Our Flagship Prevention Programme "A Child's Voice" ® Saves Lives
Delivering care aligned with NHSE Staying Safe From Suicide
Integrating "A Child’s Voice" with National School Mental Health Frameworks
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Testimonials From Our 'A Childs Voice' Programme
Before I did the programme I was upset all of the time, was self-harming and struggling at school. I stopped self-harming since week 2.
I think this course is interesting and informative teaching me how my brain and my thoughts work. Since doing the course I have learnt that there are loads of different mental health disorders and that everybody experiences anxiety and stuff like that and its normal to feel low sometimes.
The programme has taught me different ways on how to manage my emotions and feelings in certain situations. Helping me to understand stuff by writing it out calms me down.
I'm no longer self - harming as I am stronger. I am proud of myself and feeling stronger.
I would recommend this programme as I think it has been beneficial to me and would be to many other young life's.
There is a safety planning section in my workbook that is helpful and educates me on how to reach out in crisis.
Tia's positive affirmations * I am proud of my big heart and how I care a lot for others and how they feel. I know that I am also deserving of love and respect​
Mums Voice
"Tia is now nearing the end of the course and has not self-harmed since week 2.
We hope the course has made her view things differently, to ask for help and given her more confidence to know that she can cope with situations in better ways.
She seems stronger than before in dealing with issues.
Thanks
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School's Voice
"The 10-week resilience programme run by The Life Matters has had a significant positive impact on Tia's confidence and independence.
Staff have noticed her resilience and Tia is less reliant on less support from staff. Her strength and resilience is evident in her role as a buddy for a new student, helping them to integrate into the school and community. Staff notice Tia's increases self-reliance and emotional strength.
Her class teachers say that she works very well in class and is a pleasure to teach.
Young person, age 15, Victory Academy School, Chatham, 2025
“Before starting A Child’s Voice, I was self-harming and struggling with suicidal thoughts. After making a self-pledge in week 1, I stopped self-harming and began to feel supported. I know my thoughts might come back, but now I have safety planning tools and know how to get help. I haven’t had an FND episode in two weeks, which used to happen every day. I feel less stressed and more confident, and I’ve even been able to return to school. I really enjoyed the programme and will keep using my workbook for support.”
​Parent feedback:
Mum: “My daughter has become more confident and learned how to express her feelings. The Life Matters has done more for her in 10 weeks than CAMHS has in four years.”
Dad: “She now understands mental health better and is a more confident young lady. This programme has been fantastic—I just wish more children had access to this kind of support. There simply isn’t enough out there.”
Other "A Child's Voice" Participant Testimonials
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“I have stopped self-harming now because this programme helped me understand why I was hurting myself.”
— Male, Age 13
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“I used to take drug overdoses and was frequently in hospital. This programme identified my child protection needs, made the necessary referrals, and The Life Matters supported me to overcome my fears.”
— Female, Age 13
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“As a young carer and school refuser who self-harmed, I was proud to use my voice to help create the A Child’s Voice programme by participating in the trials and giving feedback. The Life Matters helped me seek pathways for undiagnosed autism and empowered me with coping strategies that helped me stop self-harming.”
— Female, Age 15
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“I was always in trouble at school, but this programme helped me understand positive relationships and boundaries, which made me feel safe. I used self-harm as a way to cope. The Life Matters was my advocate at school and helped me find my voice. Now, my voice keeps me safe in positive ways.”
— Female, Age 14
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“I self-harmed because I didn’t know I was being sexually exploited. I often ran away from home and used self-harm to cope. Although I had a social worker, I didn’t bond with her. I participated in the creation of the A Child’s Voice programme, which included education about sexual exploitation. It took time, but now I understand my behaviours and can keep myself safe by understanding the consequences of risk-taking.”
— Female, Age 13
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Comments during the programme (Week 5):
“This course is helping me understand why I think and feel the way I do in certain situations. I already understand myself much better and feel more confident managing challenging situations.”
— Female, Age 14
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“A Child’s Voice helped me understand myself in ways other services didn’t. The wellbeing officer explained things in a way I could actually relate to, and for the first time, I felt truly heard. The one-to-one sessions and workbook tasks helped me realise how to be kind to myself. I’ve now made a pledge to stop self-harming and haven’t self-harmed since. My wellbeing score has improved from 7 (sad) to 4 (happy). I have my workbook to refer back to for safety planning, so I can seek help at any time.”
— Young person, age 14, Victory Academy School, Chatham, 2025
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“This programme has made a big difference to my mental health. I was self-harming and having suicidal thoughts at the start, but by week 2 I had stopped hurting myself, and by week 5 the suicidal thoughts had also gone. I know they might come back, but now I have better ways to cope and know how to get help in a crisis. The programme helped me build my self-esteem and was part of what helped me get into a SEN school. I feel more confident expressing myself and reaching out when things are hard. I started at 10 on the sad end of the wellbeing scale and finished at 2 near the happy end. I’ll keep using the strategies and my workbook. I’ll really miss seeing the wellbeing officer.”
— Young person, age 13, Victory Academy School, Chatham, 2025
Due to the sensitive nature of our work—which includes cases with a wide range of other child protection concerns—we do not share detailed case studies on our website, as the content may be distressing. However, if you would like further insight into the impact of our work, please contact the charity directly. We can provide anonymised case studies upon request, where appropriate."
