Coram Voice - Children we care for survey
Oxfordshire County Council is very pleased to be working with Coram Voice, Bright Spots to run the Your Life, Your Care Survey for children in care aged 4-17yrs.
The voice of children, young people, and families lies at the heart of everything we do. It is important for those who use our services that this is the case, that they have the space to express themselves, feel actively involved, listened to and able to influence the decisions that affect them must lie firmly alongside that aspiration. 
We are once again participating in the ‘Your Life, Your Care’ survey for children in care aged 4-17yrs. This survey, Bright Spots (led by Coram Voice) is designed to better understand the experiences of the children we care for and specifically ask them about their ‘subjective well-being’: how they feel about their lives at both the individual and interpersonal level.
Your role as a Trusted Adult: Coram Voice has provided a valuable briefing to explain the role of a trusted adult. Please read this carefully before you set off to do your first survey. If you have any questions you can speak to your manager, Zaheer Ahmed, Annelies Henshall or Roz Mascarenhas at Oxfordshire County Council .
Practicalities for completing the survey: The survey is online and there is a paper copy. You will have received both in an email from Brightspots@oxfordshire.gov.uk. If you don't have it, you can email saying who you are and who you are completing it with. In the first instance a child or young person could use their own/family device. If that is not possible you can use your Oxfordshire County Council laptop* (please see below), schools, please make your own arrangement as required. Please consider the situation and the child or young person when deciding if it is suitable to use a laptop or if you should use a paper copy.
Process
- Let your child or young person know about the survey, explain why it is important. If they refuse, please send the case number along with the reason for the refusal (see below for list of reasons)
- Support the young person to complete the survey. This could be you marking the survey for them, using exactly what they say or they complete it while you wait. Where possible please stay with the young person until they are finished the survey, in case they have any questions or it might trigger issues/feelings that need addressing. It is ok to skipping questions.
- If questions arise – please answer this based on the information you know (also check the FAQ). If there is something you are not sure about please email the question to brightspots@oxfordshire.gov.uk and let the child or young person know that you or someone else will get back to them.
- Any concerns – including safeguarding concerns, please address in the usual manor.
- Once the survey is completed online they can submit. If it a paper copy, please treat the form as confidential information. You can scan then email it to brightspots@oxfordshire.gov.uk (please make sure it has been sent successfully before you shred the form). Or place in an envelope pre prepared as below (no other writing) and post ASAP.
- Please thank the child/young people for take part and let them know we will be feedback the results later in the year.
- For your information: we are hoping to create a prize draw for all children and young people who complete the survey. Please check back for more details later in the week.
- For your information: we are hoping to create a prize draw for all children and young people who complete the survey. Please check back for more details later in the week.
- When you/they have submitted/scaned/posted the survey back, please email brightspots@oxfordshire.gov.uk with the case number/name and let us know it is done. If it is not completed for any reason add a refusal code please see below.
If you have any questions about the survey or the process you can email brightspots@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Refusal Codes: If the child or young person chooses not to complete the survey or it is not appropriate to do it and there is no other opportunity, please email the reason and the case number.
Code | Reason |
123 | Didn't want to/ refused |
61 | Did not give a reason |
| 79 | Not enough time and cannot be completed before the deadline |
47 | Not appropriate to participate (nonverbal/ limited speech), or current situation (not well, in hospital, court etc) |
21 | Anxious |
7 | Doesn't like unplanned calls/uncomfortable on the phone |
5 | Living with family - doesn't feel in care |
4 | Foster carer/ family member wouldn't allow |
2 | Unwilling due to status of application with Home Office |
You can find frequently asked questions on the right side of this page.
*Typically, our Oxfordshire County Council IT equipment must only be used by OCC staff. However, ITID have approved an exception for completing this survey, providing the young person is supervised at all times and that the laptop is strictly used for survey completion only. If you are an Oxfordshire County Council member of staff and you are using your device please make sure all your other apps and tabs are closed down and you are supervising the use of your laptop.
FAQs
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Bright Spots FAQs
- Why take part and what we will do with the information?
- Who is the survey for and how long will it take?
- Who is leading this work?
- What does the survey ask?
- What is the minimum response rate?
- Is it an electronic or paper survey?
- Is the survey confidential and GDPR compliant?
- How does the survey process work?
- How can we encourage response rates?
- What happens after the survey?
- And what about monitoring progress ongoing and coproduction?
