INVERCLYDE Council and the local health and social care partnership have been praised for promoting an app which gives young people a voice.

The Mind Of My Own app is used by young people who are working with a social worker to let them say what’s important to them and their care.

Through the app, young people can communicate their thoughts and feelings ahead of scheduled meetings, note their opinions on decisions that have been made about them, and communicate their views to a trusted adult. This empowers young people to participate in their lives and communicate in a safe and secure way.

As a result of the changes pioneered in Inverclyde and made to the app for all users, Inverclyde was nominated as one of the most improved organisations at Mind Of My Own’s annual Scottish VoxCon.

And Lesley Ellis, who leads the iPromise team in Inverclyde, was given an award for going the extra mile in supporting the implementation of Mind Of My Own across the local authority.

Councillor Robert Moran, chair of the Inverclyde Integrated Joint Board, said: “Mind Of My Own is a useful and important tool for social workers and the young people they support. It gives the young people a voice and the ability to be involved in decisions made about their care.

“I am delighted Lesley and Inverclyde HSCP has been recognised for going the extra mile in using the app and helping to develop it and make it more accessible for young people.

“Congratulations to everyone involved.”

Inverclyde HSCP started using the app two years ago and as part of their commitment to The Promise - that Scotland's children and young people will grow up loved, safe and respected – changed the language used in their dealings with young people and started working on changing this in the app.

Some of the changes include using "family time" instead of "contact", "holiday/short breaks" instead of "respite" and "house" instead of "unit".

As well as working with young people to update the language used in the app to better reflect how people speak in Scotland, Lesley and colleague Erin Power, an engagement and development worker at Your Voice Inverclyde, took part in a podcast around the importance and power of language.

The iPromise team’s Children’s Rights Officer, Caroline McCahill is also helping Mind Of My Own to update their rights section in line with UNCRC now being enshrined in law in Scotland.

Hunter Jones, CEO of Mind Of My Own said: “Lesley’s dedication to amplifying young people’s voices has been truly inspiring and Inverclyde has set an incredible example of community spirit and proactive change.

“Their commitment to ensuring children and young people feel heard and respected embodies the values we stand for at Mind Of My Own. We’re proud to have Inverclyde as a valued partner in our mission”