Scottish Government

AIM 4:- INCREASED OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE TO INFORM SERVICE DEVELOPMENT AND PARTICIPATE IN ONGOING EVALUATION

7. AIM 4:- OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE TO INFORM SERVICE DEVELOPMENT AND PARTICIPATE IN ONGOING EVALUATION

Introduction

7.1 Findings for this section of the report relate to the fourth of the stated aims of having increased opportunities for young people to inform service development and participate in ongoing evaluation, with specific objectives of seeking children and young people's feedback, involving children and young people in development of services.

7.2 Evidence for this was collated from service effectiveness interviews, case study interviews with children's support workers, mothers and young people, and the children's questionnaire, stakeholder interviews with mothers and children's support workers.

Working in participative ways

7.3 The aims of the Fund included seeking feedback and involving children and young people in decisions that affect them, the support they receive, the service as a whole.
Overall, projects reported operating in such a way as to involve young people actively in decisions about all aspects of the service; assessment, support and activities, review, information sharing, inter-agency contact and in relation to service development in general.

7.4 Almost all groups reported that given the nature of the service, it was mainstream practice to involve young people in discussion about the service and support they received. Some mentioned that as the service was voluntary, young people made a decision about whether or not to participate and were involved at all stages of the service they received and the service as a whole.

7.5 There was evidence that projects made use of a range of toolkits and techniques for working with, involving and consulting children and young people.

Involvement in decisions about the individual service they receive

7.6 Respondents informed us that the principles of children and young people being listened to, understood and respected were the underpinning aims of the service:

'This is the whole ethos of the organisation, this is how we work from induction right the way through. It was done by word of mouth but now it's set down' (children's worker).

7.7 Services explained that children and young people are involved in decisions about the support they receive on a regular basis; where they were young it is more difficult to involve them, and mothers are involved instead:

'… what I do is when it comes to group activities that they want to do, I actually make sure that the kids tell me what it is they like, their likes or dislikes, their interests, hobbies; again all that's recorded in their support plans as well; I'll have monthly meetings with the kids to say you know 'what did you think of last month's activities? Is there anything that you didn't enjoy doing? Is there anything that you'd like to do?' So in that sense you know they are always encouraged to make their own decisions as well' (children's worker).

7.8 The case studies provided evidence that children and young people are involved in decisions about the service they receive. One children's worker explained that every week she asks the children how the session went and whether there is anything they would like to change:

'All our work every week, or every session that we do a wee evaluation sheet, did you enjoy this session, did you like the room today, did you like the snack today, did you like the activity today, if not is there anything else, did you feel that you have learnt anything, do you think there is anything you would like to change, or would you like to discuss anything next week, would you like… what would you like to do next week. So the children always have their choice, and they have got their say as well, whether they like that, or they don't like that' (children's worker).

7.9 Young people and their mums confirmed that young people are involved in decisions about the service they receive. One mum told us:

' … she'll say to me 'oh the boys have said they would really like to make pizzas next time or…' you know, so I think, you know, they do, they do say what they want to do. And…and I think she's taken them on a couple of trips that, you know, [name of son] said that he'd really like to go to the safari park. So they went, you know, that was one of the trips. So I think, and that's nice for them to know that what they are saying makes, you know, actually does change things a bit' (mum).

7.10 One young person reported that one thing she particularly liked about the support from the children's worker was that she is in control and was not forced to speak about anything that she does not want to:

'See sometimes if somebody's trying to say 'right come on, come on, come on' I'm mair determined that I'm not going to say nothing … but she'll stop and say 'How's other things been?' So I'm not being pushed … I'm in control' (young person).

Opportunities to ensure young people inform service development

7.11 Most projects reported that they obtained informal verbal feedback from young people on a regular basis, and more formal feedback through the use of monitoring and evaluation forms on a less regular basis. Children and young people having many opportunities to influence service development and participate in ongoing evaluation:

'…any kids in this refuge they would quite honestly tell you they're really involved in a lot of decision making. You know, they've got a lot of choices made - they're not told what to do - their not told you know this is what's happening - like go into the playroom today - you know you are having to do this, you know; they quite freely get to make their own choices' (children's worker).

7.12 Mechanisms to gather the views of young people included the use of a box in the refuge where children and adults can post suggestions anonymously - but it was reported that this was not well used; another reported they had an evaluation wall in the play room.

7.13 Procedures for enabling young people to inform the service they received had become more formalised in recent years as services had become increasingly subject to external monitoring and evaluation, however:

'I think the thing about the monitoring and evaluation forms and stuff it's almost kind of forced us just to have to do those things; we always did it anyway but it's like 'oh we really do actually need to do this in a formal way' so it has perhaps encouraged us to do that bit more and increase that because obviously it's required' (children's worker).

7.14 In terms of involving children and young people in the development of the service they receive, one children's support worker explained that:

'It's about building a relationship with the child, you know, where they're confident enough and it's about not sharing information that doesn't need to be shared and because for me that is integral to make sure that children are listened to and respected … It's about listening to what they've got to say, valuing what they're saying but doing it in a way where you're not overpowering them and it's talking to kids at their level because everybody's at a different level so if you talk to somebody who is ten, you know, and you are talking to them like you would a seven year old then obviously there's a barrier there isn't there straight away so it's about making sure they are involved in the whole process of what they are needing out of the service rather than you saying well actually I think I'll lead it' (children's worker).

7.15 The case studies confirmed that children and young people are involved in decisions about the service they receive. Mums agreed that their children were able to influence the service. In addition some mums told us they could influence the service themselves:

'I could say at any time I dinnae agree wi that, I want to try this and that would happen. Like, at the moment, on a Friday we were takin the kids to the soft play area but we found that that didnae benefit [child's] behaviour cos he got hisel too highly strung and then he was a total nightmare to try and get oot of the soft play area and he just ran riot and his behaviour deteriorates rapid. And I spoke to [the children's worker] aboot it cos it was too much for me. I just couldnae cope wi that at the moment. So what we're dain is like other day oots to other places that we ken that the situations gonnae be awright, and we'll build up tae the soft play area' (mum).

7.16 Most mums reported that their children had been asked to fill in feedback forms and were keen to stress that this feedback would be taken on board but most said they had not been asked to give feedback themselves on the service their children received:

'I think there is the wee sort of form at the end of the school holidays, when they have done wee projects, its just like a wee tick box sheet, and they have four or five questions, they have to do that. I think its like a wee survey to see if the project was successful, would it be worth doing it again or having a follow up' (mum).

7.17 There were few examples given of children and young people inputting into decisions about service development more generally.

7.18 Most stakeholders interviewed felt that children were at the centre of the service and that listening to and respecting young people's views was an important part of the support they received. Teachers confirmed that children were asked to evaluate the work in schools afterwards. Local authority partners were aware that children were involved in the evaluation of the service. However, in only one case were children involved in the recruitment process for new children's workers. Women's Aid confirmed they did not consistently involve children in the recruitment process. A local authority children's services planner reported that the service was excellent at encouraging children to have a voice about what happens and where they go. Local authority partners were aware children's support workers worked in 'child-friendly' ways and gathered written and verbal feedback in an ongoing way from the young people they were supporting. They were able to provide examples of how the service had been altered as a result of feedback from children, for example, increased flexibility in the times children could see their children's worker.

Barriers to involving children and young people in decision making

7.19 Staff reported a few pitfalls to gathering reliable feedback from children to aid service development. Notes of caution were expressed about legal constraints, of asking children to participate in too many evaluations and the difficulties of obtaining critical feedback.

7.20 In relation to legal constraints, respondents were concerned that there may be limits to how far children's workers can involve children and young people in decision making.
For example, some children's workers talked about how difficult it is telling children and young people they can be involved in decision making when the legal system does not always enable their decisions to be taken into account, for example, in relation to contact with fathers:

'I think the legal system doesn't really protect children well in Scotland so you can't really say 'Well now you've said you don't want to see your Dad you definitely won't'…. It's really difficult because you feel like they see you as someone who can help them and represent their view when actually you can only do it to an extent and like I feel that contact in the way the court system works is a huge, huge issue and obviously we don't have any power over that so I think that's the difficult thing and the same with sort of the Children Scotland Act and how it protects children you know sort of a child could disclose to you like that they've been physically abused but then in an investigation there might not be enough evidence and everything and they've brought all that up to you but then still you've not be able to really do anything to help' (children's worker).

7.21 In relation to asking children to participate in too many evaluations:

'… there is always room for improvement in everything that you do, but sometimes you don't want to bog the child down too much, because they get fed up with doing evaluation sheets, and telling me how they feel all the time … normally by the time that they have moved on, they have made so many other friends, that they really don't want to spend any time with you, never mind filling up more forms or sheets' (children's worker).

7.22 In one service participants warned there was a danger that all the new reporting arrangements could actually result in decreased opportunities for young people to inform service development:

'It's more difficult with the care commission and everything, it's how you balance this. So much effort goes into meeting the regulations. Young people are supposed to lead the service but with all the new regulations from the care commission and everywhere else it means that meeting the regulations leads the service rather than children and young people leading it' (Women's Aid service co-ordinator).

7.23 In relation to being able to obtain real critical feedback from young people, there were comments that feedback could be too positive; that it was difficult to get people to provide constructive feedback and to make suggestions as to how the service could actually be improved:

'… we've just done our first proper evaluation but one of the problems we get is everybody says how good we are; we don't always get … and we don't believe that…because you can't be perfect. I don't believe we're perfect. I think there is room for improvement but it is really hard to get people to say that. I don't know whether they're too scared; even though it's anonymised and we give them envelopes to post it back in; that doesn't work either; so evaluation's been a real bugbear for us really to know how to do it better… '(Women's Aid service co-ordinator).

Summary and Recommendation: Opportunities for children and young people to inform the service they receive and ongoing service development