Adults that can help

These are people asked by the court to help decide what will be best for a child. This can be because parents are separating or because there are concerns about a child not being looked after properly. The children and family reporter or children’s guardian must tell the court the child’s wishes and feelings.

A children’s rights officer tells children and young people about their rights, and helps them to get their voices heard in things that affect them. This person usually works with children and young people living away from home.

A community worker is based in a local neighbourhood and tries to get people involved in decisions like building new parks, preventing crime, and making the neighbourhood a better place to live.

A Connexions Personal Adviser works with young people aged 13 to 19 to help them understand their education and employment choices.

There is a Director of Children’s Services in every local council. He or she is in charge of most of the services for children and young people in that area. Find your Director of Children’s Services here

Independent advocates are usually based in charities but can also be found in hospitals, schools or social services. They give children and young people information about their rights and support them to influence decisions that affect them.

A lawyer can help you take a problem to court. There is no lower age limit on when you can instruct a lawyer – you just need to show you understand the problem and the consequences of any decision a court may make. If you are in trouble with the police, you will need a lawyer to help you. You need to make sure you get the right lawyer for your problem – lawyers specialise in different areas such as helping children in families or in care, juvenile justice, human rights law or discrimination law. Check out CRAE’s legal advice service

Local councillors are local people elected to the council. Even though under-18s cannot vote, your local councillor must treat you with the same respect as an adult, and take your views seriously. Go to the one that represents the area you live in (your ward) or to the one that is in charge of a particular issue (like services for children). Councillors are also called ‘elected members’.

An MP represents the views of the people living in his or her area (constituency) in Parliament. Even though under-18s are not allowed to vote, your MP must treat you with the same level of respect as an adult, and take your views seriously. You can write to your MP, and visit him or her for advice. MPs can write letters to people in power and raise issues in Parliament.

OK, so they’re not adults, but MYPs are young people who represent local areas for the UK Youth Parliament. There are over 400 MYPs in the UK (aged 11 to 17) who work hard to get children and young people’s voices heard. The UK Youth Parliament is a charity, so MYPs do not have the same powers as MPs in Parliament.

A mentor can give another person help and advice, act as a positive role model, and pass on special skills or expertise to the person they are mentoring.

Your parent or carer can be a great person to go to for advice about how to promote your children’s rights campaign in your local area

Participation workers help children and young people to get involved in decision-making. They can be found in councils, hospitals, charities, museums, and all sorts of other places.

Social workers support children and young people to get the most from life and to be safe. The law says that social workers must take a child or young person’s wishes and feelings into account before making any decisions about their lives.

Don’t forget your teachers. They’re easy to get hold of, and can help you to tell people in your school about children’s human rights.

Youth workers run clubs and activities for young people. They also help young people decide what changes they want to see in their local area, and how they can make those changes happen.