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ANNEX C: Oganisations and Resources
Barnardo's
The UK's leading children's charity, Barnardo's supports 100,000 children and their families through 361 services in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The organisation believes that all children and young people have a fundamental right to be a part of communities, groups and activities which enrich them and works in both urban and rural communities with local people, groups and organisations. This enables the whole community, working in partnership, to identify a neighbourhood that needs help, what has to be done and how change will be achieved. Barnardo's website includes resources, research and publications.
Weblink: www.barnardos.org.uk
Careers Scotland
Provides career planning services, underpinned by strategies in inclusion, employability and enterprise, to people of all ages. Young people using their products and services are encouraged to take ownership of their career planning and decision making and to develop skills that will enable them to move forward with confidence along their chosen career paths.
Careers Scotland works closely with Community Learning and Development Partnerships to develop and implement Community Guidance strategies and action plans that are aligned to or integrated with Community Learning and Development strategies. This supports the engagement and participation of young people and supports individual, organisational and community capacity building.
Weblink: www.careers-scotland.org.uk
Carnegie Trust
The Carnegie UK Trust is an independent, not-for-profit foundation that supports research, public policy analysis and grass roots social action initiatives, dedicated to achieving practical results in people's lives.
Carnegie Young People Initiative ( CYPI), the Trust's programmes for young people, seek to promote their involvement in public decision-making at community and national levels.
The Measuring the Magic report examines the different ways in which involving young people in decision making can be measured and evaluated. It recommends a number of different ways of effectively evaluating work in a variety of settings. As a result of this report, Carnegie YPI is now planning the production of an evaluation toolkit.
Weblink: www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk
Children 1st
Children 1st works to give every child in Scotland a safe and secure childhood. Children 1st has 33 local services across Scotland, many of whom work directly in helping children and young people to participate in decision making and be aware of their rights.
Weblink: www.children1st.org.uk
Children in Scotland
Children in Scotland is Scotland's national agency for organisations and professionals working with and for children, young people and their families. It exists to identify and promote the interests of children and their families and to ensure that policies, services and other provisions are of the highest possible quality and are able to meet the needs of a diverse society. The participation of children and young people in decision-making is a central area of work for the organisation which has been involved in a variety of projects including Citizenship in Practice. This two-year project aimed to promote and increase the participation of children and young people with disabilities in decision-making with a particular focus on those with learning disabilities. Results are available through the publication: Consulting with children and young people on accessibility strategies: a good practice guide. More details on this and information on Children in Scotland's Participation Map and Participation Network, are available on the Children in Scotland website.
Weblink: www.childreninscotland.org.uk
Children's Commissioner
Kathleen Marshall was appointed as Scotland's first Commissioner for Children and Young People ( SCCYP) in April 2004. Her job is to make sure that people listen when children and young people have important things to say about their lives. This might include people in schools, parliament and law courts. In 1991, our country signed up to an international agreement - the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This is a set of promises to do certain things to make life better for children and young people. SCCYP's job is to make sure those promises are kept. The Commissioner has a legal duty to keep reminding everyone of the promises and can also set up an investigation if she thinks the promises are not being kept. If the Commissioner believes that a public, private or voluntary organisation is not keeping the promises made to children and young people, she can require them to attend a public investigation, examine them under oath and force them to produce documents.
Naturally, she prefers to work in partnership with people and will generally only use those powers when people do not co-operate; but it is important that they are there. Another way the Commissioner might use those powers is if an issue has been raised by children and young people themselves. If this happens, she might want to make it clear how seriously she takes it by setting up a formal investigation to raise the profile of the issue and perhaps give children and young people an opportunity to ask questions.
The Commissioner for Children and Young People has completed a consultation with more than 16,000 children and young people across Scotland. A summary of the results of the consultation is available on the SCCYP website and a breakdown by local authority area, age, gender is available from the Commissioner's office.
Weblink: www.sccyp.org.uk
Children's Parliament
The Children's Parliament aims to provide sustainable and meaningful opportunities for children of 14 and under to engage in local, national and international democratic processes. The Children's Parliament has several inter-related goals:
- to allow children to develop their self-confidence, self-awareness and self-esteem and to create opportunities for them to meet and give their views on what matters to them and what is happening in the world around them;
- to develop and run specific projects and events that demonstrate ways in which the rights of the child, as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, can be practically implemented;
- to encourage opportunities for children to participate in local, national and international forums and decision making processes; and
- to help adults understand the meaning of children's rights and citizenship and enable them to deliver them in their day-to-day lives and professional practice.
Weblink: www.childrensparliament.org.uk
Communities Scotland
Communities Scotland's aim is to work with others to ensure decent housing and strong communities across Scotland. The Communities Scotland website includes reference materials and 'how-to' guides to support community engagement and community regeneration. The How to Guide to Community Engagement includes links to a range of publications, techniques and case studies. The National Standards for Community Engagement offer a practical tool to help improve the experience of all participants in Community Engagement, to achieve the highest quality of process and results.
Learning Connections, part of the Regeneration Division of Communities Scotland, includes a Community Engagement Team which works with communities to help them take decisions and develop solutions for the regeneration of their local areas. It also includes a Community Learning and Development ( CLD) Team which supports the implementation of Scottish Executive policy on CLD, through development of good practice in CLD, for example through a programme of support to CLD partnerships to assist implementation of Working and Learning Together to Build Stronger Communities, supporting development of training in CLD, and promoting the use of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework ( SCQF). Illuminating Practice - Case Studies in Community Learning and Development was commissioned by Learning Connections. The document includes specific case studies relating to work with young people.
Weblink: www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk
Connect Youth
Connect Youth is an inclusive Network of organisations who work with young people in the public and voluntary sectors. Delegated youthwork practitioners, known as connect Youth Co-ordinators represent each organisation on the Network. There is currently a wide range of field workers, policy officers and managers involved. The purpose of the Connect Youth Network is to share practice, debate and develop strategy and influence policy in relation to youth participation and the empowerment of young people in Scotland. The Network also aims to engage with young people themselves at local and national levels, bringing them together and supporting them to address the issues which affect their lives.
Weblink: www.YouthLink.co.uk/connectyouth
Dialogue Youth
A partnership between Young Scot, COSLA, local authorities, the Scottish Executive and young people, Dialogue Youth is designed to give young people a real and effective say in all the services that affect them at a local level. Dialogue Youth works with young people, local organisations and council departments to gather information and carry out research into issues affecting them. The findings are then used to inform services in the future, which means that young people play a real part in the Community Planning process. Young people are also involved in the planning and management of Dialogue Youth locally, and there is a strong link with local youth forums, pupil councils and local members of the Scottish Youth Parliament.
Weblink: www.dialogueyouth.org
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education ( HMIE)
By collating, analysing and publishing evidence from its evaluations, HMIE informs parents, schools, colleges and other providers of education, and Scottish Ministers about standards and quality in all areas of education including, for instance, how schools work with the wider community. The HMIE website includes examples of good practice drawn from inspections, including in the area of Community Learning and Development.
Citizenship in Youthwork (2003) - This report examines changing conceptions of citizenship, the relationship between local authorities and the voluntary sector and how services are being delivered within new planning frameworks, including Community Planning. It identifies key success factors and areas for improvement as well as key challenges for youthwork in the new policy environment.
Weblink: www.hmie.gov.uk
Learning and Teaching Scotland ( LTS)
LTS Scotland encourages the development of an open, participatory ethos in education for citizenship, so that schools and early education settings can function as active learning communities. Education for citizenship is intended to motivate young people to be active and responsible members of their local, national and global communities. This involves building bridges between schools or early years settings and their communities to help children and young people develop knowledge and understanding of, and respect and care for, the wider world. The LTS website offers examples of good practice and ideas to encourage pupil participation, including Primary and Secondary School Council toolkits.
Weblink: www.ltscotland.org.uk/citizenship/practice/participation.asp
NCH Scotland
NCH Scotland supports over 7,000 of the most vulnerable and difficult to reach children and young people in our society, and their families, in 63 projects across Scotland so that they have the opportunity to reach their full potential, and to make the best of their lives. They are committed to promoting the engagement and empowerment of children and young people in society, and a significant aspect of their work across Scotland is ensuring that children and young people have a say in key areas affecting their lives, including the development and delivery of children's services.
Weblink: www.nch.org.uk
The National Youth Agency
The National Youth Agency ( NYA) does not operate in Scotland, but there are a number of resources including case studies and publications available from its website which might prove useful. One of its initiatives, Hear by Right, offers tried and tested standards for organisations across the statutory and voluntary sectors. These can be used, along with children and young people, to map current participation practice, create a strategic plan for improvement and then identify what has changed as a result of the activity.
Act by Right is a participation skills programme, written by young people, for young people. It allows children and young people to lead their own initiatives to effect change in their communities.
Weblink: www.nya.org.uk
Participation Works
Participation Works is an online gateway for children and young people's participation issues including policy, practice, networks resources and links to other sources of information.
Weblink: www.participationworks.org.uk/Home/tabid/62/Default.aspx
The Prince's Trust
The Prince's Trust's top priority is to make sure young people are confident, independent and capable of making a positive contribution to their communities. Increasingly, the difficulties many young people face are complex and interconnected, requiring a similarly complex combination of assessment, advice, personal development, education, training, work and financial help. The Trust works with four key target groups: unemployed young people, young people underachieving in education, young people leaving care and young offenders and ex-offenders.
Weblink: www.princes-trust.org.uk
Save the Children
Save the Children fights for children in the UK and around the world who suffer from poverty, disease, injustice and violence. For the past 40 years, the organisation has been working in Scotland to help children, their families and communities to tackle the effects of poverty and inequality, helping young people build confidence, learn new skills and get actively involved in, for example, its Community Partners Programme. This initiative has used a rights based approach to target children and young people in disadvantaged urban and rural areas to help them explore their community, decide on what they want to change and develop activities to make it happen. Current issues include dangerous roads, lack of play areas and their local environment. The project has produced A DIY Guide to Improving Your Community available from the Save the Children website. Other resources from Save the Children:
So you want to consult with children? Re:action toolkit - This is a practical guide from Save the Children on how to consult with children and young people on policy-related issues. Written for community workers, youth workers, teachers, local authority workers, facilitators and other organisations and individuals working with children and young people. It's also aimed at children and young people who may themselves be involved in organising a consultation exercise.
Recruitment Pack: Involving children and young people in selection of staff. Produced by Save the Children and Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights, this pack is for anyone who works with, or in the interests of, children and young people and wants to involve children and young people in recruitment processes.
Children are service users too - A guide which aims to help organisations improve the way in which children's and young people's needs are taken into account in service design and delivery. The guide aims to help organisations to focus on children and young people as service users, and includes practical ideas on how to make this happen.
Weblink: www.savethechildren.org.uk/scotland
Scottish Community Development Centre
The Scottish Community Development Centre - the designated National Development Centre for community development in Scotland. The SCDC works:
With communities to:
- support community groups to set their own agenda
- strengthen local action
- build community capacity.
With Agencies and Partnerships to:
- achieve effective community participation
- assess community needs and issues
- plan and evaluate practice
- enable staff to work effectively with communities.
On Policy By
- researching issues and disseminating lessons
- contributing to government working groups and committees, e.g. Community Planning Task Force, National Advisory Group on Mental Health and Wellbeing, Community Learning and Development Task Group, Active Communities Forum.
Weblink: www.scdc.org.uk/index.asp
Scottish Youth Parliament
Launched in Edinburgh in 1999, the Scottish Youth Parliament ( SYP) represents young people aged 14-25 across Scotland. 200 elected MSYPs work locally and nationally to voice the opinions of their peers, ensuring that all of Scotland's youth have the power to affect change and have their say. SYP works together with National and Local Government, voluntary organisations and many groups Scotland-wide to ensure they do the best they can for Scotland's young people. As well as activating young people and encouraging local participation, MSYPs meet nationally around four times a year, to debate issues, make policy and propose innovative ideas and solutions to Scotland's challenges.
Following the success of the SYP's campaign document Louder than Words launched in late 2005, the SYP is currently developing a youth manifesto - Getting the Message Right ( GTMR) - to influence the 2007 elections. It aims to stir debate, make the views of young people heard in an innovative way, and in consultation with young people across Scotland will give them a conduit for their voicing their views and provide a catalyst for change.
Weblink: www.scottishyouthparliament.org.uk
Young Scot
Young Scot offers incentives, information and opportunities to people aged 12 to 26 to help them make informed choices, play a part in their communities, take advantage of opportunities open to them and become confident citizens.
The organisation does this in lots of different ways, including the Young Scot card, website, information handbooks, magazines and phone lines. It also works in partnership with local authorities as part of the Dialogue Youth initiative.
Young Scot's consultation toolkit, Loud + Clear, offers both national Young Scot and local Dialogue Youth units a menu of online and offline consultation mechanisms to use when consulting with young people. These include online surveys, discussion boards, voting, e-petitions, event registration and more.
Weblink: www.youngscot.org
YouthLink Scotland
YouthLink Scotland is the National Youth Work Agency. YouthLink Scotland and its member organisations help 40,000 youth workers across Scotland to deliver a wide range of quality services to over 300,000 young people, to improve Scottish youthwork services and unlock the potential of young people nationwide. YouthLink Scotland can also provide advice on and contacts for voluntary organisations that have links with particular groups of young people, including harder to reach groups. The commitment given by Peter Peacock to include children and young people in guidance on Community Planning was given in response to an amendment laid on behalf of YouthLink during the Stage 3 Debate of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003.
Your Place of Mine is a research study exploring young people's participation in Community Planning, carried out by Dundee University in partnership with YouthLink Scotland, funded by Carnegie UK Trust. The focus of the research was on whether Community Planning Partners want the involvement of young people and address the consequences of such involvement and whether young people want to be involved with formal planning structures. The research offers a discussion of models of participation and an overview of literature on citizenship in a Community Planning context as well as a geographical comparison of partners' priorities, factors that influence young people's involvement in Community Planning and two case studies taking an in-depth look at the perceptions and views of participants.
The Being Young in Scotland Research in 2005 was a Scotland-wide survey of young people aged 11 to 25 years. The survey aimed to explore what it means to be young in Scotland and to generate information on young people - on their interests and opportunities, their attitudes and aspirations and the barriers and challenges they face - in order to inform the development of policy. MORI Scotland surveyed 3,178 young people throughout Scotland. The survey partners were the Scottish Executive Education Department, the Big Lottery Fund, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People and Young Scot. For further information access www.youthlink.co.uk
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