Children will be at the centre of political decision making in Wales thanks to a new toolkit which has been launched by Barnardo’s Cymru.

Finding Your Voice was developed by the charity in collaboration with children in Newport and has since been shared with Welsh Government Ministers and Sophie Howe, the Future Generations Commissioner.

The toolkit is for teachers to use with their pupils to help them find their voices, learn about local democracy and carry out research.

This research about issues which concern children in Wales can be delivered to their teachers and governors, police and local politicians with the power to make real change.

The project which has been running in Pillgwenlly Primary School, Newport and Millbrook Primary School, Bettws, is part of Children First, a Welsh Government approach to addressing the needs of children and young people, ensuring they are able to be fully engaged shaping their communities from cradle to career.

Children and teachers who worked on the project were joined at the launch in the Lysaght Institute by staff from Newport schools, the local authority, Police, Welsh Government, school governors and proud parents.

The event opened with a performance by young people, supported by Mess Up The Mess, on the importance of voice, with the rest of the day led by the children involved in Children’s First.

Barnardo’s Cymru Director Sarah Crawley said: “I’m delighted to be able to launch this toolkit which was produced in collaboration with young people, so their voices are heard by people in power.

“It’s essential that politicians listen to them, not because they are the voters of the future but because they are the children of the present and need to be heard about what needs to change.

“I look forward to hearing about how children get on with using the toolkit to hold politicians to account across Wales.”