Wirral’s SEND Youth Voice Conference raises the roof at Pilgrim Street Arts Centre
Members of SEND Youth Voice Group with Councillor Cherry Poval, Mayor of Wirral
The 2025 Youth Voice Conference burst into life with a powerful dance performance from members of Wirral’s SEND Youth Voice.
The group created the piece and performed it at a full theatre in Pilgrim Street Arts Centre. They aimed to show how important it is to empower young people to shape their own spaces.
The theme of this year’s conference was Equity & Empowerment. Young people with SEND worked with practitioners and leaders from the borough. This included the Mayor of Wirral, Councillor Cherry Povall, and Councillor Stephen Bennett, the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee. The event created a space for the voice of Wirral’s SEND youth and an audience to hear their lived experience.
“It was brilliant to get our voices across and be able to communicate and speak with the professionals. Today was important to not underestimate SEND young people’s voice and put them in a box. They just need help to undo the box. We do have a voice.”
After the performance, the room was then cleared for the workshops and chairs were placed in circles to create spaces for listening and discussion.
The workshops focused on the four elements of the Lundy model of participation: space, voice, audience, and influence. Professor Lundy from Queen’s University created a model that offers a clear way to understand child rights-based participation. Young people talked with leaders from health, education, care, and the local area. They discussed ways to improve SEND services. This gave the adults valuable insights into the young people's experiences and what works for them, and what doesn’t.
Professor Lundy herself is very interested in how the conference went and the data will be sent over to her!
“It’s important for our young people with SEND to have a space for their voices to be heard and listened to. The inspirational young people I met today are helping to shape the future of SEND provision in Wirral and I am excited to see what they do next.”
Pledges were then made to the SEND young people to help drive change and create services designed for and by young people. The many pledges included:
Create more non-verbal and creative ways to hear the voices of young people
To make sure that young people are listened to in planning their futures
Scale up and replicate more of the good practice
We’ll track these pledges on SENDLO and update you on their progress. So, keep an eye on the SENDLO news page. If you haven’t already, visit SENDLO to sign up for our monthly SEND Snapshot and get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox.
If you are interested in joining SEND Youth Voice Group or would like to know more, you can get in touch with Seline Wakerley at selinewakerley@wirral.gov.uk.