justice topics. The conference also provides the opportunity to interact with and learn from board members and fellow attendees to discuss how to implement best practice when working with children and young people.

This year's event took place on 31 July 2025 and the theme for the conference was 'Empowering Me for a Better Future.'

The conference was framed around children's understanding, their safety, and their future - not just legal outcomes. It was shaped by the voices of young people with lived experience of family proceedings, ensuring the issues that matter most to them are front and centre. 

Voice of the Child Conference Agenda 2025: 

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM – Welcome from FJYPB members plus event information, hearing updates on the FJYPB's recent work and welcoming Cafcass to deliver the event's opening address. A speech on communication, engagement and the need to understand court decisions, which included an FJYPB member sharing their lived experience with an 'In My Shoes' presentation.

11:00 AM – 11:05 AM – Break

11:05 AM – 12:00 PM – Jahnine Davis joined the event to speak on "It's Silent" – Race, Racism and Safeguarding Children. This powerful session explored how racial identity and systemic bias impact safeguarding decisions and children's lived experiences in the family justice system. An FJYPB member included their lived experience, and members shared their presentation on the impact of culture and heritage.

12:00 PM – 12:40 PM – Break

12:40 PM – 1:55 PM – FJYPB members shared their lived experience with an 'In My Shoes' presentation. They then explored what children and young people need to feel safe with the decisions made by the court. Attendees were also invited to join a webinar:

The Nuffield Family Justice Observatory team also spoke on Deprivation of Liberty orders.

1:55 PM – 2:00 PM – Break

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM – A formal welcome of the event panellists  

Who Attended? 
  • Family Court Advisers (FCAs)
  • Children's Guardians
  • Social Workers
  • Legal Professionals
  • Foster Carers
  • Teachers
  • Youth Advocates
  • Everyone 
Key discussion points on the day: 
  • Clarifying the Concept: understanding how children experience the advice given to the court and why clarity is essential.
  • The Need for Change: learning why it's vital to ensure children understand the decisions being made about them and why they were made and what they mean for their future—and how this supports long-term safety and trust.
  • Lived Experience expertise: Hearing directly from young people and professionals about what happens when children are (or aren't) kept at the centre of proceedings.
  • Practical Applications: Discussing strategies to improve how you explain, engage, and support children through the family justice process. 
Why This Matters: 

This event supported the FJYPB's mission to ensure that children are not just part of the process—but at the heart of it. Understanding children's experiences sits within a wider learning journey that also explores how communication and culture shape children's understanding, safety, and sense of belonging throughout family justice proceedings. 

FJYPB members have captured the highlights of this year’s event in their Voice of the Child conference summary 2025.

Watch the livestream sessions below by clicking on the titles to view:

Olivia's blog post for Voice of the Child 2025

I have been a member of the Family Justice Young People’s Board for nearly three and a half years and at the end of July took part in my fourth annual Voice of the Child Conference (VOTC). The VOTC is a conference put together and presented by the FJYPB on a theme of our choosing. This year our theme was “Empowering me for a better future” something our members, aged 8 to 25, think is key. Family court proceedings may end, but children continue to grow and move down the path those proceedings have enabled, and they should be safe and confident as they do so. 

I always look forward to the VOTC as it is something we care deeply about and work hard to produce from deciding the theme, to selecting roles, finding guests and choosing content, we all get a say as to what is shared with our audience, which this year was nearly 1000 people!

On the day of the conference, we all get together in London with support from the support team and the amazing technical people that make the conference happen. We all have different roles, even the very young members, that play to our strengths and skills. This year I presented on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the need to ‘get it right’ for and empower children and young people experiencing family court proceedings. I was glad to be able to cover this as it is something I think is of key importance. Children have a future beyond their proceedings, and the way they understand and can participate in this life altering event will shape the people they become. 

No matter your role on the day we all help and support one another behind the scenes to make sure they day runs smoothly. At last year’s conference I was able to facilitate the panel discussion which meant that this year I enjoyed assisting this year’s hosts with what to expect, the questions and submitted comments as well as supporting some of the younger members with their contributions. The FJYPB is such a supportive and inclusive community as we all know what it was like to be that child whose world is swimming and changing rapidly.

When I got off the set and was told how many people had tuned in, I was so excited, this is our largest audience yet at VOTC and it is so important to reach as many professionals as possible, so that in turn they can help as many children as possible. That child’s proceedings may just be a moment in your work, but that moment can alter the rest of their lives. 

We spend so long building up to VOTC, and then it’s over so quickly in the rush of the day. I am so grateful for the positive reception we have, and everyone that enables it to happen, and I am already looking forward to next year. As always, we’d love to see as many of you as possible and let’s see if we can beat this year’s amazing turn out!

Previous Voice of the Child Conferences