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ANNEX A: National Standards for Community Engagement
The following are some points to bear in mind in engaging with children and young people, under the headings of the National Standards for Community Engagement.
A full copy of the Standards is available at:
www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/stellent/groups/public/documents/webpages/cs_010771.hcsp
INVOLVEMENT: it is important to identify and involve the people and organisations who have an interest in the focus of the engagement
- Which are the relevant groups - children, young people, parents and carers, youth workers, teachers?
- Are there representative bodies such as student or pupil councils, youth councils or other youth forums that should be involved?
- How can we engage children and young people about the whole range of services they use (e.g. housing, transport, employment, community safety issues) and not just dedicated services for their use?
SUPPORT: it is important to identify and overcome any barriers to involvement - timing, costs, addressing equalities issues
- Who are the people with the right skills and experience to make sure that children and young people are properly involved? Should voluntary organisations and specialised youth workers be involved, for example to draw in expertise in working with excluded and hard to reach groups?
- What practical issues should we take into account, for example availability and accessibility of transport, communication support, cultural/language issues, the safety of children? Are there potential financial barriers to involvement and how can we overcome them?
- Can we offer some sort of reward for involvement - for example with accreditation, an award?
PLANNING: it is important to gather evidence of the needs and available resources and use this evidence to design the purpose, scope and timescale of the engagement and the actions to be taken
- What are the activities of the partnership which have the most impact on children and young people - are their views being taken into account?
- Could children and young people's views be systematically built into wider decision-making and planning processes at critical points? Can we move towards involving children and young people as partners in strategic decision-making?
- Does the partnership offer a mix of formal and informal opportunities for children and young people to make their views heard?
- What is the purpose of the engagement and how will the outputs be used. What is the appropriate mechanism for the engagement, are existing mechanisms appropriate or is something new needed?
- What resources are required and who can supply them?
METHODS: it is important to identify and use methods of engagement that are fit for purpose
- What sort of methods can make engagement fun, relevant and appropriate, for example, involving high levels of participation, can you use images or technology?
- What models of practice are available that would provide a structure for the engagement, e.g. appreciative enquiry, open space?
- What methods are most appropriate to reach excluded or hard-to-reach groups?
- What are the most appropriate methods for the age group? The particular needs of children need to be taken into account.
WORKING TOGETHER: It is important to use clear procedures that enable participants to work with one another effectively and efficiently
- How can we work in partnership with young people at a range of levels:
- in local community planning?
- in planning at partnership-wide level?
- in all our key strategic partnerships?
- in service planning at organisational level? - What are the major cross-cutting planning exercises for the partnership - how are children and young people's views reflected in these?
- How and what can all partners from public, voluntary and private sectors contribute to the process?
- Are there existing community engagement events and mechanisms where children and young people's interests should be covered?
SHARING INFORMATION: it is important to ensure that necessary information is communicated between the participants
- Are there mechanisms in place that allow children and young people to raise issues proactively at a central point in the partnership, rather than having to find the right individual to speak to in each organisation? Do we tell them how they can get involved?
- Can we provide 'young person friendly' information such as:
- papers and recommendations for discussion in plain English?
- young person's versions of policy documents and action plans? - Is there a need to manage the expectations of those involved? Children and young people may be less familiar with timescales and any limitations on an organisation's ability to respond.
- Are there any sensitivities or restrictions on the information that should be passed on about individual cases?
WORKING WITH OTHERS: it is important to work effectively with others with an interest in the engagement
- Are there places where children and young people already gather, offering an opportunity for contact, for example sports clubs?
- Can the local Dialogue Youth and Young Scot Unit provide support for the involvement of children and young people in Community Planning?
- Have links been made with Connect Youth and the Scottish Youth Parliament to seek their support?
- Are there potential links with the Youth Development workers in Volunteering Centres?
- What is the link with the local Community Learning and Development Partnership?
IMPROVEMENT: it is important to actively develop the skills, knowledge and confidence of all the participants
- How can we find out about existing good practice and share experience?
- Is there a need for capacity building and skills development both for children and young people and for the adults involved?
- Would training for partnerships support culture change and promote real involvement?
- How can the partnership promote mutual support, for example if some members lack confidence in this area?
FEEDBACK: it is important to feed back the results of the engagement to the wider community and agencies affected
- How can we demonstrate the effect that the engagement has had?
- Are we giving regular accurate information at each stage of the process?
- Is there a need to produce special versions of existing material in a format that is more accessible to children and young people?
MONITORING AND EVALUATION: it is important to monitor and evaluate whether the engagement achieves its purposes and meets the national standards for community engagement.
The following suggested questions are based on a UNICEF checklist. Indicators included in the Monitoring and Evaluation Standard in the National Standards for Community Engagement can also be used to evaluate progress.
- Does the activity put the child or young person first?
- What steps have been taken to prevent any form of discrimination?
- How have the most disadvantaged and marginalised children and young people been provided with opportunities to participate and are their voices heard?
- What evidence is there that children and young people are actively participating?
- How have children and young people made a difference in decision-making processes?
- How are children and young people kept up to date on progress?
- What are the views of children and young people on the process?
- Is communication in a form and language that children and young people understand?
- What has changed as a result of the engagement?
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