Young Voices Influencing Care (YVIC) is a group of passionate and resilient young people with care experience in Hull. The group is working together to create meaningful change in the ways that services are shaped and delivered.
YVIC exists to amplify the lived experiences of young people in care. The group advocates for services that reflect the real needs of children and young people, not just what adults think they need. Our work includes consultations, co-production of services, and training tools.
One of our most impactful projects to date is The Cards You’re Dealt, a card game that brings difficult conversations to the table. It is a unique and thought-provoking tool designed to help adults see the care system through the eyes of a child.
The game was born from a simple but profound idea: if adults could step into the world of a child in care, even briefly, they might better understand the challenges, emotions, and realities our children face every day.
Developing the game
The members of YVIC, drawing on their own stories and those of their peers, carefully crafted the 46 dilemma cards that form the heart of the game. Each card presents a real-life scenario rooted in the everyday experiences of children in care. These scenarios are raw, insightful, and often challenging, inviting professionals to engage with them not just intellectually, but emotionally.
The game was devised, designed, and created by young people but it is not for young people to play. Instead, it's a training and development tool for professionals: social workers, foster carers, local authority staff, and anyone with corporate parenting responsibilities. Through play, they are encouraged to reflect on their own practices, identify areas for growth, and acknowledge where they are already making a positive difference.
How it works
The game is simple to play but designed to provoke deep thought and conversation. Each player receives seven cards. A central deck includes a mix of dilemma cards and ‘chat cards’ - special prompts that ask players to pause, reflect, and discuss.
Players lay dilemma cards in order of increasing value. When a player cannot match or exceed the value of the card played before them, they must draw a chat card. The group subsequently reads aloud the dilemma card and engages in a timed, three-minute group discussion. These moments are the soul of the game - here transformation happens through empathy and honest conversation.
As the young people who created the game say:
We are in care, and it’s no game at all. This game is for you adults to play, and we won’t be joining in.
YVIC participants
The game is an opportunity for professionals to walk in the shoes of care-experienced young people, thinking about challenges from their perspective.
The impact of the game
Since its launch, The Cards You’re Dealt has been embraced by professionals across a range of sectors. It has been used in schools to deepen educators’ understanding of care-experienced students, with NHS professionals to explore how health services interact with vulnerable young people, and in universities to equip future social workers and education students with a deeper awareness of the challenges that young people in care face.
Members of Hull City Council proudly support the initiative:
Lots of our teams have played it already, and feedback so far has been really positive. I’m so proud that young people in Hull will be influencing social care up and down the country, as well as here at home.
Councillor Linda Tock, portfolio holder for Children's Services at Hull City Council
In addition to The Cards You’re Dealt, YVIC has been involved in a wide range of creative activities to amplify the voices of care-experienced young people. They’ve developed powerful short films, delivered training to social work teams, co-designed care planning materials, and even advised on interview panels for senior council appointments - ensuring that young people have a say in who shapes their futures. YVIC have also worked on national campaigns with organisations like Coram Voice and taken part in regional forums to influence wider policy.
Whether through art, storytelling, or direct consultation, the work of the group continues to challenge assumptions, inspire professionals, and bring about real, measurable change.
You can learn more about the work of YVIC and download the cards for use within your own area on the Hull City Council website.