Attainment Scotland Fund evaluation - voice of children and young people: thematic evaluation report 2024

Children’s voice in decision-making: what does the evidence tell us?

Primary sources of research evidence have been considered to support this initial mapping exercise. This includes data gathered specifically through the survey of Local Authority Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC) Leads undertaken in summer 2023^[1].

Overall, the Local Authority SAC Leads Survey results indicate that engaging children and young people, families and communities in decision-making is a priority to some extent rather than a key priority. Additionally, the Attainment Scotland Fund is perceived as supporting the development of approaches to engaging children and young people, families and communities in local authorities to some extent. These findings are outlined in further detail below.

Strategic priority: engaging children and young people, families and communities in decision-making

Most local authorities who responded to the survey considered that engaging children and young people, families and communities in decision-making was a strategic priority for their local authority in relation to their approach to the Scottish Attainment Challenge. From eighteen responses to this survey question, five indicated this was to a great extent, and ten that this was to some extent. Three local authority respondents viewed families and communities as a strategic priority to only a limited extent.

Extent ASF supporting development of approaches in local authority: engaging children and young people, families and communities in decision-making

Most local authority respondents considered that ASF was supporting the development of approaches to engaging children and young people, families and communities in their local authority. From eighteen responses to this survey question, four respondents viewed this as occurring to a great extent and eleven to some extent. Three respondents considered this was occurring only to a limited extent.

Local authority respondents were invited to provide further detail on their work in relation to engaging children and young people, families and communities in decision-making in relation to the Attainment Scotland Fund, with responses highlighting a range of interventions, programmes and approaches in terms of their work in this area. Participatory Budgeting (PB) was noted as an important mechanism for increased engagement in decision-making by children and young people in relation to Pupil Equity Funding (PEF).

Some respondents noted such activities were progressing as part of core funding or through partnerships and so were not necessarily specific to the ASF. For example, a small number of local authorities described pupil voice projects or programmes in progress as well as actions being taken forward as part of more generic activity or with stakeholders including families and communities.

Survey respondents described a range of ways in which local authorities engaged children and young people in decision-making in relation to the Scottish Attainment Challenge. A number of examples are outlined below:

• Local authority-wide pupil voice programme resourced through core funding;
• Focus sessions taking place led by central officers to gather opinions of children and young people on ASF interventions;
• Participatory Budgeting. For example, one local authority respondent noted that all PEF plans made use of participatory budgeting - 'Participatory budgeting using PEF has provided opportunities for children and families to be effectively involved in the decision-making process making a positive impact on their own communities'. Another respondent described Participatory Budgeting (PB) as being embedded in both local authority Finance for Equity guidelines and in School Improvement Planning processes;
• One local authority noted that all PEF decisions should involve all stakeholders;
• One local authority describe existing activities to involve the learner voice in key decisions impacting them, such as a Care Experienced Children and Young People (CECYP) Champions Board;
• Empowering Clusters Model noted to facilitate this in one local authority as a multi-agency approach to best meet needs of children and young people;
• Range of activity to develop youth voice and approaches to consultation in one local authority described, as well as the development of 'more robust approaches to gathering and analysing stakeholders' views';
• Social Justice Ambassadors programme which one local authority has established^[2].

The evidence broadly indicates that local authorities previously in receipt of Challenge Authority^[3] funding tended to have more developed approaches to engaging children and young people in decision-making in relation to the Attainment Scotland Fund, although this was not universally the case. A number of respondents of local authorities which were not involved in either the Challenge Authorities or Schools Programme described in particular the use of Participatory Budgeting (PB). For example, one local authority respondent noted that PB was an approach 'supporting children and young people to identify the barriers to their learning, and what would make the biggest difference'.

There was acknowledgement by some survey respondents of the need for further work in this area. For example, one local authority respondent noted the requirement for further cross-directorate/joint working as an important element of this. One local authority noted that as a local authority they have not had sufficient strategic focus on the inclusion of children and young people and families in decision-making to date but highlighted this as an area they are seeking to further focus on. Another local authority respondent noted that all these aspects would be a focus in the next improvement plan.

In the 2022-23 Stretch Aims submitted by local authorities in September 2022, and subsequent combined 2023-26 Stretch Aims submitted by local authorities in September 2023, engaging children and young people in decision-making does not appear explicitly within ‘Plus’ Stretch Aims. However, there were several instances in which engagement in decision-making was clearly an element within ‘Plus’ Stretch Aims. For example, one local authority included a ‘Plus’ stretch aim related to engagement in Participatory Budgeting (PB) in 2022. This stated that ‘all schools will have an updated poverty proofing statement which has evolved through participatory budgeting approaches with the school community, and through which they can demonstrate the impact of improvements on learning, engagement & families’. Measures for this Stretch Aim were based on the percentage of schools using Participatory Budgeting and the percentage of schools with a Cost of the School Day/Poverty Proofing Statement.

In terms of the process local authorities described in undertaking the development of their Stretch Aims, there were a small number of examples of children and young people’s involvement in decision-making in relation to setting of Stretch Aims. Development of Stretch Aims was however noted to be an aspect in which there may be further scope for engaging children and young people in decision-making, as well as more broadly in terms of engaging parents/families and communities.