Introduction
All agencies which work with children and young people will be encouraged to develop best practice in their own agencies and to promote participation opportunities.
This is particularly important to enable those children and young people who need additional support, who are not engaged with council services but are in contact with the voluntary and community sector, to access opportunities to have their voice heard and to participate in decision making.
Recruitment
Young people are regularly involved in the recruitment process by being an Interview panel member, being involved in developing job descriptions and/or shortlisting. There is training available to enable young people to participate effectively in the recruitment process. Training also covers issues around equal opportunities and confidentiality.
Young people are rewarded for their input by a variety of methods including accreditation. There will be a toolkit available in Summer 2008 to enable staff involved in recruitment to train young people. Support is available through the Participation Workers Strategy group.
Surveys/Consultations
A variety of surveys are undertaken with young people to gauge views and needs. These surveys are used to inform various plans within the Childrens and Young Peoples Department.
Youth Service Survey
The Youth Service Survey is undertaken annually by young people who attend local authority or commissioned provision. Questions are asked to gauge young peoples use and satisfaction with the services provided. The results are used to inform Children & Young People’s Departmental Plans. Projects are given individual feedback on the results of their surveys so that information can be fed into operational plans.
The survey in 2007 was produced both in paper and electronic form. The surveys were sent to all centres and projects supported by the Youth Service. A total of 620 surveys were sent out together with details of how to access the survey online. A prize draw was also included to encourage young peoples participation, there were six winners, two from each locality. A total of 394 paper surveys were completed and returned together with 4 online surveys. Twenty-two projects returned completed surveys.
Ready Steady Change Training
The Ready Steady Change Training materials aim to give children and young people and adult decision makers the skills to open up decision making structures and process and to ensure that all children and young people get a real say and influence in matters affecting them.
This year 8 young people are being trained as trainers in Children and Young People’s Rights and will then work alongside participation officers and the Children and Young People’s Training Manager to deliver a series of three one day courses available to staff throughout the county.
Resource Links
For resource links please use the 'Other websites' section on this page.