SEND crisis and system issues 😟 Our project testimonials from families, young people assessed and professionals are available at mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/LAP @UniKent @ncbtweets @wellcometrust @BASW_UK @JoshMacAlister @educationgovuk #disabledchildren #socialcare #SEND

Throw back to one of the final illustrations from the celebration of the end of the project! #expertbyexperience #passthemic #careleavers

An overview of our amazing 'This is ME!' exhibition!!🎨🖼️ This allowed children and young people who are disabled or care experienced to reflect on who they are, the people, objects and spaces around them… They were asked to create art based on the themes ‘HOME’, ‘IDENTITY’, or ‘ADVENTURE’ 🏞️

Looking back to Disability History Month in November, where we held a series of student & staff talks-including Professor Julie Anderson, '''Send another letter": The Eugenics Society and Blindness in the 1930s'📜 #creativity #youngpeople #children #livingassessment #careexperienced #disabledchildren

Looking back to our project celebration day on 22.02.25!🎨🎉 Focused on changing narratives in children’s social care… #youngpeople #careexperienced #creativity #livingassessment #socialcare

A snap from our workshops on 31st May 2025: writing with author Jess Butterworth & drawing with artist Sandra Howgate, under the theme of ‘Adventure’🎨 #creativity #youngpeople #children #livingassessment #careexperienced #disabledchildren #childrenshealth #socialcare

Young artists with social-care experience and/or a disability were asked to create something on the theme of IDENTITY…here is the piece done by Summer, aged 13🎨 Judged by Daisy Blower (artist and theatre practitioner) & Lily Holder (artist and educator) Check out website: www.daisyblower.com

Young artists with social-care experience and/or a disability were asked to create something on the theme of IDENTITY…here are a few submissions🎨 Judged by Daisy Blower (artist and theatre practitioner) & Lily Holder (artist and educator) Check out website: www.daisyblower.com

Looking back to our award ceremony under the theme of ‘home’. Judged by Nicola Lane & Laura Mucha. Artwork was produced by children with care experience, reflecting what home means to them. Thank you to Professor Julie Anderson & Nicola Lane & Laura Mucha for your words.

Looking back to 27th Jan 2024, the Award ceremony on the theme of "Home". Judges were author Laura Mucha and artist Nicola Lane. Young people were asked to submit their artwork under the theme of ‘HOME’… here are some interviews on what home meant to them. #creativity #youngpeople #children

A quote from the Pass the Mic release by one of our experts by experience:) Check out the full paper! #careleavers #expertsbyexperience #passthemic #passingthemic

The Schools White Paper with its accompanying SEND plans has been published. We're starting to go through it proposal by proposal. Here's Renata with more. We’ll add all links as we go #SENDcrisis #SchoolsWhitePaper #EHCP

Check out our Youtube account and playlist featuring young voices from one year ago (22/02/25) such as Jaymie who is a care experienced young person. He expresses his negative experience of the care system and the need for people “who actually care”. #youngpeople #socialcare #careexperienced

Following on from the key terms - here are some of recommendations from our experts by experience! #careleavers #expertsbyexperience #children #livingassesments #mediarepresentation

Here are the quotes from our interviews with Amber and George, two young people with lived care experience. As part of a conversation about the social care system, and the importance of the arts🎤💭🎨 #creativity #youngpeople #children #livingassessment #careexperienced

Pass the mic to young people! This means people in the media, policy makers, politicians, charities, decision makers…. Who would you #passthemic to?

Looking at another interview by Amber, from our public engagement launch party on 13.06.2023🎉 She talks about the struggles of going through the social care system & the importance of change for future generations! #creativity #youngpeople #children #livingassessment #careexperienced

Some of the key points from the care leavers brief - will be linked in our stories and highlight! #youngpeople #livingassesments #expertsbyexperience #mediarepresentation www.ncb.org.uk/sites/defaul...

Looking back to our Public Engagement Launch Party from 13.06.2023!🎉 Here is one interview by Fran, discussing her care experience and why looking at disability is an important topic! #creativity #youngpeople #children #livingassessment #careexperienced

The ‘Passing The Mic’ Report was released yesterday, the final part of the Living Assessments project! Our expert by experience young people have contributed so much - please give it a read (link in stories + our bio!) #youngpeople #passthemic #passingthemic

Here’s a snippet of the keynote speech given by Lemn Sissay (OBE, BAFTA nominated playwright, international price winning writer, poet and broadcaster) He has also lived through care experience… 🎤👏 #creativity #youngpeople #careexperienced #childrenshealth #socialcare

@ncb.org.uk @wellcometrust.bsky.social @kent.ac.uk @wellcomecollection.bsky.social

Looking back to our Public Engagement Launch Party from 13.06.2023!🎉 Here is the work done by artist Sandra Howgate. We celebrated the artistic talent of young people with care experience of disabilities, leading to our This Is ME! Exhibition🖼️🎨 Check out the artist’s website! www.sandrahowgate.com

In an effort to make briefings more accessible, before posting sum ups, here are some key terms and questions answered. Feel free to put any questions in the comments :) #youngpeople #childrenhealthandsocialcare #livingassessments #expertsbyexperience #careexperienced

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NEW POST: How teachers are providing the missing evidence illustrating systemic SEND maladministration by councils. Accountability investigators, Measure What Matters, are urging schools and educators to share their experiences anonymously: www.specialneedsjungle.com/t...

Children who live in overcrowded or damp homes missed three more weeks of school than other pupils, a new study finds

A Youth strategy is welcome news.

Here is some student feedback from our Disability History Month staff and student talks, including Professor Julie Anderson, "'Send another letter": The Eugenics Society and Blindness in the 1930s'💜 Thank you to everyone who came!

This International Day of Disabled People, we’re reminded that disability justice is deeply connected to every other fight for equity. Our struggles connect us. Our solidarity is our strength! 💥 #IDDP

The Humanities does it again.

At our This is Me! workshops at the Beaney three brothers ran to the screen where a video made by a young care experienced person was playing, exclaiming ‘hey he is in care too!’ I asked them why they were excited and they said ‘he is like us’. #thebeaney #nationalchildrensbureau #universityofkent

Come to visit our ‘This is ME’ exhibition on at The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge🖼️🎨 Here until Sunday 30th November…!

Our ‘This is ME!’ exhibition is on at the Templeman Library Cafe @UniKentLibrary until the TOMORROW… 🎨 In celebration of Disability History Month, come & visit our exhibition of creative outputs by children and young people…🖼️ #DHMKent25 #disabilityhistorymonth

All of our Experts by Experience and their families/carers were the cornerstones of the Living Assessments project. As I say in my clip - we hope that more research that centres lived experience and creativity is undertaken in the future.

We throughly enjoyed working with the National Children’s Bureau on this research side hustle alongside our work on the Living Assessments project. #UniversityofKent

Creativity is an important way for young people to engage with the world around them, express themselves and communicate with others. The #LivingAssessments team is particularly proud of our public engagement project - #ChangingNarratives. www.linkedin.com/posts/nation...

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What a wonderful day on Saturday at NCB, meeting young people and their families at the final Changing Narratives event. Creativity is a fundamental form of communication, so let’s all listen to young people’s voices. sites.google.com/view/ncb-gal...

NEW POST: A new report from @familyfund.bsky.social shows how the high cost of #caring for a disabled child or young person in 2025 means some families have to choose between heating, eating, and caring for their disabled child www.specialneedsjungle.com/c... #caring#disability

Feeling creative?

An incredible display of talent from young people at the Living Assessments Creative Awards Ceremony on the theme of ‘identity’. The theme for the next submission is ‘adventure’.

Only three months to go before our own show at Chickenshed! The Living Assessment project team attended the matinee of Pan today and saw wonderful performances by (l to r) Ellie Morton, Demar Lambert and Mouse O’Hehir

Looks like an informative event.

Very excited to be a guest editor of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme during the Christmas period. Will be highlighting the impact of our society on children and that Childhood lasts a lifetime. My #Playschool Babies tell me that every day ❤️@loveswimming.bsky.social @bbcradio4.bsky.social

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The National Children’s Bureau has a long history of making childhoods better. An NCB and University of Kent collaboration: www.ncb.org.uk/about-us/who...

New paper led by @DrKatieEllis based on interviews with 15 prominent care experienced activists regarding their activism to achieve change in care systems. Thank you to all the participants for their insights. Available: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....