The Changemakers is a youth voice group for young people with additional needs and disabilities aged 11-25. It was created as a working group to feed into Bury’s SEND Improvement and Assurance Board following a 2024 Area SEND Ofsted/ Care Quality Commission inspection. The Changemakers meet fortnightly during term time and have reward trips during the school holidays. Their primary role is to hold the SEND Improvement and Assurance board accountable and assist in Bury’s improvement journey, and they do so by reading monthly reports, attending board meetings, and providing regular feedback to the board through the SEND Ambassador and Inclusion Advocate. Members of the board are also invited to attend Changemakers meetings. The Changemakers sit alongside Bury’s formal statutory democratic youth approach to voice, Youth Cabinet, and members of both groups are invited to attend Full Cabinet meetings with elected members. Changemakers are encouraged to attend Youth Cabinet, to participate and share their views on wider issues and systems/structures affecting young people. This ensures a wide variety of participation and engagement and that the voices of our young people with SEND are heard.
