The voice of the child in social work practice

It is important for social workers to consider the voice of the child — their experiences, their worries and their wants — when undertaking their work, particularly when conducting assessments. This improves professionals’ abilities to act in the child’s best interest. 

In this episode, three consultant social workers from the NSPCC’s Quality and Practice team discuss: what we mean by ‘the voice of the child’ and why it is important; how to effectively capture the voice of the child and what barriers might get in the way of this; how to make use of the child’s voice in practical work, including in meetings, assessments, interventions and record keeping.

You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.

💬 About the speakers

Julian Fabian has been a qualified Social Worker for more than 26 years. He is currently Consultant Social Worker in the NSPCC’s Quality and Practice Team with a remit of quality assurance and practice improvement. 

Emily Waddington is a Supervisor in the Childline Service. Prior to this role, Emily has worked as a Consultant Social Worker at the NSPCC and in the Assessment and MASH teams in the Local Authority. Emily’s main areas of interest include systemic and reflective practice which is underpinned by a desire for continuous practice improvement. 

Damien Fitzpatrick is a NSPCC Consultant Social Worker based in the Service Quality and Practice Team. His role involves quality assurance of direct practice through a safeguarding lens, pre-post inspection support, supporting the development and implementation of practice standards and guidance. Prior to joining the NSPCC, Damien practiced in the local authority for 12 years in a number of different roles.

📚 Related resources

> Find out what case reviews highlight about the voice of the child 

> Listen to our podcast episode on pre-birth assessments 

> Learn more about what makes a good assessment with our ten practice points

> Discover other NSPCC Learning resources for social workers


Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros