‘Our vision is to put children and young people at the heart of practice by engaging them within a framework of participation, consultation and involvement which enables their views, voices and experiences to shape and improve service delivery.
By doing this we also aim to support their personal development and understanding of their own personal journeys.’
The Participation Service is made up of a team of professionally qualified youth workers and youth support workers. One of the team’s aims is to recognise the achievements of children who are in the care of the local authority and support them to have a say in the way the Council runs their services.
One of the ways in which this happens is through our youth forums:
- Junior Listen and Care Council for 8-13 year olds
- Senior Listen and Care Council for 13-17 year olds
- Care Experienced Council for 18-25 year olds
Within our sessions, we work in an age-appropriate way to support young people to use their own experiences to help shape future services. For example, young people have been asked and explored their feelings about when they received their first care plan, whether they understood them and whether they had felt they had contributed to the plan. Responses have been used in social worker training to help professionals better understand the views and feelings of young people.
Here at Plymouth City Council, young people are also involved in interview panels and frequently interview prospective social workers and foster carers.
You can find out more about our work by clicking on the following link:
If you would like to contact us, please call 01752 308900 or email participation.youth@plymouth.gov.uk
