Involving children and young people

Benefits for children and young people

Young people are the lifeblood and future of most sports, and having their voice heard within your organisation will benefit everyone.

Here are some of the key benefits for young people:

• it provides unique opportunities for young people to give views, ideas, feedback and raise their own issues, worries or concerns
• it gives a chance to develop new skills, experience and confidence
• helps them to feel valued and listened to
• more likely to feel comfortable to talk about concerns or worries with an adult in the club
• it helps them gain confidence by working within a group, becoming more connected with their peers and increasing their sense of belonging, team moral and loyalty
• the communication skills learnt will help them navigate challenging situations within the club in a more sensitive and appropriate manner

Benefits for sports, activities and organisations

Here are some of the key benefits for sports clubs or activities:

• provides a space to hear concerns
• promotes a child-focused approach, responsive to its core audience
• if young people feel valued and listen to they are more likely to report any concerns and stay in sport for longer
• it ensures that plans, projects and materials are appropriate and relevant to young people
• the club or organisation can grow a valuable resource for consultation and involvement – in both the short and long term
• the club or organisation is proactively engaging with children and young people and meeting safeguarding responsibilities to listen to the voices of young people

Principles of participation and involvement

It's important to understand the principles of participation and involvement of children and young people before your sports club, activity or organisation get started. These are:

• participation is voluntary
• it's informed by consent of the young people and parents
• young people involved can leave the group when they choose
• organisations may want to ask for a minimum time commitment

Key considerations for involving children and young people

Young people’s right to be involved

Particularly in decisions that will involve or impact on them. See our guidance below on children's rights to learn more.

Honesty, openness and respect

Your organisation should be prepared to hear, consider and, if required, act on information and feedback that may challenge existing plans, perceptions and practice. Those involved need to be open about the boundaries and parameters of the young people’s influence and to what degree your organisation can or will be open to feedback or suggestions from young people.

Management support and backing

It is essential that plans and arrangements to involve and consult with young people have management support.

Meaningful involvement

There should be a clear purpose to the process which fits with your organisation’s overall strategy, plans or aims. Involving young people for the sake of it achieves nothing. It risks alienating young people and damaging the reputation and image of the sports club or activity.

The focus of their involvement

Make it clear what the young people’s role will be. Establishing a terms of reference and role descriptions for ongoing groups will help to focus the young people’s involvement. Clarify what the outputs will be by the young people. Focus on the unique perspective that children and young people can contribute in a range of different areas within your organisation.

Examples of ways that your sports club or activity could involve children and young people and be more child centred, include:

• collecting feedback – surveys, polls, feedback form to use after an activity, and social media polls
• involving young people in decision making – youth forums, youth representatives on committee or board and as youth ambassadors

Adequate resource

Involving young people requires resources – in terms of staff, time, budget for venues, travel, materials, refreshments, administration for reports, practical arrangements such as booking venues, travel and rewards or acknowledgment of young people’s contributions.

Diversity and power issues

Steps should be taken to ensure that potential obstacles to participation are overcome, to ensure the involvement of young people is truly inclusive to all children and young people within your organisation. Power differentials between adults involved and young people, and between different groups of young people, should be recognised and addressed. Clarify ownership and leadership of the group, and how differences of opinion will be addressed.

Feedback

Arrangements should be in place to ensure that young people are kept updated about the way in which their feedback has been used, received, and about changes or decisions made by the organisation as a result their efforts and involvement.

Children’s rights

To protect children from harm there must be a culture where children feel safe to express any concerns. This culture is created by listening to the voices of children in everyday activities. Children’s rights should be safe and protected from abuse, violence and neglect.

Organisations have a moral duty to involve young people in decision-making. Their right to participate and be involved is underpinned and emphasised by following legislation:

• Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) – see chapter 2
• The Standards for Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport (2001) – see standard 9

How to involve children and young people

The planning required to engage and involve children and young people will vary depending on the size of your organisation, your budget and how you would like to include them.

If you're not sure how to involve children and young people, our guidance below will help your sports club or activity to do so. For further information, see the Resources tab.

Setting aims and outcomes

Aims and focus for involving young people

It's important to establish if the young people will consider a range of issues affecting them within the sport, or just a specific topic or project. 

Identifying outcomes

Identify what outcome your sport or activity would like from young people’s involvement and participation in your decision making. Some possibilities include:

• to produce or design materials
• comment on policy, procedure, or practice issues
• represent young people across the organisation
• identify and advocacy on issues affecting young people within the organisation
• develop ambassadors
• to collect feedback
• being part of board meetings
• develop surveys

Practical considerations for participation and involvement

Your organisation should consider the practicalities of youth participation in decision making. Whether it’s face-to-face or online, you’re engaging young people in a single consultation, establishing an ongoing consultation group, youth forum, focus groups. using surveys, online group consultations or virtual meetings.

Venues and hosting

It's important to consider potential accessibility issues for all young people whether this be for venues you are using or virtual equipment to ensure your sport or activity is being inclusive of everyone's needs.

Timings of meeting or sessions

Consider school, college or university timetables, examination periods and term-times, as these may affect times, days of the year that wouldn't be suitable to carry out this work. Members of the group may be travelling to attend the sessions, so consider the times of day the sessions are held. 

If the session is virtual, ensure that members have clear information and easy to follow instructions about how and where to sign-in to the sessions.

Funding for involving children and young people

• what is the budget for this work?
• are arrangements in place to refund travel or other expenses?
• have you considered other potential costs, such as venues, refreshments, materials and accommodation?

Recruiting young members, staff and volunteers

All children and young people within your sport or activity should have the opportunity to be involved and have their voice heard. Your group should be open to everyone and have representation from a diverse range of children and young people, considering:

• ages
• ability
• social backgrounds
• ethnicity
• gender
• sexual orientation
• different roles across the organisation - participants, young officials, young organisers and existing young people’s groups

''The thing that's been the most fun on the board is definitely making friends, meetings so many different people, and getting so many different opportunities. Plus having somewhere to express my opinions. The thing I've leant the most is to be confident and sign yourself up for things - go for it, it's an amazing opportunity you might never get again.'' - Becky, member of NSPCC's Young People's Board for Change

Addressing members additional support needs

Consider and address the additional support needs of younger, disabled, marginalised and or minoritised children taking part within your sports or activity participation or involvement.

Gaining consent

Before any work has taken place, consent from the young people and parents should be gained. 

Supporting children and young people

The work should also be supported by members of staff or volunteers who have specific responsibilities for supporting and facilitating activity of the young people. Consider the following:

• safer recruitment process
• criminal records checks carried out
• a clear job description for supporting the group
• person specification developed
• support for these roles to help deliver the work of the group
• development opportunities for group members, such as communication or presentation skills

Facilitation and communication

Facilitating involvement

• who will chair or facilitate the group? - an adult staff member, volunteer, or young person
• how will agenda items be raised, agreed or identified? - within the group or from elsewhere in the organisation
• will the style, length of meetings, nature of activities, tools used, and breaks reflect the needs of the group on the basis of age, role or ability?
• are the board involved and supportive of this work?
• how will codes of conduct and terms of reference for group members and facilitators be developed and agreed?
• how will a sense of fun be promoted and instilled within the work?

Communication

Who will be responsible for recording meetings and activities and for preparing feedback or reports?

• to what degree will the young people retain control over what is recorded and reported?
• how will disputes between adult facilitators, supporters and young members or between young members be managed, resolved and recorded?
• how will the wider organisation, and in particular other young people, be updated and informed about the group’s work?

How sports organisations have involved children and young people

Here are some examples of how some sports organisations have involved young people within their settings. Not all organisations have the same level of resource or capacity, however these are just examples which could be adapted to suit your club or activities needs and requirements.

No matter which mechanism you choose to use, it's important to remember that actively listening to children and young people allows their values, views and voices to be heard. The more invested and involved young people are within your sport club or activity, the more likely they are to achieve their sporting potential and stay involved for longer.

Gathering insight

Gathered children’s views can be done in multiple ways, such as surveys, feedback forms, youth forums and panels. This feedback can provide your sports club or activity with valuable insight into what children and young people’s needs are, what they value most and what worries or concerns they may have.

Youth forums

Youth forums and panels are a useful way to engage with young people, these can be organised online or face to face. A forum or panel will allow members to interact and share their thoughts and views, and provide useful feedback for your club or activity. 

Below are links to resources and programmes that some sports organisations have developed:

• Derbyshire FA youth leadership programme
• England Golf young ambassadors programme
• Hertfordshire FA podcast – run by young people on the topic of disability
• Swim England’s resources – written by the youth advisory panel for young people

Youth forum - example from Active Luton

How Active Luton used youth forums

Active Luton delivered online forums to consult young people about how they felt about going back to physical activity after lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the youth forums, Active Luton wanted to discover the following:

• how physically active young people are?
• what young people are interested in?
• what motivates young people?

Outcomes of involving young people

From the young people’s feedback about their concerns of returning sport after the pandemic, Active Luton introduced the following:

• they produced COVID secure participation guidance for clubs that could be used to encourage and motivate young people to return to physical activity
• ongoing youth forums, partnered with different agencies, to support young people

Feedback forms

Feedback forms and surveys provide sports club or activity providers with a snapshot of information. They can be created and delivered quickly and for free or very low cost. It’s important to be clear what you’re asking children and young people, so having a focus for your form or survey is essential.

Feedback forms - example from Active Luton

''Listening to young people helps us to have insight on our funding decisions. If clubs come to us for funding, we are more aware of what young people would want and need.’’ - Active Luton

How Active Luton used feedback forms

They produced a feedback form to collect feedback from young people taking part in community group activities. The feedback forms included questions on:

• what their ideal sessions would look like
• how safe they feel at sessions
• barriers to children and young people taking part
• the choice of activities available

The benefits of involving young people for Active Luton

Listening to young people helped to give Active Luton an insight on their funding decisions and gave them a better awareness of what young people wanted and needed. It has helped the organisation to:

• See why some things might not be working
• share this insight with external partners (such as local authorities)
• develop new partners, especially work regarding consulting with children and young people

''Listening to children’s and young people’s voices has had a positive effect on the way we work. We all fall into doing work in the same way and might not know what change is needed. Listening to young people and children keeps us open to change.’'- Active Luton

Working in partnership with others - example from Greater Sport

Greater Sport worked with partners on a project funded by The London Marathon Charitable trust, to improve the health and wellbeing of young homeless people across Greater Manchester through access to physical activity and mentoring.

They contacted several organisations who were working with young homeless people, who would benefit from this project. Once the organisation was on board with the programme, they consulted with the young people to find out:

• what sport or activity they would like to do
• the barriers they feel there are
• how to remove these barriers to help them enjoy the project

Each consultation gave different ideas and thirst for a variety of activities. They also asked the young people which type of mentoring they would like and how to help them co-design the project to suit their needs – to increase retention and participation.

The benefits in involving young people

By taking a youth work-oriented approach Greater Sport has partnered with new organisations that they might have not partnered with otherwise. Engaging young people in co-production has led to greater retention and participation.

What Greater Sport learnt from consulting with young people

• to be open to change
• what our desired outcome is, might not be theirs
• many young people don’t want to join a team or compete in sport, they just want to make friends and enjoy or feel better
• the link between mental health and physical health comes up a lot with the young people, (for example, young people frequently shared that they are interested in yoga and mindfulness)
• young people might not want to be tied to a specific sport and might want to try different sports

To find out more, visit the Greater Manchester Moving website.

Sharing good practice

If you have any other example of good practice of involving and listening to the voices of young people to help shape your sport or physical activity offer, please share them with us.

The following resources can help you to involve children and young people with decision making within your sports club or activity. 

CPSU and NSPCC resources

• Let children know you're listening – NSPCC guidance helping adults respond to children disclosing abuse
• My no.1 fan - CPSU video where children describe how parents' and spectators' behaviour impacts their game
• Voice of the child with the RFL – CPSU podcast

Sport-specific resources

• Letters to my parents - a video developed by Arsenal Hale End to bring to life the words from their Academy players
• Play Their Way - Children's Coaching Collaborative movement
• Swim England – Youth forum development toolkit (PDF) – a toolkit to give young swimmers a voice within their sport and help to inform decision making
• Young Voice - Greater Manchester Moving resources for physical activity and sport
• Young Voices in sport - Sport Ireland is supporting volunteers and members of staff in sporting organisations to involve their young members in decision-making
• Youth sport trust (YST) - a UK charity which provides education and development for young people through sport and play. 

Other useful resources

• 7 golden rules for participation - Children and Young Peoples Commissioner for Scotland (CYPCS) a resource to support the involvement of young people.
• National Youth Agency (NYA) – Youth voice and participation – provides a range of youth participation services to young people in England, so they can influence public decision-making at a local and national level
• Hart's ladder of children's participation – an education and training resource
• Young Spice (PDF) – a Children's Rights Wales resource for participation with children and young people
• Voice Opportunity Power - A toolkit to involve young people in the making and managing of their neighbourhoods
• Recipes for Engagement - children and young people in the lead - Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) resource for engaging with children and young people