Training

Our experience and learning puts us in an excellent position to provide training and consultancy to organisations who want to explore how they can increase children and young people’s participation within their decision making.

We believe that real participation, where children and young people can influence and be part of decision making, whether within individual service provider organisations, their communities and neighbourhoods, or at a political or strategic level, can only happen when adults truly understand what it means, and have a willingness and commitment to sharing power.

Our participation training supports organisations to explore the implications, barriers and benefits to children and young people’s participation. It provides a standards framework for them to develop a participation plan that allows them to build upon existing practice and increase participation levels at a realistic and manageable rate.

How it works
• We train young people as Participation Trainers
• They train adults
• Young people and adults work together to develop participation plans and monitor progress.

What Children and Young People get
• Accredited training
• Personal and skill development
• Confidence and self esteem
• An understanding of how they can participate and influence decision making themselves
• Positive experience of working with adults.
• FUN!

What adults get
• A better understanding of the real benefits of participation
• A way out of ‘consultation fatigue’
• Clear standards and a tool for planning
• Support to turn plans into action
• Positive experience of working with young people.

Outcomes
• Participation of children and young people is increased
• Organisations are more responsive to the needs of children and young people
• Resources are targeted and are more effective
• Positive relationships between children, young people and organisations with a shared commitment
to working together
• Children and young people feel valued and listened to.

Other training
We offer a variety of training from one day courses and workshops to 15 week programmes including:
• Introduction to Participative Youth Work
• Equal Opportunities
• Detached Youth Work
• Introduction to Child Protection
• Children and Young People’s Participation.
• Introduction to Research
• Questionnaire Design
• Introduction to Interviewing (interview design and interview skills)
• Introduction to Focus Groups
• Qualitative Analysis
Training is flexible and can be adapted to suit the needs of participants. For further information contact Chilypep.

Strategic development

We have played a central role in the development of Sheffield’s Children and Young People’s Participation Strategy, with our models and structures being highlighted as good practice nationally. There is now a proposal to roll out our model across the city.

Consultation and Conferences
We have organised local and city-wide conferences and events with and for adults, children and young people, focusing on consultation and participation. We designed the consultation process for marginalised and vulnerable young people for Sheffield’s city wide consultation in 2006 on the Every Child Matters outcomes.

Consultancy and Evaluation
We are able to carry out evaluations and assessments for organisations who want to identify levels of participation within their organisation or within a local area,
as well as evaluations of specific services and projects for children and young people.

For an informal discussion on how Chilypep could support you and the children and young people you work with, please contact the Project Manager on 0114 246 3897 or email lesley.pollard@chilypep.org.uk