In Wakefield, young people are at the heart of the design and delivery of services they receive. They are involved from the outset in determining the way they want to be involved, in planning the service and making innovative partnership arrangements.

Senior officers and elected members are fully signed up to the view that by ensuring the participation of young people in service design and delivery, the council will be better placed to provide services that meet their needs and the needs of their families. They know things adults do not and are best placed to comment on the services and support they need.

The key features of our engagement work with young people include:-

• use of a wide variety of innovative methods of involvement including
  • conferences,
  • focus groups,
  • questionnaires,
  • multi media through the Mix vehicle and
  • targeted work through the corporate parenting strategy.

The council believes it must use different ways of engagement – a single approach is restrictive, and our success is based on our diversity of approaches

• fully embracing technology through the Young People’s Service (YPS) website and the Children’s Fund website, both of which have a section dedicated to the views of children and young people
  
  
• a strong focus on groups and individuals who are difficult to access. The initial strategy “Involving Young People in the Democratic Process” has evolved and as it has done so it has engaged with more groups while the ethos of engagement has spread throughout the Council and its partners
  
  
• action on issues raised by young people has been taken wherever possible, but in every case feedback is made available on outcomes and results. Engaging young people is now firmly integrated into the work of the Council and other key partners and the momentum continues.

Wakefield’s successful approach to engaging with young people has resulted in them being awarded Beacon Status by the government. More information can be found in these documents under 'Downloads':-

• Positive Youth Engagement - Beacon Application
• Positive Youth Engagement - Beacon Summary
• Positive Youth Engagement – Learning Activities Calendar
• Positive Youth Engagement – UK Youth Parliament Election Process
• Case Study - Relationships and Sex Education
• Case Study - On The Buses
• Case Study - Use of ICT to enable positive youth engagement
• Case Study - Hard to Reach