Background to the Research

• This report is part of a UK and Ireland-wide initiative by the Carnegie Young People Initiative to assess the extent to which children and young people are involved in public decision making in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Save the Children and the Youth Council for Northern Ireland facilitated the Northern Ireland dimension.
• The central aim of the study was to provide an overview of current activity, documenting the extent and impact of involving children and young people in decision making and providing examples of current practice
  

Research Approach

• A comprehensive database was compiled of 386 organisations, to which postal questionnaires were sent. The organisations ranged from Government departments, non-departmental public bodies and local authorities through to Health Boards/Trusts and Education Boards/Higher Education Institutions to Youth, Community and Voluntary sector organisations. Supplementary interviews were used to collect qualitative data.
  

Main Findings

• 130 self-completion survey responses (34% return rate) were received, of which 40 organisations (32%) did not involve children and young people in decision making.
• Many organisations were found to struggle to come to terms with the participation of children and young people in managerial or structural decision making, preferring to concentrate their efforts on consulting them regarding issues of concern.
• Organisations already involving young people in decision making were extremely positive about the process and the impact young people make on decision making. 82% said that the involvement of young people had improved some aspects of their organisation's internal decision making process. Half of respondents had links externally with a range of decision makers and stated that the involvement of young people had resulted in a range of positive impacts, including benefits to community/society and changes in attitudes and behaviour.
• Many governmental institutions quoted a range of policy or legislative initiatives as key motivators to involving children and young people.
• 71% of Central and 50% of Local Government stated equality legislation.
• 50% of Local Governments stated Agenda 21 and Best Value.
• 82% of Health Boards/Trusts and 64% of Educational Bodies stated United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child/Children's Order.
• 72% of Health Boards/Trusts and 54% of Educational Bodies stated Children's Services Plans.
• 63% of respondents stated that it was organisational policy to involve children and young people in decision making.
• Many of the cited initiatives involving children and young people in decision making were programme/project based, leading to questions over the sustainability of the initiatives.
• Over 50% of initiatives were consultation based with only a quarter involving children and young people in organisational management or youth led organisation - institutional involvement still remains undeveloped.

Conclusions

• A number of measures are identified to support the involvement of children and young people in decision making:
  • A clear management vision for involving children and young people in decision making, with a sound value system, matching good practice guidelines and overall clarity with regards to planning, outcomes and limitations.
  • An organisational culture of involvement, including structures, systems and processes and the creation of meaningful opportunities to engage children and young people in decision making.
  • Adequate resources to support the involvement of children and young people in decision making including professional staff employed, financial backing and good quality training for both adults and young people.
  • Appropriate mechanisms to involve marginalised or disadvantaged children and young people on an equitable basis to enable them to engage effectively in the process.
  • Independent Quality Assurance measures and an evaluation framework to sustain involvement in decision making to provide accountability for children and young people.