Your Voice Your Choice

At the Welsh Assembly Government we are committed to Article 12 of the UNCRC and we are working hard to ensure that children and young people have a say on any issues that affect them. We are continually working to build children and young people’s participation into the way we do our everyday work.

We are doing a lot of work to support the involvement of children and young people in decision-making in Wales and in particular the work of the Assembly Government.

Here are some examples of the work we are doing:

Welsh Assembly Government ‘Your Voice Your Choice’ Participation Project -
The main aim of the Participation Project within the Welsh Assembly Government has been to build children and young people’s participation into all relevant areas of work. We have trained young people in recruitment, audit, procurement, producing young person friendly documents, consultation and policy development. We have WAG officials in different policy areas who have volunteered to act as Divisional Link Officer’s (DLO) for Children and Young Peoples Participation. The responsibility of the DLO in each division is to co-ordinate the activity of children and young people within their policy area by identifying new policies that are being developed or consultations that are taking place at an early stage so that children and young people’s involvement can be built into the process from the beginning.

Recruitment – We have been involving young people in the recruitment of staff that have a direct influence on policies that impact children and young peoples lives. Training has been provided to young people to enable them to gain the skills and knowledge that they can use to make an informed decision within the recruitment and selection procedures of the Welsh Assembly. The training also provides young people with the skills and knowledge to enable young people to become involved in local recruitment and selection processes. Working with our HR, the Participation Team are working on identifying every post within WAG where children and young people can be involved in the selection process. Steps are also being taken to ensure WAG panel members and chairs are aware of the procedures when children and young people are present on panels.

Pupil Participation – In 2005 WAG stated that every school in Wales had to have a School Council. A School Councils Wales web-site has been developed to provide information, support and advice on school councils and wider pupil participation. It is currently being revised and updated. School councils are just one way in which children and young people can have a voice and take an active part in their school community and beyond. The Pupil Participation Project is working to promote and develop other methods of pupil participation, and to make sure that good practice is supported, developed and shared.

National Standards of Participation are quality standards that provide a way for young people to see how well organisations across Wales are involving children and young people in their work.

Local Participation Strategies - (LPS) Guidance developed with children and young people is designed to support and drive forward children and young people’s participation in Wales. It aims to ensure that all children and young people aged 0-25 have opportunities to contribute to and have their voices heard in decision making on issues which impact on their lives at local level.

Youth Forums - Most Local Authority’s have a Youth Forum. The main aim of the Forum is to involve young people aged 11-25 in decisions made about them and the services they receive. Young people meet on a regular (usually monthly) basis to discuss issues about things they like or don’t like about living in their area and how (with other young people) they can change things.

Funky Dragon - Funky Dragon is the Children and Young People’s Assembly for Wales. They are a peer-led organisation whose aim is to give 0 – 25 year olds the opportunity to get their voices heard on issues that affect them.

Reach the Heights – First Footholds

Supporting the implementation of Delivering Skills that Work for Wales: Reducing the proportion of young people who are NEET (not in education, employment or training) in Wales, the project will draw a number of national joint sponsors together across Wales to:

develop, regionally pilot and implement a systematic and innovative approach to identifying young people who are at risk of becoming, or who are currently, NEET (based on characteristics identified through research);
undertake further research to support the development of an evidence base for best practice in early intervention and keeping in touch with young people aged 11-19 who are, or likely to become, NEET;
provide training for professionals across Wales in a number of methods that can be used to engage with young people who are hard to reach, disengaged or disaffected;
deliver a range of interventions to young people who are likely to underachieve to ensure that they remain engaged, or re-engage with, education, employment, or training, including tailored personal support;
deliver a range of interventions to young people to enhance their personal development and ensure that they have opportunities to undertake work-type experience and gain skills that can be used either in further learning or employment; and
promote the identification and sharing of good practice.

This project is a Convergence-wide strategic approach to developments that will provide resources and services to assist the delivery of a range of local and regional projects developing for young people across the ESF Convergence and Regional Competitiveness and Employment programmes.

The project represents the first stage in scheme of development for young people and addresses issues identified within Priority 1, Theme 1 of the Convergence ESF Programme. This activity is built upon and complemented by the activity proposed for this age group under the Reach the Heights – Routes to the Summit proposal for Priority 1, Theme 2. This provides equality of opportunity for young people in Wales in line with Extending Entitlement and Rights to Action which are flagship policies for young people in Wales.