Working with Teenagers Training & Co-production Kite mark
Working with Teenagers Training
Working with Teenagers is a two hour training session that has been written by and is delivered by young people in Bury. Young people have given a great deal of time and effort to design and deliver this unique training opportunity in Bury.
Young people were repeatedly describing frustrations with professionals not consistently understanding their points of view or dismissing their feelings and they wanted to create some training that would address these issues.
Young people identified some specific professionals that they feel would particularly benefit from the training: teachers; police; bus drivers; Metrolink staff; doctors; and school nurses but also feel it would be relevant for any professional who works with young people.
The training is interactive and encourages participants to think about their own preconceived ideas, their lived experience and offers them the opportunity to put themselves in the shoes of a vulnerable young person. It involves a case study that describes real experiences that young people in Bury have faced and invites participants to look at the story from different perspectives. Participants are also given some firsthand, practical suggestions of how they can best engage with young people in the future.
This is a great opportunity for any professional who works with young people to spend two hours reflecting on their practice and learning from young people directly.
Professionals who attend this training are expected to participate fully within the training session and to commit to ensuring that their learning will be reflected in their practice moving forward.
The training is open to everyone, and sessions scheduled between 4–6pm or 5-7pm are preferred. For access or further information, please contact:
Co-production Kite mark
What is the Co-production Kite mark?
Article 12 of the UNCRC states that all children have the right to be listened to and to have their views given due weight. Involving young people in decision making and co-production is not just good practice but it is a fundamental human right. When young people co-produce services, those services are better able to meet need and young people gain skills and feel valued. It is mutually beneficial.
Bury Youth Cabinet sits within democratic services in Bury Council and supported by Bury Youth Service Participation Team is made up of young people aged 11-18 (up to 25 if SEND) across the borough from a variety of backgrounds. Youth Cabinet led a huge piece of consultation work with hundreds of young people across Bury to create a promise and asked partners to sign up to it. Youth Cabinet revisit the promise every 3 years to ensure it reflects the needs of young people across the borough. The promise sets out partners’ commitment to young people in Bury.
Part of the promise is a commitment to listening to children and young people and ensuring they have meaningful involvement in decision making. The Co-production Kite mark is a quality assurance framework for any organisation that works with young people. The kite mark focuses on commitment of an organisation to co-production and the success of their approaches encouraging a whole organisation approach to voice. This sits within the promise’s focus on listening to young people and working alongside them.
Young people have created indicators for organisations to be measured against reflecting different stages of co-production, linked to the Lundy Model and embedded in the promise. Undertaking the Kite mark is a commitment to improve and maintain the co-production ethos within organisations and continue to develop voice and participation work to improve the lives of young people.
The Co-production Kite mark is suitable for all organisations who work with, support, or offer a service to young people. Organisations can choose which level of award they would like to be assessed against: Gold, Silver or Bronze and will be supported through the process. A period of self-assessment, monitoring and feedback will be undertaken in conjunction with the young people assessing if standards have been met.
The criteria for assessment for each level: bronze, silver and gold is available to organisations who then complete a simple self-assessment toolkit to evidence how their organisation uses co-production to achieve the following elements of the promise:
- Children and young people have the opportunity to be involved at all stages as equal partners in the development of services that affect them
- Children and young people are informed and understand the service that they are being offered and how it will help them
- Recognise that good relationships with children and young people are key to all who work with them and professionals will endeavour to build a strong, transparent and honest relationship with the young person they are working with
- Staff who engage with children and young people will have the appropriate engagement skills and training
The framework indicators reflect the Lundy model of child participation which conceptualises and informs understanding of young people’s participation
Following the completion of the self-assessment toolkit a panel of young people will review the information that has been submitted and invite a representative from the organisation to an interview to discuss how the indicators have been met in more detail. Applicants are also asked to share any documents that evidence their self-assessment. The panel will score the organisation based on how well they have met each indicator. The maximum score is 64.
Organisations with a score of 48 or above will be awarded the kitemark and they will be able to display a plaque to demonstrate their commitment to co-production. If an organisation scores between 42 and 47 they will be invited to submit additional evidence or to make suggested changes within two months of the interview in order to improve their voice work and be awarded the kitemark.
There will also be an annual event to celebrate all the organisations that received a Co-production Kitemark that year. Each kitemark is valid for 3 years.
To enquire about taking part in the Co-production kite mark please email:
