Liverpool City Council has teamed up with nationally recognised Mind of My Own to start rolling out two apps that will be used by children, young people and care experienced young people in the city who receive care and support organised by the council.

The apps, which are already used by many councils, allow children and young people to communicate with professionals, such as social workers, personal advisers and support staff, in a new way. The apps capture the true voice of children and young people who can share their views, wishes and feelings as well as give feedback on a whole range of topics from preparing for child protection conferences to looked-after children reviews and also sharing good news and successes.

Liverpool City Council will be using two Mind of My Own apps. The “One” app will be available for all children and young people whilst the “Express” app will be available for younger children as well as those with additional support needs. The apps have been especially successfully in giving a voice to children and young people who find social interaction challenging.

A further app – “SHOUT” – will also be rolled out later this year which allows surveys to be created to gather children and young people’s views on wider issues.

Professionals working with children, young people and care-experienced young people will encourage them to use the app, initially supporting them as they use the technology and then encouraging them to use it independently as and when they would like to.

The apps are completely safe to use, complying with GDPR, the Data Protection Act and the Information Commissioner’s Office’s Children’s Code, and can be used on laptops as well as phones. They are also available in over 100 languages.

Cllr Liz Parsons, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Services, said:

“Our partnership with Mind of My Own is really exciting and will make a real difference to how children, young people and care-experienced young people become involved in influencing their support as well as other aspects of their lives.

“Mind of My Own is well established at other local authorities and professionals have found it invaluable in getting the right support in place for the children and young people that they look after and including them in wider discussions about their lives.

“Mind of My Own will also be a vitally important tool for us as we continue our journey to becoming a Unicef Child Friendly City and during our ongoing improvement journey to excellence. Listening to children and young people and involving them in decision-making, whether about their own lives or the wider work of the council, is not just a nice-to-have, it must be integral to what we do, and Mind of My Own will help us achieve this.”

Alistair Eaton, CEO Noveva Software Group, owners of Mind of My Own, said:

“We’re thrilled to have Liverpool on board and excited to start capturing the voices of their children and young people.

“Since inception, Mind Of My Own has partnered with over 120 children’s services, helping to amplify hundreds of thousands of young voices. We look forward to supporting Liverpool in giving their children and young people a stronger platform to be heard.”