POLICY & PRACTICE: Briefing - The State's way of giving teenagers asay

Is it worth me reading this action plan? Well it depends what you're hoping to find, doesn't it? This is a summary by the Department for Work and Pensions of how it has responded to Learning to Listen - the guidance put out by the Children and Young People's Unit in November 2001 to create a culture within government of young people being involved in the design, provision and evaluation of services. It finishes up with its action plan for 2003-04.

And what do we learn has been going on? There's general and specific work. The department has adopted four core principles: a visible commitment to involving young people underpinned by appropriate resources; young people's involvement is valued; they have equality of opportunity to get involved; and policies for involving young people are provided, evaluated and continuously improved. The department has appointed Mark Neale, one of its divisional directors, as "children's consumer champion" to help pursue these principles.