Project partners
SpeakOut was a project created and run by the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF), an independent charity dedicated to championing and supporting the use of effective early intervention to improve the lives of children and young people at risk of poor outcomes. Find out more about EIF and early intervention at www.EIF.org.uk
We are pleased to have had the support of the Race Equality Foundation and Action for Children.
The Race Equality Foundation is a national charity tackling racial inequality to improve the lives of Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, who guided the development of the project that has become SpeakOut. The Race Equality Foundation believe that everyone should be provided with the opportunities to flourish. Find out more at raceequalityfoundation.org.uk
Action for Children is a national charity that works to protect and support children and young people by providing practical and emotional care and support. Action for Children makes sure their voices are heard, and campaigns to bring lasting improvements to their lives. Find out more at www.actionforchildren.org.uk
Background
At EIF, an important part of our work is research to understand ‘what works’ in services that provide support to children, young people and families. We then share this information with people who make vital decisions about designing, providing or funding these services.
Our research looks at lots of different issues, from health to education to justice. Across all of these areas, there are large and worrying inequalities in the outcomes experienced by minority ethnic groups. We also know that good family support can help to address many of these issues before they become more serious concerns in a young person’s life.
It is vital that family support services can support all families, from all ethnic backgrounds, to reduce these risks to young people’s lives. But as a country, we don’t know enough about what effective family support looks like, especially for minority ethnic families. We think the goal of reducing inequalities should start with learning more about what works to support minority ethnic families.
Right now, the government is planning to improve some of the support that is available for children, young people and families. We believe it is important to listen to young people and parents to understand what support they need. We want to make sure that the government hears from all young people and families, including people from minority ethnic backgrounds. This can help to make the right changes and design support services that work better for all families.
SpeakOut is the way we will gather these stories and include them in our recommendations to people who make decisions in government.