Our Youth Participation Strategy
We work to make sure all children and young people can use our services. Young people's thoughts and experiences help us make better decisions and spend the money we have in better ways. By encouraging participation and working with young people, we gain a better understanding of what they want and need, rather than what we think is important to them.
This Participation Strategy will last for three years. It explains how and why we need to improve the way we work with children and young people.
We want to make sure that young people shape and influence everything we do. We'll do this by including their thoughts and opinions when we make decisions. When young people work with us it's important they feel safe and that they're making a difference.
Goals
1. Make sure all staff and volunteers in the NSPCC know what participation is and why it's important.
2. Give different ways for children and young people to get involved that are interesting and important to them.
3. Make sure all children and young people can get involved with the NSPCC and that they feel safe and supported.
4. Give us a way to show children and young people how they make a difference.
Priorities
1. All children and young people feel safe when working with us.
We will make sure staff and volunteers have the right training they need to support children and young people.
2. All children and young people can get involved in our work.
We will create a space where staff and young people can celebrate their differences and be their true, authentic selves.
3. There are different ways for children and young people to get involved.
We will create new opportunities to work with and listen to children and young people who we don't already work with.
4. We can show how we make a difference.
We will ask young people if they felt listened to and share what works and what we could be better.
5. Children and young people are treated like volunteers.
We will find new ways to celebrate and reward our young volunteers for the time they offer to us.
Why participation matters
- share thoughts on the issues that matter to them
- gain more control of the decisions affecting their lives
- develop skills like decision making, influencing and communication
- build confidence and self-awareness
- understanding of their own - and other people's - needs and rights
- meet new people, and experience new things.
Who will be involved?
The NSPCC Participation team will work with:
- Young People's Board for Change
- other groups of children and young people
- Participation Forum (a group of NSPCC staff).
