Norfolk Children's Service
County Hall
Martineau Lane
Norwich
Norfolk
NR1 2DH
http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/
Summary
Summary: The Active Citizenship Team supports and promotes the active involvement of children and young people in formal and informal decision making processes. Hear by Right is used to underpin the work of the team and used frequently as a tool with adults and children and young people to assess, plan and develop youth involvement.
The Team have a specific responsibility to develop positive youth involvement in newly formed Children and Young People's Partnerships, the Local Area Agreement (LAA) and Children and Young People's Plan for Norfolk.
Norfolk successfully gained Beacon status for Positive Youth Engagement in partnership with South Norfolk Council in 2006/07.
What we did:
We are currently supporting the use of Hear by Right within the LAA, using Hear by Right in schools and developing youth scrutiny processes and forums to ensure youth involvement within Children and Young People's Partnerships.
We have a strong history of consultation work with young people involving them in the creation and dissemination of consultation processes within a variety of County Council Departments not only Children's Services.
What happened:
Through Officer and Members champions, we have promoted the use of Hear by Right as a core tool and framework for improving and promoting youth involvement. To this end there has been a cultural change whereby adults anticipate and expect young people's involvement in decision-making processes and coherent consultation.
Close partnership working with local district councils has led to significant cultural change - see South Norfolk Council.
What we learnt:
It is more often than not the adults that struggle with the concept of genuine, non-tokenistic youth involvement and that much of the team's work centres around convincing adults of the benefits of actively engaging with young people. Hear by Right is used as an introduction and robust framework with which to explain, explore and develop future youth involvement.
Cultural change takes a long time to occur! Having member champions as well as supportive officers is essential.
True partnership working relies on positive and creative personal relationships . It may not be the most obvious person that you need to speak with to get things moving!
What we plan to do next:
The Team is currently working closely with Area Managers and Children and Young People's Partnerships to establish methodologies for involving a diverse and representative group of children and young people in decision-making processes that affect them.
The Team are using Hear by Right within schools to promote and develop children and young people's involvement.
Completed by Fran Farrar
March 2007
Local Network Details
Norfolk Children's Service has shared the following details about using Hear by Right and young people's participation in the organisation.
Mapping and Planning Tool
Hear by Right is based around the Mapping and Planning tool. This website provides a space for organisations to share their maps and plans using the tool, both in order to share details of what they are doing locally, and to promote learning between organisations.
Downloadable Map and Plan
This organisation has not yet contributed a completed mapping and planning tool to this website.
Shared Resources
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