Hear by Right offers a tried and tested standards framework for organisations to assess and improve policy and practice on the participation of children and young people. It was developed by the National Youth Agency and the Local Government Association with local authorities and partner organisations and is used widely by councils and other public bodies such as primary care trusts, schools, the police and housing authorities, and across the voluntary and community sector.
This book is an easy-access guide to Hear by Right. It will help you to understand the "what, why and how" of young people's participation and how to use Hear by Right to improve the quality of your services and, if you wish, to gain a unique national award.
The book is based on the Hear by Right book and self-assessment tool but it simplifies the language and shows you how to prioritise the standards for a quick start and a more manageable process. It breaks down all the standards and indicators from the Hear by Right book to create a "top 20" of the most fundamental indicators that deal with young people's participation at the heart of your organisation.
Hear by Right works by helping you to show evidence of the participation that is already happening in your organisation and then planning for improvement where there are gaps. Each time it asks you to put "what young people say about this" because it is useful to consider what young people would know about the evidence adults have put forward, as well as considering what young people would come up with themselves.
Each organisation will be at a different stage in its participation journey and the Hear by Right Award scheme aims to ensure that if you are engaged in participation and developing your approaches there is an opportunity for gaining recognition. That recognition can help show service users, funders and your community that your organisation takes the voice of young people seriously and that participation is at the heart of service delivery and development.
The award is available at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. More details, and on consultancy support packages, from nya@nya.org.uk.
