Standard 4: Knowledge and understanding
We need to develop children and young people’s skills, knowledge and confidence in order to facilitate their involvement and make change happen. A crucial part of this is making information clear and accessible for children and young people so they can make informed choices and decisions. For adults, training and support will also be necessary for them to learn to share power and work effectively. This has the added bonus of raising adults’ perceptions and expectations of children and young people
Rating activity
- In place and effective
- In place but needs improving
- Currently being established
- Not in place
What works well?
In terms of this standard, children, young people and their parents/ guardians in Waltham Forest have told us they appreciate the following:
- Good advertising of services and ways to get involved is crucial for getting a wide range of children and young people involved in your service. Outreach staff can be a really valuable resource
- Working with staff that will support them to overcome any cultural, linguistic or practical barriers to their involvement
- Research into the needs of the community you are catering for. Making assumptions about what children and young people need in your area won’t get you anywhere
- Up to date and thorough information. Information that is out of date can cause frustration and put people off trying to get involved again. Any website/online information should be updated frequently, and distributed information should be recalled once the information is no longer current. You should also think about translation into the various community languages
- Opportunities for their own personal development, e.g. learning new skills, taking part in courses, being accredited for their efforts/contributions etc
- Opportunities to get involved in a wide variety of activities
- Opportunities to meet other young people from a range of different backgrounds and share experiences with them
| Indicator | Existing activity | Supporting evidence | Rating | Next steps / plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | ||||
Children and young people are accredited for developing skills and knowledge. Example >>> Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Youth Achievement Awards and Young Advisors scheme are in place. |
Overview: Service area: Directorate Lead contact: |
Title: | 1 2 3 4 |
Objective Service area: Lead contact: |
Directorates have a responsibility to ensure that all public information is provided in a clear and accessible way. Example >>> Public information is ‘youth-proofed’ for the relevant age group. |
Overview: Service area: Directorate Lead contact: |
Title: | 1 2 3 4 |
Objective Service area: Lead contact: |
| Level 2 | ||||
Children and young people help plan, deliver and review active involvement training to staff and members. Example >>> Delivery of ‘Total Respect’ training or seminars to staff and councillors. |
Overview: Service area: Directorate Lead contact: |
Title: | 1 2 3 4 |
Objective Service area: Lead contact: |
Children and young people help develop their peers’ capacity to participate. Example >>> Young people undertake ‘train the trainer’ programmes to facilitate this. |
Overview: Service area: Directorate Lead contact: |
Title: | 1 2 3 4 |
Objective Service area: Lead contact: |
| Level 3 | ||||
Children and young people help deliver training to partner organisations. Example >>> Seminars provided to community-based organisations. |
Overview: Service area: Directorate Lead contact: |
Title: | 1 2 3 4 |
Objective Service area: Lead contact: |
Mentoring arrangements are in place for children and young people who are in an involvement role. Example >>> Mentoring and support in place for children and young people in volunteering roles. |
Overview: Service area: Directorate Lead contact: |
Title: | 1 2 3 4 |
Objective Service area: Lead contact: |
» Next: Standard 5
» Previous: Standard 3
