Our vision for children and young people in South Gloucestershire is set out in our Charter for Children and Young People. At the heart of our vision is the active participation of children and young people in the activities and decision making processes that affect their lives now and in the future. We believe that involving children and young people not only enables us to provide the opportunities and services that best meet their needs and help them to thrive, but also enables children and young people to develop the confidence and skills they need to be responsible, valued members of their communities.
Our participation strategy and implementation plan aim to provide coherence as participation work builds across our Council, departments, schools, partner agencies and in communities. Our aim is to enable children and young people to have their views taken into account, to share responsibility for decisions with others on issues that are important to them, to raise issues themselves and be empowered and resourced to take responsibility for making their own decisions.
The following diagrams illustrate the strategic overview of participation of children and young people in South Gloucestershire:
A follow up conference called ‘Raise Your Voice’ was held in December 2007 and was fully organised and facilitated by young people themselves. The majority of participants at the conference were children and young people. The intention is that there will continue to be an annual conference celebrating participation work and showcasing achievements.
The Principal Youth Service Manager has led on the implementation of the strategy with the implementation plan being delivered and monitored through the South Gloucestershire Participation group.
Leadership
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Both the Council’s Children and Young People’s Select Committee and the Cabinet approved the participation strategy and committed to facilitating the involvement of young people in council processes.
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The lead member for children and young people personally supports and encourages the involvement of children and young people
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Young people made representation to have a named champion for children and young people and they have been working on the role and methodology for identifying their champion. Nominations have been made and young people will appoint their champion soon.
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Some parish and town councils have involved young people in local issues with some providing funding for participation work and youth provision.
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All senior managers in the Department for Children and Young People are fully committed to the involvement of children and young people and ensure this is included in plans and action. Briefings and training has been available for staff throughout the department.
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Other Council departments have successfully involved young people by engaging and consulting with them on a range of issues.