Our experience, real experience working with young people, is a testimony to this.
There is no doubt that young people can play a vital role in the planning, evaluation and delivery of services that have an impact on them. This will mean that services will be more likely to meet their needs and be accessed appropriately.
This, by the way, is not just about having a policy on it; a vision or mission statement with little or no meaning beyond ticking boxes.
It is about taking children and young people seriously, believing that they have a role to play, giving them a voice, making them truly feel vital and valued.
This is a tall order, some gencies can demonstrate the impact where children and young people have influenced their design and delivery – that’s the good news. The bad news is that some people (adults) in power simply believe that young people should be seen and not heard.
Frankly, I think many adults continue to stereotype children and young people, comments like ‘hooligans’ are still around – generically placing all young people in a box marked ‘bad’.
But there are glimmers of hope, practitioners are out there blazing trails, agencies too and the government is playing a part.
One of our Consultants, Tracy Richards, has been engaged with young people – getting them involved and shaping services with them – for 20 years or more.
Tracy says “Services must be challenged to release some power and control to children and young people and treat them as partners, this benefits all those involved”; her recent Practice Guide, see below outlines the issues and some of the solutions.
We hope you find her Practice Guide useful, your comments and suggestions are welcome.
Download Practice Guide
Other useful links:
- Hear By Right Self Assessment Toolkit
- Department of Health 'You're Welcome' Quality criteria for young people friendly health services'
- Participation Works
- Child and Maternal Health Observatory
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