The Young Inspectors Programme

This programme is the product of a successful 2 year training pilot called Youth4U Young Inspectors and supports the governments Big society agenda. Youth4U Young Inspectors encouraged young people to help over 33 local communities across England assess their services. The results of the pilot showed both the participating organisations and the young people involved had hugely benefited from the exercise. The pilot project resulted in over 1400 young inspectors contributing to society by actively engaging with their peers to address issues they had identified in their communitys local services. This responsibility had a huge impact on the young people involved, who gained confidence and channelled this into beneficial action and invaluable work experience. Experience that otherwise, with the majority of volunteers from marginalised backgrounds, they would not have had the opportunity to gain.

The Young Inspectors Programme

The impact of this pilot project was also felt by the services involved. 98% of the 500 participating services said their standards and uptake had considerably improved after having the opportunity to gain valuable user feedback. Several of the participating services found unexpected outcomes were highlighted and that previously unknown barriers were quickly identified by the young people involved. In most cases the services, such as sexual health clinics and youth centres, were predominantly used by the young inspectors age group (aged up to 25), which meant the results were more significant and therefore beneficial. The two year pilot found that if young peoples opinions are considered, it will positively influence the service and potentially, as with 98% of those that took part, increase uptake. Taking part in this programme allows services to reduce investment and ultimately supports the achievement of high standards in service design and delivery. The Young Inspectors Programme was formed from the knowledge and experience gained in the 2 year pilot. The programme is designed to provide dedicated, tailored and flexible support to adult support workers in local organisations. It aims to help support workers recruit and train young people to design, plan, deliver and feedback to providers of services they may use. In return, the services will receive specialised recommendations from the young inspectors to make their service more relevant, attractive and efficient. The Young Inspectors programme is made up of 9 modules, each of which is a flexible package of resources and training directly to support young people and support workers. Each module offers dedicated consultancy and support time in order for organisations not to replicate the pilot programme but tailor it to its specific individual needs. Modules can be taken as stand alone packages that will teach important core skills, or alternatively, when bought together they form the complete Young Inspectors programme. If you are interested in learning more about what each individual module will provide and the potential benefits, both for young people and for your organisation please contact enquiries@participationworks.org.uk or 020 7833 6815.

www.participationworks.org.uk

The Modules - An Overview

Module One

Young Inspectors The Programme

Module one introduces adult support workers to the programme and highlights the lessons learnt from the pilot project. It drills down to the trusted methods used to ensure both young people and the organisation get the most out of this programme. This module is essential in providing a thorough summary of what the programme is, why it works and what results the organisation and young people can expect to achieve.

Module Two

Involving Young People

Module two answers the question, Why young people? It focuses on the true benefits of this programme for young people and also why using a trained Young Inspector is more beneficial than other methods of obtaining feedback. This module also advises on best practice and standards in the recruitment and application process.

Module Three

A Guide to Delivery for Workers

Module three is a guide to the delivery of the programme for support workers. The aim of this module is to produce a better understanding of the overall programme. It will coach support workers on how to support young people and agree roles, rights and responsibilities within their jobs as service inspectors. Training is tailor-made specifically for the groups needs, with flexible optional extras dependant on time, and supplement exercises that can be taken away to focus on other areas at a later date.

Module Four

Marketing and Media

Module four provides advice on how to develop an effective marketing and communications strategy, which incorporates a media plan and will enable you to recruit Young Inspectors, identify possible services to be inspected, and make the programme attractive within your organisation and local area.

Module Five

Assessing Services

Module five is an in depth step-by-step guide to assessing services. It covers everything from what types of services young people should inspect, to how to carry out an inspection, what to report and how to de-brief and follow up on your findings.

00

The Modules - An Overview

Module Six

Recording, Monitoring & Evaluation

Module six looks at how and why you should monitor and evaluate your service inspection. It highlights tried and tested methods of evaluation and what the benefits are. This module is tailored to the individual organisations needs and focuses on where you are and where you should be. It supports the fact that regular evaluation can improve service inspections and provides simple tools and helpful signposts to help make this an easy process.

Module Seven

Capacity Building Young People

Module seven consists of capacity building sessions, which are bite-sized skills development lessons to help young people gain core skills and become better Young Inspectors. The development areas covered include money management, presentation skills, progression and opportunities, research skills, and equality and diversity.

Module Eight

Accreditation

Module eight provides a qualification for Young Inspectors through The ASDAN Award of Personal Effectiveness (AoPE) Level 1 Qualification. This provides a way of recording, reviewing and accrediting the work of the young inspectors. It also provides an alternative approach to motivate and support young people within a framework, this is particularly supportive for those who show signs of disengagement or have specific learning needs. Having an accreditation provides vital currency for further education and/or employment.

Module Nine

Inclusive Practice for Young Inspectors

Module nine will provide you with an overview of how to work inclusively with young disabled people and all Young Inspectors. This approach is derived from a Social Model perspective and will ensure that the recruitment, communication and the overall Young Inspectors Programme is as inclusive as possible.

www.participationworks.org.uk