Derry’s Shea Taylor provides powerful testimony on need of reform of child social services - video Dailymotion

Derry’s Shea Taylor provides powerful testimony on need of reform of child social services

Transcript

00:00I had my speech written out by yesterday but last night I received an

00:04email from a young person who's given me permission to name him today. His name

00:08is Shay Taylor and he wanted his thoughts to be read out today. My name is Shay

00:14Taylor and I'm an expert by experience based in the Derry office. First of all

00:19I'd like to send my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the work on the

00:22advocating on these important issues and challenges that young people face

00:26particularly within the social care system itself. Advocating for positive

00:31change for young people across Northern Ireland is something I'm extremely

00:34passionate about and I myself am a care experienced young person who has been in

00:39kinship care since 2021. Some issues that matter to me include the government's

00:44ignorance towards creating a suitable appropriate and sustainable care system

00:47in which young people in care can receive help support and gain skills

00:50confidence and grow as young people in a safe environment in which they can

00:55thrive. The lack of funding for youth organisations, a flawed care system for

00:59young people, particularly the number of different health and social care trusts

01:03areas which make it difficult to sustain a fair and effective care system. The

01:08lack of care and attention paid by the government to young people's voices and

01:11opinions and the lack of pathways for young people in care such as sustainable

01:16employment, career and personal opportunities. These are not my words

01:19Deputy Speaker, these are the words of our young people who are living it and

01:23those are the ones from those who are able to speak up for themselves. We all

01:27know that there are others at a much younger age who enter the care system

01:30due to the failure of government to protect them and their families for the

01:33hardships they face.