Involving Young People in Decision Making

Young people including those who communicate non-verbally or for whom English is an additional language, should be supported to actively participate in decisions about their lives and if they have capacity should be making most day to day decisions for themselves with the support of others if necessary. See also the Mental Capacity Resource. Young people will have access to an independent Advocate and, where appropriate, an Independent Visitor which is detailed later in this chapter.

Young people should be supported to identify a trusted adult who they can talk to about any concerns. This will often be you as their supported lodgings host. It is important that young people are confident that adults listen to them, take their concerns seriously and respond appropriately.

As a host you will be supported to seek and record the views of young people you support.

Where appropriate an interpreter or BSL interpreter should be available to support with communication.

The benefits of participation of young people in matters that affect them include:

• Having a safe space to reflect on the events that have brought them into their placement with you;
• The opportunity to give their version of what has happened to them and to say what they would like to happen in the future;
• The sense of empowerment that comes from being listened to and seeing what one has said making a difference to what happens;
• The possibility of having their concerns and issues dealt with which could have an immediate impact for them in terms of how they identify their 'quality of life';
• The opportunity to reflect on a situation and learn how to weigh up information so decision making is part of the participation process;
• The opportunity to have explained to them what is happening in the present moment and what is likely to happen in the future and what support will be offered to keep them safe.

For you as the host, the benefits of participation with the young person can be:

• The opportunity to hear the young person’s views about what has happened and what they want to change;
• A model of communicating that may improve your relationship with the young person.

There are also some barriers to participation that are important to consider such as:

• Lack of clarity about who is doing what in the young person’s life and too many changes of professionals and placements;
• A lack of clarity about what participation is or confusion over how it will be addressed;
• Competence –carers/hosts and professionals around the young person lacking in experience or having an inability to effectively communicate with a young person; 
• Capacity/enough time- a lack of time from those and supporting a young person;
• Behaviour - this can be misinterpreted and sometimes causes a barrier for professionals and hosts. As the host, along with the team around the young person, will often need a variety of tools/methods and patience/space to deal with this to promote engagement;
• Young people themselves can become disinterested and disengaged because of delays;
• Young people are far more spontaneous and their timescales are far shorter;
• Ideally as a host you will be able to build a trusting relationship which means that you are able to support a young person to participate in having a say in decisions made about their lives. Often a young person may ask you to speak for them in meetings and to professionals. There are also other more formal ways in which a young person can be supported to share their views. These are noted below. If you feel that a young person would benefit from additional support and advocacy please speak to your Supervising Worker and/or the young person’s social worker.

Young people should have access to, and should be actively encouraged to involve, an independent Advocate and, where appropriate, an Independent Visitor.

Where young people have difficulty in expressing their wishes or feelings about any decisions made about them, or where the young person’s wishes conflict with the adults supporting them around a specific decision, consideration must be given to securing the support of an Advocate.

An Advocate should also be offered where a young person wishes to be represented at a meeting (for example a Looked After Review) or assisted in making a complaint.

Information must be provided to all looked after young people about how they can gain access to a suitably skilled independent Advocate. This will be done by their social worker or the Independent Reviewing Officer.

It is the role of the local authority supporting a young person to appoint a person to be an Independent Visitor when it appears to be in the young person’s interests to do so. If you or the young person you support would like to request an Independent Visitor please speak to your Supervising Worker.

Usually Independent Visitors are volunteers. To be 'independent' they must not be connected with the local authority which has placed the young person.

The role of the Independent Visitor is to be person-centred and contribute to the welfare of the young person. In particular they should:

• Promote the young person’s social, emotional, educational, religious and cultural needs;
• Encourage the young person to exercise their rights and participate in decisions which will affect them;
• Support the Care Plan for the young person;
• Complement the activities of the host.

The Independent Visitor will visit, advise and befriend the young person, with the aim of establishing a trusting and positive relationship. They way in which they do this will vary according to the needs and wishes of each individual young person. Ideally they should remain a constant in the young person’s life, and be there if a young person moves placements or has a change of social worker.

The Independent Visitor may be involved in meetings or consultation processes relating to the support of the young person. The Independent Visitor may also contribute to Looked After Reviews, either in writing or in person, if they have been invited or the young person requests their attendance.

In most instances it will not be necessary or appropriate for the Independent Visitor to keep detailed records of their discussions with the young person.

The appointment of an Independent Visitor should be considered as part of developing the Care Plan and at the Looked After Review. Any decision not to appoint an Independent Visitor should be kept under review. The young person’s wishes and feelings should be obtained, and they must agree to the appointment of the Independent Visitor.

The following factors should be taken into account when considering if it would be appropriate to appoint an independent visitor:

• If the young person is placed at a distance from home;
• If the young person is unable to go out independently or experiences difficulties in communication and building positive relationships;
• If the young person is likely to engage in behaviour which puts them at risk as a result of peer pressure or forming inappropriate relationships with older people;
• If it would make a contribution to promoting the young person’s health and education.