Get Involved

 

What is Stand Up Speak Up?

If you are in care or leaving care, Stand Up Speak Up (SUSU) is Devon’s group for care-experienced young people.

We offer regular groups for those aged 16+ and holiday activities for 11-15 years. Here’s how you can get involved:

• 11-15 years – We will be working with Fostering Devon to deliver regular events for our 11-15 year olds during the school holidays. Please keep an eye on our Instagram or our news page for details.
• 16-23 years – Our monthly groups are for 16-23 years olds only. For anyone aged 24 or 25, we will be supporting Avocados Impacts’ new 21+ groups (open to anyone older than 21).

If you want to come along to a session, or for more information, please email participation@devon.gov.uk or contact the locality worker for your area.

 

Our SUSU Council

If you’ve come to any of our Stand Up Speak Up groups, you’ll know that your voice and experiences is already an important part of helping improve the social care system and other services in Devon. But if you’d like to take this even further, we are always looking for young people who would like be part of our Stand Up Speak Up Council (also known as the SUSU Council).

Our SUSU Council is a group of care-experienced young people aged 15+ who meet regularly to discuss how to improve the lives of care leavers and young people currently in care. We will support you to get your voice heard so that you can take your knowledge and experience straight to the heart of Devon’s decision making. The SUSU council works closely with the Corporate Parenting Board and has a direct line to senior managers to make sure that what you say is impossible for them to ignore!

If you would like to be a part of our SUSU Council, all you need to do is talk to one of our participation workers about it or get in touch by email at participation@devon.gov.uk.

 

Other groups you can get involved with

Our SUSU Council is part of the Devon Youth Council, which is a group of 11-23 year olds (up to 25 if you have any additional needs) who aim to get the voice of young people heard and make a positive change.

The Devon Youth Council Network also incorporates our SEND Network for Change, which creates youth voice opportunities for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

 

Can I make a difference?

Yes, you absolutely can! Our groups have been making a big difference in bringing change to Devon, including helping to make ‘care experience’ a protected characteristic, working to make sure that care leavers no longer have to pay council tax, and driving improvements to housing options.

Our youth voice action tracker to see all of the actions that Devon County Council and its partners have taken in direct response to the issues that matter most to you. Or check out our video from our annual Youth Voice Awards below for a quick look at some of what we got up to last year.

 

 

Summer events

In addition to the groups and opportunities outlined above, we’ve also got lots of fun events lined up this summer that you can join. Book your place now!