Implementation guidance: Implementing across a local authority

It is important to seek support from leadership within the local authority to support this approach. This may include directors of education, chief executives and locally elected officials. 

The approach must be explained in full. Utilise the summary presentation within the support materials to help facilitate this explanation and seek support for the following: 

• Creation/development of a strategic youth voice development group who will drive the toolkit forward and adhere to national guidance 

• Creation and use of a local authority Youth Voice Charter as the central principles used for consulting with children and young people 

• Cascading and use of the Empowering Youth Voices resource pack in all settings which have youth voice structures 

• Creation of a youth voice network which involves practitioners across all settings which facilitate youth voice structures 

• Development of approaches to gain support from head teachers and establishment leads 

After support has been agreed the next steps of the process can begin. 

Practitioners from across the local authority should be involved in the creation of a strategic Youth Voice development group, if this does not already exist via a different medium. This group may link with existing children’s rights networks or structures within the local authority and should have representation from schools, CLD, education and third sector organisations where appropriate.   

The strategic Youth Voice group will have the responsibility to lead the implementation of this approach across a local authority. It should be made up of practitioners who have local authority responsibility of youth participation or democracy as well as those with remits around children’s rights and the UNCRC.  

This group will conduct the following steps: 

• Map existing youth voice structures across the authority 

• Create and/or implement a youth voice charter  

• Gather local leadership support of toolkit with headteachers, managers, local leaders etc.  

• Connect practitioners who lead on youth voice structures e.g. pupil council, mentor programme, youth forums. 

• Support practitioners to utilise the Empowering Youth Voices resource pack 

• Coordinate local authority wide consultations on common themes using resource pack 

• Provide professional learning and dialogue opportunities where required 

This group should have a regular meeting cycle and create an youth voice action plan for youth voice rollout with tracking and monitoring procedures. 

This survey is an important part of creating a youth voice charter, as it offers children and young people an opportunity to tell adults how they wish to be consulted. The responses then form the basis of the youth voice charter. The charter is the foundation of the Toolkit approach and forms a commitment that adults will consult with children and young people in a rights-based way.  

Youth Voice Charter Consultation Survey - Example Questions  

• How would you like adults to speak to you, when they want to hear your thoughts and ideas? 

• What could adults do to help you feel listened to and taken seriously, when they want to hear your thoughts and ideas? 

• What should adults do to treat you fairly and with respect, when asking your opinion? 

• What could adults do to make it easier for you to understand what they are asking you? 

• After you tell adults your ideas as part of consultation activities, what would you like them to do next? 

Once the consultation survey has been created, the group should send it to settings where children and young people are (schools, youth groups, organisations, communities etc.) to gather a wide range of responses. Ask practitioners in these settings to share the survey with children and young people and agree a time frame for completion. 

Step 2 – Consolidate: Gather the results of the consultation survey. Depending on the quantity of responses, it may be helpful to distil some of the answers or present them in a table or spreadsheet, you may wish to utilise digital tools to support this. Ensure the consolidated responses are in a format that can be understood by children and young people. 

Step 3 – Analyse: Present the consolidated views from the survey to a youth voice group or structure that exists in the local authority (e.g. LA wide youth forum, collection of MSYPs, a C&YP thematic board). Allow time for the young people to analyse the views presented to them and give them the opportunity to identify the common themes, statements, phrases, words and ideas. Ask the group to share and discuss these common elements and select or present them as statements. To help aid this process and support discussion with young people you may wish to refer to the Forth Valley and West Lothian example or the Childrens Commissioner 7 Golden Rules for Participation 

Step 4 – Create: Support the children and young people to take the common statements and compile these into a youth voice charter document. Ensure the document has key headings and descriptive text for what these headings mean in context. Organise these and then share them in a presentable format with the youth voice structure (and other youth voice groups if possible) to confirm accuracy and agree the overall look of the youth voice charter. 

Step 5 – Share:  To support a consistent and genuine approach, the charter should be shared, displayed and upheld across the local authority by practitioners and leaders at all levels. Part of this sharing process involves presenting the charter to establishment leaders and receiving their pledge to uphold it, details on how this can be done is within the next section. 

It is important to secure support from local leaders and heads of establishments. This involves building their understanding of youth voice and the toolkit approach. Presenting the Youth Voice Charter and the overall methodology can help gain their endorsement. 

This would include (but not be limited to): 

• Headteacher meetings 

• Community planning partnerships 

• CLD partnership groups 

• Children and Young People committees 

It is recommended that the summary presentation in support materials is used to support input to these settings. 

As part of this process a 'Pledge' could be made by leaders to support the implementation of the approach. Leaders should confirm they make this pledge by signing it, this can be done digitally or in person.  

Example of these pledges are below - these can be altered based on each local authority: 

• Understand how the Youth Voice toolkit from Education Scotland can be used in settings which look to consult children and young people meaningfully.   

• Identify a teacher/practitioner in the school/setting to lead on youth voice and link in with the Youth Voice Development Group and/or Local Authority Youth Voice Network.  

The toolkit has now been implemented in with a local authority setting. Consistent steps should be taken to increase the number of settings that use the toolkit over time to allow it to become the consistent method for youth voice. 

Setting and establishments that implement the toolkit will start to gather views from children and young people on a wide range of themes and generate youth voice action plans as a result. Practitioners within the youth voice development group should use these to support action at a local authority level. This could include: 

• Consolidating consultations on particular themes to be presented to leaders and decision makers 

• Support youth voice action plan objectives within local establishments and how they are implemented 

• Use local youth voice action plans to inform local authority youth voice structures on need 

• Identify common themes and conduct a local authority wide consultation on a key topic, generating a youth voice action plan for whole authority as a result