A group of inspiring children and young people from Lancashire have received the prestigious Diana Award.



The young inspectors' triumphed in the Champion Volunteer Category, in recognition of their outstanding work checking the standards provided in residential homes, homeless accommodation and the private fostering arrangements made for children and young people who are being looked after.

They are trained and skilled in their role of assessing standards of provision. The particular strength of the service is the young inspectors' ability to relate to and to understand the other young people who are accessing the services that are being inspected.

The inspectors are part of Lancashire's Children in Care Council (LINX) and the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Council (POWAR), whose role is to ensure that the needs, views and experiences of children in care and care leavers are considered when important decisions, that can profoundly affect their lives, are made.

Two teams made up of 14 young people, received the award. Six of the young people are in care themselves, and eight have special educational needs. All are under 18 years old.

They were presented with their Diana Volunteers' Award by County Councillor Matthew Tomlinson, cabinet member for children, young people and schools, at a recent meeting of Lancashire County Council's corporate parenting board – the committee that prioritises the needs of children in care and strives to achieve the same outcomes for them that any good parent would want for their own children.

County Councillor Tomlinson said: "The young inspectors are a fantastic example of a group that aims to make sure that the most vulnerable children and young people receive the best service possible, and I was honoured to present the award to them.

"The young inspectors work incredibly hard, collectively they have volunteered over a hundred hours of their time carrying out these inspections. We really value the contribution they make in influencing the way services are run for looked-after children. I'm hugely impressed by their understanding, professionalism, maturity and commitment.

"At Lancashire County Council we are firmly committed to involving young people in decisions that affect them, and working with a dynamic group like this makes it a joy, as well as very successful. I'd like to congratulate everyone involved with the young inspectors - I'm very proud of them."

The county council commissions Barnardo's to support the inspection process, to ensure independent oversight of the council's own processes.

Paul Wilcox, Assistant Director from Barnardo's, said: "We are delighted at the motivation and commitment this group of children and young people have shown to improving the lives of young people living in Lancashire.

"Their work has demonstrated that young people really can make a difference. They are an inspiration to others and are very worthy recipients of a Diana Award.”

The Diana Awards were created as a legacy to Princess Diana's belief that young people have the power to change the world for the better. Since 1999, the Diana Award has recognised over 42,000 young people who have made a positive difference to the lives of others and their communities.

Lancashire County Council young inspectors have a core group of 30. Ways in which the young inspectors have represented the voice of children in care include:

• Visiting many Lancashire County Council residential homes, private residential homes, Lancashire County Council and private fostering agencies, homelessness projects and other services for children and young people.

• Leading two separate meetings with staff from the service and those who use the service.

• Developing the questions to be asked at the meetings.

• Compiling a report with recommendations for improvement after the meetings.

• Following an inspection, a further visit is made by the young inspectors to make sure that the recommendations have been implemented.

• The young inspectors have also recently reviewed their own processes and made improvements.

Tessy Ojo, Chief Executive Officer of the Diana Award said: “The Diana Award is proud to recognise volunteers like the young inspectors, who use their own personal experience to make a difference for others.

"The Diana Champion Volunteer Award is presented to inspirational young people who have made a positive difference in their communities. With a growing network of over 42,000 award holders, we are building a force of young people who are committed to take social action and improve our communities."

As a further accolade for their hard work, the young inspectors have met with the Barnardo's internal inspection team and have spent a day with the chief executive, Javed Khan, to carry out an inspection of a Barnardo's senior leader's conference and inspected Javed completing a report.