POLICY DOCUMENT
Procedure title:
PARTICIPATION STRATEGY for
CHILDREN and YOUNG PEOPLE
Last reviewed:
March 2012
Document control
Lead person:
Jonquil Richards
Approved by Management/Staff Liaison Group:
Approved by Senior Management Team:
Ratified by Settlement Board of Trustees:
Next review of this document:
09/05/12
10/05/12
28/05/12
03/2012
BARTON HILL SETTLEMENT
PARTICIPATION STRATEGY for CHILDREN and YOUNG PEOPLE
‘Service user involvement is central to the Every Child Matters agenda and the implementation
of the Children Act and Human Rights Act’
Barton Hill Settlement’s relevant Values are:
Accountability - Through our management structure and monitoring and evaluation procedures, we will be
managed by local people, and will be responsive and accountable to them.
Interdependency - Barton Hill Settlement understands it exists because of local need for the activities that it
delivers and that, provided it continues to deliver these activities, local people will continue to work with it.
Barton Hill Settlement’s relevant Objectives are:
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Work with local residents to address local issues that are contributing to the causes of isolation,
including confronting prejudice and discrimination of all kinds, and to provide leadership in the area
of community cohesion.
Stimulate and work alongside local residents to improve and develop new resources, services and
activities in response to identified need, prioritising services to marginalised groups within the
community, and working in effective partnerships with other organisations.
Strategy Objectives
This strategy will:
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Provide a wide range of participation and involvement structures for children and young people, with
options that are informal and formal, short lived and long term. Options should include opportunities
to be consulted, to influence service delivery and to make decisions.
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Ensure that involvement options provide opportunities to contribute to the personal and professional
development of children and young people.
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Ensure, through systems in place to support participation and involvement activities, that
opportunities are inclusive and safe, and result in positive change.
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Ensure that Settlement staff and the Board promote and support service user participation and
involvement, with Managers and the Board acting as Champions of children and young people’s
involvement.
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Ensure that children and young people are supported to develop their independence.
To achieve these objectives, Barton Hill Settlement will:
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Develop activities through staff, children and young people working in collaboration to form the basis
of an action plan.
Set aside a budget to support participation activities, approved at Board level following consultation
with service users.
Work collaboratively with key partner agencies, local businesses and others to maximise
opportunities and minimise barriers.
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Support a Service User Forum to review participation activities, establish priorities and future
aspirations, and ensure consultation on policies and service standards.
Ensure that a system for risk assessment is in place for all activities.
Ensure that systems are in place to record and act on the views of service users.
Ensure that all activities are assessed in relation to fair access.
Address barriers to access wherever possible, including transport and childcare needs.
Monitor access to involvement activities to ensure fair and representative participation.
Use social media to maximise children and young people’s involvement in surveys, consultations and
events.
Align consultations with the Barton Hill Settlement business planning and review cycle.
Ensure that systems are in place to obtain regular feedback from participants, so that activities can be
continually improved to meet young people’s needs.
Promote children and young people’s participation in job descriptions of all staff working with
children and young people.
Offer staff training in service user participation where needed.
Offer opportunities for young people to volunteer, through work experience and student placements.
Support children and young people to make informed decisions and choices in all areas of their lives.
Provide positive activities.
Ask service users through surveys how well we promote independence, and act on their responses.
Aims
This strategy aims to ensure that children and young people that use our services:
• Are actively involved in the decisions that affect them,
• Are consulted in ways that they choose,
• Initiate and implement new ideas,
• See that their participation has made a difference,
• Take an active part within the organisation,
• Take an active part in the wider community,
• Develop their independence, skills and abilities.
Values
Barton Hill Settlement will fulfill these Aims and Objectives by promoting the following values:
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We will work in ways that support participation. Effective policies, systems and training will be in
place to ensure this happens.
We will make sure that funding and resources are available to encourage participation.
Everyone will have an equal opportunity to participate, no matter what their different needs are.
Children and young people will be able to see clearly how their ideas have been acted upon and how
their participation has affected Barton Hill Settlement and local people that use its services.
We will acknowledge and value children and young people’s participation.
Models of Influence for the Participation and Involvement of Children and Young people
The ways in which children and young people want to get involved will vary between individuals, according to
their particular circumstances at a given time, their confidence and motivation, past experiences, and much
more.
Opportunities for active participation and involvement need to include children and young people being
listened to and consulted, through to their participating in decision making. Models of influence and control
can include:
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Being consulted as individuals – the organisation make decisions but consult with service users,
listen to their feedback and make decisions that take their views into account.
Being consulted as a group with children and young people representing their peers.
Decision sharing – children and young people contribute to shared decisions.
Implementing – children and young people are given responsibility for a project and its outcomes –
staff advise and support the process.
Initiating – children and young people generate the ideas and make the major decisions, staff are
available for consultation.
Barton Hill Settlement will strive to achieve an approach which involves collaboration between our service
users, staff and Board, as well as other agencies.
Examples of Children and Young People’s Involvement and Participation:
This Strategy will be supported by an Action Plan, agreed with the children and young people and the Trustees
of the Board of Barton Hill Settlement.
Examples of service user involvement activities may include:
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Positive Activities Programme. Activities can provide an accessible forum, allowing children and young
people to share experiences and information, and allow staff to provide advice and guidance in an
informal setting.
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Consultation events. For example Debates that bring children and young people together to discuss
and debate specific issues that impact on the lives of children and young people.
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Service User Forums. Including planning new initiatives, consultation on policies.
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Service user feedback surveys. To find out what children and young people think of the support we
provide and how we can improve.
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Volunteering projects
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Project Steering Groups
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Continual feedback. For example, gathering feedback as part of the support process, and through
suggestions, compliments and complaints.
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Social Events. For example, annual Christmas and Summer Social events with service users, staff and
Board Members
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Board of Management. Service users can join the Board of Barton Hill Settlement and play a part in
running the organisation.
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Evaluation of services. For example, meeting with peers and youth workers to assess activities and
services.
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Developing resources including publicity information. For example, artwork for leaflets, music CD,
DVDs that promote services provided by Barton Hill Settlement and others.
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Involvement in local forums. For example, Youth Forums.
Positive Outcomes
For Children and Young People
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The participation of children and young people across all Barton Hill Settlement services brings many positive
benefits for children and young people. These benefits include opportunities for young people to:
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Tackle isolation, develop self-esteem and confidence and raise aspirations.
Develop new interests.
Develop skills such as problem solving, communication and decision making.
Improve access to training, education and employment.
Provide opportunities to gain accreditations and qualifications.
Have a voice, be listened to, and to see action taken as a result of being heard.
Improve services that impact on their lives.
Participate in their local communities to make a difference.
Challenge attitudes and stereotypes.
For Barton Hill Settlement and the community
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An understanding of the need of local people who use services.
Innovation and creative ideas.
Improvements to existing services.
Feedback and evaluation from the people who receive our services, so that we can improve and
become more effective in achieving our objectives.
Policies and procedures designed to meet children’s and young people’s needs and clearly
understood by our service users, staff and other stakeholders.
Credibility with young people, their families, partner agencies and the people that fund our services.
Young people progressing to become volunteers in local projects.
Improved communication with people in local communities.
Opportunities for communities and other agencies to listen to the voices of vulnerable young people
whose voices are often not heard.
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