Introduction
This guidance is intended to help workers decide on how to reward children and young people for their participation. It addresses those participation activities where children and young people are giving their personal views (such as consultations, focus groups and interviews). It does not cover situations where young people employed, either in a work or voluntary role, to support a participation project.
The guidance includes a set of minimum standards for rewarding participation which were drawn up by young people from DAFBY (Democratic Action for B&NES Youth). The minimum standards are currently in draft. Any comments from other young people would be welcomed. Please send these to Dianne Clarke (Participation Worker) at dianne_clarke@bathnes.gov.uk
by 30th September 2009
What do we mean by rewards?
| Types of reward | Incentives aim to motivate children and young people to take part by making the project more appealing | Recognition shows the value and impact of children’s and young people’s views and helps them reflect on and share experiences. |
| Intrinsic developed through the participation process. They are a product of what the participants contribute and can vary between individuals. | - Participation activities & refreshments
- Skills or knowledge
- Sense of empowerment/ making a difference
- Better services
| - Thanks
- Understanding the impact work done
- Records of work (photo albums, videos, reports)
- Evaluations by staff, peers or children and young people themselves
|
| Extrinsic given to participants. They supplement the participation process. | - Vouchers
- Money
- Outings
- Celebrations
| -
- Certificates
- Accreditation
- References
- Given own/ access to records of work
|
NB: this guidance looks at participation activities where children and young people are giving their personal views. It is not intended for work or voluntary roles.
Out-of-pocket expenses do not for any purposes count as rewards - costs that children and young people incur in order to take part in participatory activities should be reimbursed (subject to appropriate procedures) as a way of enabling them to take part. Children and young people should be made aware of how to claim expenses and wherever possible, this should be done in advance.
| Recommendations from DAFBY members - A comfortable environment
- An attentive and friendly audience
- An accessible time and location
- Respect
- Not patronising
- Easy to understand documents e.g. minutes
- Feedback from adults as equals
- Casual clothing
|
What are you rewarding?
Projects vary in the demands they make on participants. Factors affecting this are:
- the type of activity
- skills, knowledge and training required
- the amount of time involved
- the impact it will make
- how relevant the topic feels to children and young people
- how empowered children and young people are within the process
However, the contribution an individual participant makes is not only about what we ask of them, but also the personal challenges they overcome in order to meet our demands. These will vary based on:
- Self-image and Personal motivation – is it something they enjoy, value or find interesting? Does it help them meet their personal goals? Does it help them belong to a group?
- Skills and knowledge – are they familiar with the topic and/or activities? are they confident in sharing their opinions?
- Accessibility – can they easily find out about opportunities? Is the activity at a convenient time and location? Do they feel welcomed and respected? Is information easy-to-understand?
- Past experiences – have they had positive experiences of participating before? Have their views made a difference?
Even within a single project, the contributions of individual participants may vary significantly. These same factors also affect the intrinsic rewards that children and young people gain automatically just by being involved.
By increasing the involvement of children and young people throughout the participation process (including deciding issues, methods, evaluating impact) allows participants to decide how much of a contribution they feel is worthwhile. Additionally, they will be more motivated and aware of the purpose and relevance of the activities. In this case, participants become active citizens, with a responsibility to speak up, so that their views can act as a driving force for the work. Approaching participation in this way means that the biggest benefits for participants are the outcomes from the work (which will naturally reflect their contributions).
Getting the balance right
That is not to say that adult-led consultations or participation activities are completely undesirable. Some projects or issues do not easily lend themselves to more children and young people-led activities. To create a culture of participation working at the highest rungs of Hart’s participation ladder we need practitioners and children and young people to be working together in a range of ways to address the issues of each group. This requires using a range of different approaches.
However, an over-reliance on adult-led projects can create extra workload for staff (particularly in the long-term). There is also a danger of creating a ‘trade’ dynamic in which participants are seen as keeper of views who must be persuaded to give them up in return for incentives. We want to move away from using cash or vouchers to pay for children and young people’s views (as has sometimes happened in the past) towards creating equitable and sustainable opportunities for them to get their voices heard. This can be done by using a child/young person-led model wherever possible to boost intrinsic rewards.
Whatever the approach, the key is creating a package of rewards which:
- reflects contributions – to ensure that all projects reward in comparable and equitable ways
- enhances the participation process – by highlighting views as a ‘driving force for change’ and using rewards which are relevant to the project and sustainable (both for the current work and in the longer-term)
- provides the maximum benefit for children and young people - recognising differences between children and young people, in terms of what rewards they find useful and/or interesting (where young people are already involved in accreditation schemes or participation activities, they may prefer rewards that complement or fit in with those).
Dianne Clarke
June 09