Capturing the voice of younger children in record keeping

Whose voice did we hear?

We heard the voices of younger children aged under 5 across All Aberdeenshire, interpreted through behaviour, interaction, and observation because many children in this age range do not communicate verbally.

Why were we asking about this?

This quality improvement project explored how the voices of younger children are represented in health records within Aberdeenshire and NHS Grampian. It looked at whether children’s lived experiences were being clearly recorded, rather than being filtered mainly through professional interpretation.

What did we hear?

The work found that younger children’s voices are often mediated through adult interpretation, which can make their experiences less visible in records. Using first-person language such as “I…” and structured prompts can help practitioners notice non-verbal communication, reflect on its meaning, and record the child’s perspective more explicitly. The learning also showed that confidence, skill development, reflective practice, and supervision are essential to do this well and consistently.

What did we do with the voices we heard?

In response to the findings, a visual prompt tool called “See Me, Hear Me” was introduced to support practitioners to reflect on and record the child’s perspective more clearly. Practitioners showed improved awareness of how to make the child’s voice more visible in documentation, with emerging evidence of more child-centred recording and more meaningful consideration of children’s experiences in assessment and decision-making. The project also highlighted the need for ongoing training, reflective supervision, and multi-agency consistency.

Who to contact for more information.

For more information, please contact the Children’s Rights and Participation Group by emailing youthvoicelibrary@aberdeenshire.gov.uk