For the fourth year running, pupils from across west Cheshire have joined together to help professionals working with children and young people gain an understanding into the issues that affect them.
Social media pressures, body image and mental health were just some of the topics highlighted at the Young Person’s Conference which took place at Cheshire Police HQ in Winsford in June.
The event, jointly organised by Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Safeguarding Children in Education team and Cheshire Police Safer Schools and Young Persons Partnership, provides professionals with information about how young people would like to be supported around each of the subjects being discussed.
Children and young people from across the borough have the opportunity to share their thoughts, views and experiences around the topics that are important to them. Following their presentations they get to sit down with the professionals attending to discuss each subject in more detail.
Councillor Nicole Meardon, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, said: “I’m really impressed by all the young people who presented to the conference on subjects that were important to them. They talked passionately about some of the issues that were affecting them in their day to day lives and provided some really useful feedback to the professional’s attending.
“As a Council we want to support all our children to get the best start in life and events like this will help us to shape our services to make sure they are getting the support they need.”
Pupils from nine local primary, special and secondary schools were joined by a range of professionals including members of the Council’s Early Help and Prevention team, Special Educational Needs team, Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and staff from the Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Holly Reynolds from Hebden Green School in Winsford said: “It was a great day and I liked watching the other school’s presentations, especially the role-play ones. I thought I’d be nervous talking in front of so many people but it was okay.”