Introduction
Participation is the process of sharing power to ensure those experiences, ideas and opinions fully impact on decisions that affect children and young people’s lives. The following are some examples of this:
- Increasing examples of strong, effective school councils at primary and secondary levels.
- Children and young people participating in Headship appointments.
- Joint training using secondary pupils as peer educators for primary pupils. Strong peer mediator programs in place.
- Development of Learner Entitlement (LE) included young people throughout the process and their views are reflected in all aspects of the final document from content to design. Young people also presented the LE to a 14-19 conference.
- Every Child Matters survey undertaken in 2005 and 2008. Follow up Enjoy and Achieve consultation undertaken through 2006 with results in early 2007.
- Increasing involvement of young people in recruitment and selection of staff including senior staff.
- Young people routinely involved in influencing provision at youth centre/project level.
The majority of children in care communicate their views at their reviews (94% at March 2007). - Children in care and care leavers actively involved in a range of projects including the setting up and development of the ‘trainer flat’ project, delivering ‘Total Respect’ training and involvement in the successful Beacon bid process for ‘Improving the Outcomes for Children in Care’.
- Involvement of teenage mothers in the consultation regarding the parenting strategy.