Participation Works is a consortium which is made up of six national children's & young people's charities. They have collectively developed a comprehensive programme of activity and resources on participation including workshops, training sessions and supportive practitioner networks, designed to support organisations and practitioners who work with children and young people between the ages of 10-25 years old.

Participation Works offers a unique gateway to the world of children and young people's participation in third sector organisations. It's Online Gateway provides a single access point to information on policy, practice, networks, training and innovative ideas.

As part of Participation Works' offer to Voluntary, Community and other Third Sector organisations, The National Youth Agency has produced the Participation Works Hear by Right Self-Assessment Tool, and is hosting a Hear by Right participation workshop in your area.

Participation Works Hear by Right Self-Assessment Tool

The Hear by Right Self-Assessment Tool uses the tried and tested Hear by Right participation standards framework developed by The National Youth Agency to help organisations to map their current level of children and young people's participation and create a strategic plan for improvement. For more information on the Hear by Right standards please follow this link. These Hear by Right shared learning web pages show how a diverse range of organisations have used Hear by Right. We welcome all case studies to add to these pages and to help other organisations to develop their participation practice.

For more information about the Hear by Right participation standards framework, and how Voluntary, Community and other Third Sector organisations can use the Self-Assessment Tool, please see the Participation Works briefing paper Hear by Right and the Third Sector

The Hear by Right Self-Assessment Tool can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. More Hear by Right resources can be found in the Downloads section of the site.

Participation Works also uses the Hear by Right What's Changed tool and the What's Changing in your Organisation template. For more information please click on the links above.

Participation Works Hear by Right workshops

Running throughout England, the Hear by Right workshops are designed to provide information about using the Hear by Right participation standards framework. You will find out how to use the Hear by Right Self-Assessment Tool to draw up a map of current participation in your organisation (with children and young people), create an agreed strategic plan for improvement, and record the changes you make, which can be used for evidence, evaluation and applying for funding.

In addition, the workshops will give you an opportunity to talk to others undertaking participation work with children and young people and obtain details on further training and support that is available to you from The National Youth Agency and other Participation Works partners.

Workshops are free to Voluntary, Community and other Third Sector organisations and cost £85 for statutory sector workers.

They are aimed at staff and leaders delivering young people's participation in organisations, and will be followed up with Local Learning Groups which will offer a forum in which to share learning and experience about using the Tool.

The aims of the workshops are:

• To increase understanding of participation and the changing legislative background underpinning it
• To provide information about the Hear by Right standards framework
• To practice using the Hear by Right Self-Assessment Tool
• To give an overview of the wider Participation Works offer

For more information please see the flyer which is downloadable at the bottom of this page.

Participation works is funded by the Big Lottery Fund