Involving children and young people in developing social care

• What 'practice' meansOpen

  For children and young people to become involved, practitioners need to be able to work in a way that enables participation and ultimately effects change or improvement within the organisation. Organisations, therefore, need to develop the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to enable all children and young people to participate safely and effectively.

• Why practice is importantOpen

  Poor participatory practice is one of the most commonly cited obstacles to participation. This is particularly pertinent in the process of involving individual children and young people in making decisions about their own lives. For example, a great deal of evidence suggests that looked-after children and young people often feel unable to participate effectively in reviews or similar meetings: 'Most children find the meetings boring and some find them unpleasant. They often feel insufficiently prepared to take part and they are hardly ever given the chance of independent advice or representations' (Thomas, 2000).

  Adults often fail to acknowledge the need to adapt their ways of working to accommodate children and young people (NSW Commission for Children and Young People, 2004). The establishment of a culture that acknowledges the need for change, plus structures that provide the mechanisms to support this change, may go some way to ensuring that this obstacle is overcome.

  However, without the effective practice of individual practitioners on a day-to-day basis, children and young people's participation will fail to effect positive change. In addition, if children and young people have repeated experiences of adults failing to involve them effectively in decision-making processes, their desire to participate in the future will decline and the principle of participation will be devalued.

  Despite acknowledgement that some practice can inhibit participation, a great deal of positive practice within social care organisations has successfully enabled the involvement of children and young people. This practice is often overlooked as organisations become concerned with the complexities of developing participation and meeting legislative targets.

  It is important that positive practice is recognised so that practitioners can share their skills, knowledge and experience with both colleagues and external audiences.

  I think there is something very important about sharing practice and making sure that people in the organisation have the opportunity to know what other people are doing, because that can work to allay fears.

  Practitioner

• Developing effective practiceOpen

  Research relating to participation identifies a number of key issues that need to be considered to ensure children and young people are able to become actively involved in both collective and individual decision making processes.

  Involving all children and young people

  I wanted to do some recruitment in a school and I said to my contact that I was looking for a mixed group of young people, mixed gender, mixed ability, and I got the head girl, the deputy head girl and someone else who was from the student council.

  Practitioner

  Participation in decision-making is a right of all children and young people - no matter how great the challenge for practitioners to involve them. Every effort should be made to provide practitioners with the knowledge, time and support to involve all children and young people who access their services. Equally, children and young people should be granted the time, training and support to be able to participate.

  Children and young people are often seen as a homogenous group. However, as Beresford and Croft (1993) suggest: 'Different children and children of different ages may be able to participate in different ways and to different degrees, but then the same is true for adults.' Oldfield and Fowler's mapping of children and young people's participation in England (2004) found significant disparities between the levels of involvement granted to different groups of children and young people. Although respondents reported some success in involving what are often seen as 'hard to reach' groups of children and young people, two thirds of statutory agencies and half of voluntary agencies found it difficult to include specific groups. These groups included black and minority ethnic children and young people, those in rural areas, disaffected children and young people and those who do not access education, training or employment.

  Evidence suggests that the following groups of children and young people are frequently excluded from the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes.

  Disabled children and young people

  There is a belief that some children cannot communicate, and actually that is the first barrier that organisations need to overcome, even before they get to how to communicate.

  Practitioner

  Disabled children and young people are subject to a high degree of adult intervention, are more vulnerable to abuse than non-disabled children and are more likely to receive medical treatment and to be involved in various assessment procedures about their care (Dickens et al, 2004). For these reasons alone, it is essential that disabled children and young people are routinely involved in both collective and individual decision-making processes.

  Although the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) refers to the rights of all children and young people, Article 23 refers specifically to the importance of recognising the right of disabled children and young people to participate. The Framework for the assessment of children in need and their families (Department of Health, 2000) also recognises the need to involve them, emphasising that 'communication with some disabled children requires more preparation, sometimes more time and, on occasions, specialists' expertise.'

  Despite this policy recognition, many disabled children and young people continue to be excluded from decision-making processes. Franklin and Sloper's research into the participation of disabled children and young people in social service departments (2004) found that their 'participation is still patchy and involvement at a higher strategic level is rare.' Of the 71 local authorities involved in the study, only 60 per cent reported that they involved disabled young people both in service development and in tailoring individual care packages. Respondents also reported that they felt that they had received insufficient training about communicating with young disabled people.

  Practitioners need to be aware of the barriers that disabled children and young people face and provide sufficient time, support and resources to enable them to be overcome. Organisations need to recognise the need for this practice and ensure that training and resources are available for practitioners to utilise. There exists a wealth of resources about working with disabled children and young people, offering guidance relating to the specific issues that need to be considered, including communication tools and techniques, venues, accessibility and support methods.

  Participation of disabled children and young people

  Click here for the Resource tool box

  Participation of disabled children and young people

  Click here for: Case study 7, Case study 9, Case study 10, Case study 11, Case study 12, Case study 13, Case study 15.

  Young children

  Young children are often excluded from consultations or decision-making, with parents and practitioners making decisions on their behalf. Alderson (2000) provides examples of how babies as young as six months old are able to 'form and express a view' about their immediate surroundings, choice of activities and personal preferences - challenging the perception that it is only older young people who can form opinions or make decisions about their lives.

  In practice, there has been an increase in involving younger children - for example, the 'mosaic approach' ( Clark and Moss, 2001), which is a way of actively listening to children, has been adapted to work with those under the age of two. However, younger children as a group are still often excluded from decision-making processes. Oldfield and Fowler's mapping exercise (2004) found that fewer than 20 per cent of organisations that provided a service for under-fours involved them in decision-making, and only 54 per cent said that they involved children aged five to eight.

  Children develop at different rates and are influenced by a range of factors specific to their individual circumstances. It is for this reason that children of all ages should be offered a variety of different means in which to participate (Wright and Haydon, 2002). McNeish (1999) suggests that:

  whilst age-related characteristics are not universal, many of the projects which have succeeded in engaging and maintaining young people's participation have designed their activities to be age-appropriate as well as responsive to individual interests and capabilities.

  A number of resources provide advice about the participation of younger children. Many focus on the importance of using creative and flexible communication techniques.

  Participation of young children

  Click here for the Resource tool box

  Participation of young children

  Click here for: Case study 7, Case study 10.

  Marginalised groups of children and young people

  <>Disadvantaged or 'vulnerable' children and young people often face barriers to participation for less visible reasons than age and impairment. A huge number may fall into this category: looked-after children and young people or care leavers, teenage parents, homeless young people, young offenders, refugees or asylum seekers, those from minority ethnic groups, gay and lesbian young people and young carers (Wright and Haydon, 2002).

  <>Calder and Cope's review of the Prince's Trust (2004) found that 'hard to reach' young people valued the ability to make their own choices. However, agencies frequently sought to direct them rather than engage them.

  McNeish (1999) identifies some of the factors that serve to magnify barriers to participation for these groups of young people:

  • Young people who have had difficult life experiences are less likely to have the confidence and self-esteem to participate.
  • If their views have not been taken into account in the past, they are less likely to be motivated to participate in the present.
  • If their experiences have included mistreatment by adults, they are less likely to trust the current intentions of adults trying to engage their participation.
  • Negative assumptions and stereotypes that can be applied to young people generally may be even stronger for certain groups of young people.
  • Young people are likely to be put off participation if they have had previous problems communicating in groups.

  Research into the impact of the Neighbourhood Support Fund and supporting the 'hardest-to-reach young people' (2004) found that organisations that succeeded in engaging with these young people did so because they relied heavily on outreach work, established a positive reputation in the local community and linked with other agencies who had contact with specific groups of young people.

  Participation of marginalised groups of children and young people

  Click here for the Resource tool box

  Participation of marginalised groups of children and young people

  Click here for: Case study 3, Case study 4, Case study 5, Case study 6, Case study 12.

• Ensuring the safe participation of children and young peopleOpen

  The National Youth Agency (2004) summarises the literature regarding 'safe' participation into four main areas for consideration: consent; protection; access; rewards and feedback.

  Consent

  All children and young people have the right to participate. However, their consent should be sought at the beginning of the participation process. It is also important to consider who else may need to give their consent - for example, a parent or a teacher (Alderson, 1995).

  Whether contributing to a decision about their individual care or about the development of a service, children and young people should be provided with adequate and relevant information to be able to give their informed consent. The information should be provided in an accessible, child-friendly format and should include:

  • why they have been asked to participate
  • what they will have to do to participate
  • what information will be shared, with whom and how, and whether it will remain anonymous/confidential.

  In seeking consent, organisations should recognise that children and young people can choose to participate or not and, when given relevant information, may decide not to get involved.

  There's something about recognising that children and young people will want to be involved in different things at different points in their lives and they have the right to say: 'Bugger off.'

  Practitioner

  The more you force young people to do things, the more scared they are. It should be left to their own choice.

  Young person

  The young people consulted to inform the development of this guide received the following information prior to their involvement.

  • Invitation flier (106kb PDF file)
  • What we mean by anonymity leaflet (161kb PDF file)

  Protection

  Even though I have been involved in lots of things, I still get nervous, but it is OK because I know that I can ask people in the project for support.

  Young person

  Organisations should consider the potential risks in involving children and young people and how they could be reduced. Alderson (1995) identifies a number of 'risks or costs' to young people's participation in research, which can be attributed to their involvement in service development and delivery generally:

  • time
  • inconvenience
  • embarrassment
  • intrusion
  • a sense of failure or coercion
  • fear of admitting anxiety.

  Organisations need to recognise these potential risks and costs and ensure that they provide adequate training, information, resources and support to ensure that participation is a positive experience for all children and young people involved. If a child or young person does become distressed or asks to withdraw, organisations should have support strategies in place to address this.

  Access

  Organisations need to consider which children and young people should be given the opportunity to become involved. This decision should be informed by who is likely to be affected by the work. For example, if young people are being asked to inform the development of a new service, which young people are likely to access the service?

  Organisations should also consider whose views will be represented by the young people: are they representing the views of all young people in the community - and, if so, are they a representative group - or only their individual views (Wright and Haydon, 2002)? Organisations may need to consider how to access certain groups of young people to ensure that a representative group is involved - for instance, by working in partnership with other organisations.

  Issues such as venue, transport, disability access, language, access to resources and young people's individual support needs should be considered to ensure that the work is accessible for all young people.

  Rewards and feedback

  Whatever the participatory activity, there has to be something in it for the young people, whether they just have a good time or there's a reward or whether they see a positive change.

  Practitioner

  Children and young people should be asked how they would like to receive feedback, and any feedback should be produced in a child-friendly format. For example, if young people contributed to the evaluation of a service, the findings from the evaluation report could be provided in a creative and accessible way - through, say, a summary leaflet, poster or verbal presentation. Organisations should also consider how they are going to thank and reward children and young people for their involvement. This could be through providing:

  • accreditation
  • a certificate
  • a gift voucher or payment
  • a gift (either to the individual or the group) - e.g. a trip, art materials
  • a letter of thanks
  • a reference to include in their Record of Achievement
  • work experience in the organisation.

  The type of reward will depend on the children and young people involved and the nature of their involvement.

  Ensuring the safe participation of children and young people

  Click here for the Resource tool box

  Ensuring the safe participation of children and young people

  Click here for: Case study 4, Case study 5, Case study 7, Case study 18.

• Creating an environmentOpen

  All the young people consulted in the development of this guide highlighted the importance of organisations creating a 'young person friendly' environment so that children and young people feel able to share their views and contribute to decision-making processes. Environments that are either accessible or intimidating can be created by the physical nature of an organisation, as well as by adults' attitudes towards children and young people.

  Developing a culture of respect isn't about giving in to children and young people or absolving your adult responsibilities, but it's about paying them the same courtesy that you would do any other person.

  Practitioner

  Research suggests that the development of positive relationships between adults and children and young people is essential in enabling effective participation (NSW Commission for Children and Young People, 2004; Clark and Moss, 2001; Kirby, 2004). As Kirby et al state: 'Whatever participation activities are used, meaningful and successful participation happens in a supportive environment where there is trust and mutual respect between adults and young people.' A successful participation culture and structure that acknowledges and attempts to address the power imbalances between adults and young people, along with identifying the value of involving young people, contributes to the development of positive relationships.

  There are, however, specific issues that adults can tackle to ensure that children and young people feel able to develop trusting relationships with them. Young people themselves identified the following:

  • Treat young people as individuals.
  • Respect young people and their views.
  • Do not judge young people on their appearance.
  • Act on what young people say.
  • Make yourself available to listen to young people when they want to speak.
  • Respect young people's right to confidentiality.
  • Provide consistent members of staff so that young people have the opportunity to develop trusting relationships over time.
  • Provide young people with enough time to voice their opinions and become involved.

  Social workers should take their time with young people and not be rushed so that young people feel relaxed enough to talk to them.

  Young person

  Organisations should develop a policy about confidentiality with and for children and young people, staff and everyone else involved in the participation process. They all need to understand how to put the principle of confidentiality into practice. The written protocol should cover all meetings and events and include clear statements about information that can and cannot be shared outside the room. The limitations on confidentiality must also be clearly spelled out and discussed and the complexity of the issues recognised. Staff need to understand that, when properly prepared and supported, children and young people are as capable as maintaining confidentiality as everyone else.

  The provision of an appropriate physical environment can also dictate whether children and young people feel able to become involved (Wright and Haydon, 2002; Thomas, 2000). As Willow (2000) states, even the way that adults arrange rooms - for example, with chairs arranged around a table - can 'alienate or silence children and young people'. The most effective way of ensuring that an environment meets their needs is to ask them what makes them feel comfortable. Issues to consider include:

  • Are locations accessible for children and young people (for example, are they serviced by public transport)?
  • Are buildings accessible for all children and young people (including disabled individuals)?
  • Is the venue welcoming, comfortable and child-friendly (for example, are appropriate refreshments provided, and does the environment enable children and young people to relax and not feel intimidated)?
  • Is the environment safe for children and young people?
  • Are children and young people able to participate at times appropriate to them (for example, outside school hours or at the weekend)?

  Using creative/flexible approaches

  As Aspiwall and Larkins (2002) state: 'Whatever activity you choose and however much time you have, one key concern will be to keep people interested.' Creating an effective environment for participation goes some way to ensuring that young people remain involved. However, it is essential that organisations think creatively about how to adapt the current adult-orientated decision-making processes so that they are more accessible for children and young people. Flexibility is an essential element in developing effective methods for children and young people's participation (Wright and Haydon, 2002). Adopting a range of different techniques will ensure that all children and young people feel able to become involved.

  If you fail to understand them, it doesn't mean that you're not going to understand them, it just means you have to try another way. That might mean using a video, bringing a photo in or using a toy which they enjoy; anything to stimulate their interaction.

  Practitioner

  The following section about the mechanisms for involving children and young people provides details of resources that may inform the development of creative approaches to participation.

  Mechanisms for involving children and young people

  A number of different approaches have been used to involve children and young people in both the operation and strategic development of an organisation. All methods - providing they consider the key practice points as previously discussed - have both strengths and weaknesses. Different methods are appropriate for involving children and young people in different areas of an organisation's delivery, and a number of approaches may exist within the same organisation. The following sections identify some of the methods for involving children and young people in organisational development, organisational practice and individual decision-making.

• Organisational developmentOpen

  This refers to the participation of children and young people in the strategic development of an organisation. This may involve them influencing the establishment of new services, informing the development of organisational policies or contributing to the review of existing services. The following approaches have been used by organisations to involve children and young people in these ways.

  Consultation

  Lansdown (2001) defines consultation as 'a process whereby adults seek to find out about children's experiences, views and concerns in order that legislation, policies and services are better informed'. Consultation can operate at a number of levels, from small-scale project evaluations to national consultation events concerning policy development, and can utilise different methods including questionnaires, focus groups and more creative approaches such as role play, artwork and the use of internet chat rooms and text-messaging services. The strengths or limitations of a consultation will depend on whether the appropriate methods are used when the children/young people are consulted.

  The National Youth Agency (2004a) suggests that the advantages of consultation are that it is:

  • targeted and focused
  • time limited
  • cost effective
  • has immediate relevance
  • achieves immediate results.

  However, Lansdown (2001) highlights the fact that consultation can re-enforce the unequal power relations between adults and children, as adults often initiate, manage and control the outcome of the exercise. This can be exacerbated by children and young people not receiving any follow-up about the impact of the consultation process.

  Consultations can often draw on the views of an exclusive or unrepresentative group of young people. They are also often viewed as a 'quick fix' way to involve children and young people rather than as a means of developing participation at an organisational level. For consultation to be effective, organisations need to be committed to listening to, considering and acting on the issues raised by young people during the process.

  Consultation

  Click here for the Resource tool box

  Consultation Case study 4, Case study 5, Case study 6, Case study 7, Case study 8, Case study 15.

  Strategy groups

  The literature identifies four main approaches to 'strategy groups':

  • Local forum/reference group: a group that represents the views of children and young people on a specific topic or within a particular area. It may represent a particular group of young people (e.g. those who are disabled or gay/lesbian), and can be either long term or a time-limited citizens' jury that informs discussion about a current issue.
  • Parallel structure: a group of children and young people that runs alongside an adult-led decision-making body and provides advice or acts as a sounding board.
  • Committee places: a reserved number of seats for children and young people on an adult-led committee - for example, the organisation's management committee or trustee group.
  • Advisory group: a group of children or young people who advise and inform the development of a specific piece of work, either over a time-limited period (for example, during the development phase) or throughout the lifetime of an initiative (for example, in the form of a steering group).

  The development of structures such as these provide clear channels of communication between children and young people and the adult decision-makers within an organisation. They increase the visibility of young people within an organisation, especially within management teams who may not otherwise have any contact with young people. They also enable children and young people to gain an increased knowledge about how an organisation works, as well as enabling them to have a sense of ownership/influence (National Youth Agency, 2004).

  Again, the advantage of this approach depends on the way in which it is implemented and whether or not the key practice points are considered. Although there are creative ways of involving young people in strategic decision-making structures (for example, by young people contributing to committee meetings using videoconferencing facilities), they often reflect formalised adult structures that immediately exclude many children and young people from participating. Irregular meetings can also lead to a lack of momentum, especially if the outcomes from young people's contributions are not being fed back to the group.

  Organisations need to consider how much influence young people have within these structures, and ensure that clear two-way lines of communication are established between young people's groups and adult-led management structures (National Youth Agency, 2004; Wright and Haydon, 2002).

  Involving children and young people in meetings, forums and boards

  Click here for the Resource tool box

  Involving children and young people in meetings, forums and boards

  Click here for: Case study 2, Case study 4, Case study 8, Case study 9, Case study 11, Case study 14, Case study 15.

  Organisational practice

  This refers to the different approaches that have been used to involve children and young people in an organisation's operation. This may involve children and young people delivering or contributing to specific aspects of services.

  Staff training

  A number of organisations now involve children and young people in delivering or informing the training of internal and external staff and volunteers. This may include the delivery of workshops at conferences, contributions to staff induction programmes or participation in formalised training courses for specific groups such as social workers, foster carers and agencies working with children and young people (for example, the police or health services).

  Staff training

  Click here for: Case study 1, Case study 2, Case study 9.

  Staff recruitment

  I was involved in an interview with a manager from the project and we made some questions...you get a sense of achievement, especially if you picked the person and they are doing a good job!

  Young person

  An increasing number of organisations now involve children and young people in the recruitment of staff including writing of job descriptions, shortlisting candidates, developing interview questions and selecting the final individual for the post. Children and young people's involvement in the recruitment process can depend on those taking part, the post and the level at which young people are able to influence the final decision-making process (Children's Rights Officers and Advocates/Local Government Association, 1998).

  Organisations have used a variety of methods to involve children and young people in the final selection process, including:

  • young people sitting alongside adults on the interview panel
  • a parallel young persons' interview panel
  • specific tasks where young people and candidates involved in particular activities such as role-play scenarios.

  Involving children and young people in recruitment

  Click here for the Resource tool box

  Involving children and young people in recruitment

  Click here for: Case study 1, Case study 2, Case study 3, Case study 5, Case study 9, Case study 11, Case study 13, Case study 15, Case study 16, Case study 17.

  Promotional activities

  You should never have any sort of event that is about participation, in my view, without having children and young people there.

  Practitioner

  To ensure that service information is accessible to service users, organisations have involved children and young people in designing and developing leaflets, posters, logos, service names and presentations to promote their services and provide young person-friendly information.

  Involving young people in promotional activities

  Click here for the Resource tool box

  Involving young people in promotional activities

  Click here for: Case study 3, Case study 6, Case study 9, Case study 10, Case study 11, Case study 14, Case study 15.

  Research

  As well as contributing to the evaluation of services via consultation, some organisations have provided opportunities for young people to participate in specific pieces of research (Alderson, 1995). The extent to which they are involved in the research process can range from a role on an adult-led advisory group to full responsibility for the research question, design and delivery (McNeish, 1999).

  Involving children and young people in research

  Click here for the Resource tool box

  Involving children and young people in research Case study 16

  Peer-led programmes

  Children and young people can also participate by delivering a service to other children and young people. This approach may involve the establishment of specific posts within an organisation reserved for young people or ex-service users (for example, as participation workers), the development of services solely delivered by young people (for instance, peer mediation) or specific roles for young people within the organisation (for example, mentoring/befriending new service users).

  Involving children and young people in peer-led programmes

  Click here for the Resource tool box

  Involving children and young people in peer-led programmes Case study 4, Case study 8, Case study 13, Case study 16, Case study 17, Case study 18.

  The advantage of involving children and young people in the operation of services is that it has a direct impact on how they are delivered. Approaches such as these also enable children and young people to have a more equal working relationship with adults, and provide them with transferable vocational skills as well as self-confidence. Children and young people may also receive payments for participating in organisational practice ( National Youth Agency, 2004 ).

  At the same time, to realise these benefits organisations need to consider the support, training and resource implications of effective participation - staff recruitment, for example, may become a much longer process when children and young people are involved.

  If you are going to involve young people, particularly young people with communication difficulties or complex learning disabilities, then you need time, two or three months. There is a lot to organise.

  Practitioner referring to the involvement of disabled young people in a conference workshop

  It is also recognised that the contributions of children and young people can often be credited to adults, and there is a risk of adults patronising children and young people involved in delivering services if effective cultures and practices have not been established (National Youth Agency, 2004). The short-term nature of children and young people's involvement - for example, in recruitment - and the fact that it only offers an opportunity to a select group of children and young people should also be considered (Wright and Haydon, 2002).

• Individual decision-makingOpen

  As well as ensuring that children and young people have opportunities to become involved in strategic development and service delivery, organisations should consider how they can participate in decision-making on an individual level. A number of guides and resource packs have been produced about the involvement of young people in specific elements of individual decision-making - for example, complaints procedures, looked-after children reviews, family group conferences, and child protection case conferences. Kirby et al (2003) summarise the types of decisions that, within organisations, children and young people might participate in with support:

  • consenting to participate
  • choosing which play and leisure activities they want to do
  • deciding own learning, health treatment and care support
  • child protection and family law proceedings.

  By implementing the key practice points as discussed previously, an organisation's practice should enable children and young people to make decisions about their experience of a service on a day-to-day basis. An organisation may also adopt specific methods to ensure that opportunities are available for young people to share their views - for example, by developing a suggestions box or child-friendly complaints procedure or by recruiting advocates for children and young people.

  Involving children and young people in individual decision-making

  Click here for the Resource tool box

  Competencies adults and young people require

  To implement and enable the involvement of children and young people in collective and individual decision-making processes, both adults and young people should be supported to develop key competencies. The resource tool boxes throughout this guide may provide a starting point from which organisations can develop this knowledge. However, the following table (informed by both practitioners and young people) summarises the key competencies that adults and children and young people may require to ensure effective participation.

  Competencies required by adults

  • Understanding what participation means and why is it important
  • Understanding the potential impact of participation (on children and young people and the organisation)
  • Opportunity to explore attitudes towards participation and working in partnership with children and young people
  • Knowledge about different methods that can be used to involve children and young people
  • Communication techniques that enable the involvement of all children and young people
  • Responsiveness
  • Sensitivity to and awareness of the individual needs of children and young people
  • Opportunity to develop imaginative and creative techniques
  • Knowledge about how to work with children and young people safely and establish appropriate boundaries for their involvement.

  Competencies required by children and young people

  • Understanding what participation means and why is it important
  • Understanding the potential impact of participation (on children and young people and the organisation)
  • Opportunity to explore attitudes to participation and working in partnership with adults
  • Knowledge about different methods that can be used to involve children and young people
  • Opportunity to explore how they would like to be able to participate and what they would like to see changed
  • Team-building activities that enable the development of such skills as listening, being responsive to others, taking responsibility for specific roles, debating, communicating.
  • Opportunity to develop confidence in expressing their own views
  • Skills in presenting own views and views of other children and young people
  • Skills and experience in relation to specific participation activities.

  Wright and Haydon, 2002

  The nature and extent of training delivered to adults and young people can depend on a number of factors. As discussed in Culture in this guide, all staff and children and young people within an organisation should receive a general introduction to participation to ensure that a shared understanding and commitment to participation is established. (This may be delivered, through induction programmes or team meetings, for example.)

  If you don't do it for everyone, then you get into: 'Oh, that's participation, that's for someone else.'

  Practitioner

  A certain level of understanding needs to be fostered amongst all staff to promote a culture of participation.

  Practitioner

  <>Practitioners and children and young people should be given the opportunity to identify their specific learning and development needs in relation to participation. An organisation may also wish to consider involving children and young people in delivering training to practitioners - for example, about their experience of being involved or how adults can effectively communicate and listen to children and young people.

  <>Total respect (Children's Rights Officers and Advocates/ Department of Health, 2000) - which relates to the involvement of children and young people in care - provides an example of a training package that is specifically designed to be delivered by children and young people. An accompanying toolkit for practitioners supporting young trainers has been produced called Training the trainers for 'Total respect' (2004).

  The provision of training for adults

  Click here for: Case study 2, Case study 4, Case study 5, Case study 6, Case study 7, Case study 11

  The provision of training for young people

  Click here for: Case study 2, Case study 10, Case study 12, Case study 14, Case study 16, Case study 18