We're thrilled to re-launch the Voice of Young Maidstone Safety Survey 2024 and need your support! While the pandemic's immediate impacts have faded, its effects on our young people are still significant. With the rapid growth of the online world, it's crucial to understand and support Maidstone's youth.

Building on the insights from our 2021 survey, the Voice of Young Maidstone Safety Survey 2024 targets children aged 11 to 18, spanning year six to year 12. This survey invites young people to reflect on their feelings of safety at home, at school, and within their local community. Additionally, it explores their online safety, experiences with crime, and both their own and their friends’ risk-taking behaviours. The survey is anonymized, enabling us to identify trends across schools, year groups, and communities. We will share these findings with professionals, schools, and parents later in the year.

As an incentive to the young people of Maidstone, all completed surveys will be entered into a prize draw, and 20 young people will win £50 of shopping vouchers.

We will be measuring the percentage of eligible students per school and awarding prizes to the schools with the highest completion rates. The highest percentage school will receive £500, and the second highest will receive £200.

How you can get involved

Your voice matters! Help local authorities understand and address the issues that affect you.

• Who: Children aged 11-18 (Years 6-12)
• What: Share your feelings of safety at home, school, and in the community, plus online safety, crime experiences, and risk-taking behaviours.
• Why: Your anonymous input helps identify trends and shape future actions.

Click here to start the survey(External link)

• Survey takes: 10-15 minutes to complete.
• Survey closes: 8 December 2024.

What next

Survey results will inform the Council's Strategic Assessment and, as a result, the Community Safety Partnership Plan 2025-2028, to be reviewed by Council in May 2025.