‘What we say we need’: A Report on the Important Items, Opportunities and Aspirations for Children and Young People

During 2012, Amplify (the Children’s Commissioner’s advisory group of children and young people) embarked on developing and carrying out a research project. As a group they decided they wanted to explore the impact that living in low income households had on children and young people’s lives.

What makes this research distinct is that it was designed and administered by children and young people for children and young people. It presents their views on what is important to them.

What did Amplify want to find out and why?

Through a series of workshops Amplify considered many topics relating to the impact that living in low income families has on the lives of children and young people. The topics considered included, peer-lead research with children and young people living in poverty and further qualitative analysis on how poverty impacts on the children and young people’s lives. The topic was also chosen because Amplify were worried about the numbers of children and young people living in low income families and how these numbers were on the increase. In addition, they were concerned about the inequality in access to certain material items1, opportunities and realising hopes and dreams.

After a number of in-depth working groups, Amplify decided the most pressing issue they wanted to explore was the inequality in access to material items and opportunities. They were also interested in identifying what things other than money, would help children and young people achieve their hopes and dreams. This was so that they could support government thinking and how to support children and young people to achieve.

Amplify want the findings of this research to be used by the Government to support them to plan, provide and tailor services so that they meet the needs of children and young people.