Youth Voice Matters Conference 2025

On Thursday 20th February 2025, nearly 100 children and young people travelled to Manchester to lead and take part in the Youth Voice Matters conference. This event, part of the Department for Education funded national programme Making Participation Work, is the largest gathering of disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs in England. Now in its seventh year, this event has grown in scale and impact annually. 

Youth Voice Matters provides an opportunity for children and young people to develop their participation skills and to recognise the impact they can have when taking part in strategic participation. The event is co-designed by children and young people from the young SEND advisory group to the Department for Education, FLARE. For more information on this event, you can read about the 2024 event here and the 2023 event here. 

The theme of the 2025 event was Strength and Resilience. The day asked the young delegates to:  

• Reflect on their strengths in participation and decision-making – where their skills lie and how can they feel empowered to push for change 
• Consider how they can build resilience and protect their wellbeing when using their voices for change might feel difficult.  
• Develop the tools they need to support themselves and others when using their voices to affect change. 

Activities and workshops on the day centred around this theme, in relation to youth voice. All workshops were either led by or co-delivered with children and young people, these included:   

• A session led by FLARE inviting the young delegates to reflect on how they can look after themselves in the context of sharing their voices and being involved in decision-making processes, when this can sometimes feel challenging. Participants also considered what the professionals and adults supporting their participation can do to support children and young people’s wellbeing.

• The Flying High group, North Yorkshire County Council, delivered an interactive session where the young delegates had the opportunity to take part in some rap-writing activities, with the aim of reflecting on how we can understand and express our emotions to avoid burnout. This was a great opportunity for developing the skills young people might need to advocate for themselves and others and engage in strategic participation and decision-making.

• Our Making Participation Work partner, Kids, delivered a session aimed at developing the skills the young delegates might need to support their peers within their own communities and beyond. The activities were highly creative and supported participants to reflect on the tools they could use with others who might need some support.

• The Children’s Coaching Collaborative explored how sport can help children and young people look after their wellbeing and support their resilience. The session asked the young delegates to share their experiences of sports coaching in and outside of school to inform their upcoming work relating to improving access, inclusion and children’s rights in sport. This was a great opportunity for participants to strengthen their knowledge about children’s rights and how these are respected within sport.

Attendees had the opportunity to learn more about the PullUpAChair 2,999 blanket, which represents children’s exclusions from school.

Attendees also had the chance to feed into Research and Improvement in SEND Excellence partnership’s research into co-production, as part of the Council for Disabled Children’s work with the Department for Education. All the young delegates had the opportunity to reflect on their experiences of co-production and what this done well looks like.  

Here are some key statistics from the day: 

• 97% of children and young people said that they learnt something new  
• 96% of children and young people said they had fun  
• 100% of supporters said the young delegates they attended with were 'very satisfied' or 'satisfied' with the day  
• 94% of supporters 'strongly agreed' or 'agreed' that the young delegates learnt new skills on the day 

Here's what the adults who were supporting the young people told us: 

• “[The young people were] Really well engaged and had lots of fun!" 
• "Great atmosphere and venue. Happy delegates, all able to stay focussed." 
• "Our young people really enjoyed the day from start to finish." 
• "Our young leader has thoroughly enjoyed her day and is already asking when the next one is. This is her first time." 

The last words go to the young people themselves: 

• "I liked the creativity." 
• "[I loved] Hearing lots of points of view." 
• "The workshops were great." 
• "[I loved] Getting my opinion heard and getting out with my friends." 
• "[I loved] the experience and being listened to." 

To stay up to date on future events for both young people and professionals, our work at the Council for Disabled Children and Making Participation Work, please sign up to: 

• The Making Ourselves Heard Forum  
• The Making Ourselves Heard newsletter, tick ‘participation’  

If you are a young person and would like to find out more about upcoming events and opportunities, you can: 

• Follow us on Instagram @national_childrens_bureau 
• Join the Young National Children’s Bureau Network to receive a monthly newsletter