Maureen McDaid, head of Wirral Youth Service, attributes its success to the commitment made by the council and its departments to giving young people a voice over the past three years.
Having worked in youth work for more than 25 years, McDaid has seen a lot of changes, but she says youth engagement is not a new phenomenon, despite its rise to national prominence: "Youth engagement and youth participation have always been bread-and-butter work for youth services."
Strategic leadership, political support and buy-in from a range of sectors including social services, housing departments, Connexions, schools and the voluntary sector have been crucial to the youth engagement process, she says, and helped it to include young people with learning difficulties, looked-after young people and homeless young people.
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