Common Core of Skills, Knowledge & Understanding and Values for the "Children's Workforce" in Scotland

Children's views must be considered and taken into account in all matters affecting them

UNCRC Article 12

Relevant sections of the Common Core:

As an employee or volunteer you will:
Include children, young people and families as active participants, listening to their views and offering them choices

Explain decisions to ensure children, young people and families understand them and their implications, especially if the final decision isn't what they hoped for

Keep children, young people and families informed of progress

Seek to support children, young people and families in partnership with them, their networks and other workers

Recognise that timely, appropriate and proportionate action is appreciated by children, young people and families as well as other workers

What people told us during the Consultation and Workshops:

Include children, young people and families as active participants, offering them choices and listening to their views (Common Core ref: A8)

40. The active participation of children and young people in the services they access is an important issue raised by most respondents to the consultation. Workers must also offer genuine choices and listen to the preferences of children and young people and their families. There was recognition during the consultation that often choices will be limited due to resources available, but that workers should strive to ensure multiple choices can be offered possibly by developing new contacts with other workers / services.

Explain decisions to ensure children, young people and families understand them and their implications, especially if the final decision isn't what they hoped for (Common Core ref: A9)

41. During the consultation it was stated that simply telling a child, young person or family what the decision is does not guarantee they have actually understood what you are saying or why the decision has been made. Clarification should always be sought that children, young people and families know not only what the decision is but why a particular decision has been taken and feel reassured that their view was considered as part of the process.

Keep children, young people and families informed of progress (Common Core ref: A10)

42. Keeping children, young people and families informed of progress was raised in the workshops. The good practice examples cited how important it was to keep them informed, even if a decision had still not been made or there had been no significant progress.

43. During the workshops we heard of the frustrations by families (and other workers) if there is a lack of communication or that communication is slower than expected. Examples were cited of workers not turning up for multi-agency meetings with no prior notice being given.

Seek to support children, young people and families in partnership with them, their networks and other workers (Common Core ref: B9)

44. A strengths based approach requires workers to work with children, young people and families rather than provide services to them (more information available at Annex A). This partnership approach is important and stems from building meaningful relationships.

Recognise that timely, appropriate and proportionate action is appreciated by children, young people and families as well as other workers (Common Core ref: B10)

45. As well as the need to keep children, young people and their families informed of progress, they do appreciate timely progress. This principle is the same when other workers are waiting on you.

Relevant quotes from the consultation

our work consistently demonstrates the mutual benefits gained from young people's participatory involvement in projects designed to support them. We understand the importance of drawing on the resources individuals already have to co-design the services they use and to develop their own solutions. The Common Core needs to promote recognition within the children's sector of the expert knowledge children, young people and their carers have about their own lives. It should include the confidence of workers to allow service users to take the lead - to set their own priorities and to identify their own needs

children are both articulate and able to understand the issues that affect their lives - such as poverty - and should be treated with equal respect and involvement

an open discussion regarding next steps brings benefits in terms of openness, participation, empowerment and capacity building

many children will only respond to adults who are able to build a bridge between the adult world and the world of the child….the ability for a worker to exist in both the adult world and also visit the world of the child is a skill that can be learnt

Self reflection / Discussion questions:

46. The following questions are examples of the sorts of questions you can reflect on individually or discuss in your team. By doing so you are already beginning to implement the Common Core.

• Do you understand what the active participation of children, young people and families in your service looks like? Who else can you discuss this with in your area to learn new methods?

• Reflect on occasions when you were able to keep children, young people and families informed and action took place in good time. What worked well on these occasions? How can these occasions become the norm?

• Reflect on occasions when you have had to tell a child, young person or family that a decision has not gone the way they wanted. How do you handle this type of situation? Consider ways you have dealt with frustration, disappointment or anger. How do you try to avoid this experience resulting in them feeling that it is not worth expressing what they would like to happen in future? How do you prepare children, young people and families for the possibility that a decision may be different from what they ideally want but still encourage their participation?

Would you like to share your views or do you need more help?

Post your comments or questions on the workforce section of the GIRFEC Knowledge Hub. See Annex B for details.