“If the people who are supposed to be the beneficiaries of change do not know that it is happening – then it probably is not happening.”
Lord Herman Ouseley, Former Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality

Changes resulting from specific issues and concerns raised by children and young people are the ultimate goal of participation activity. These changes are a key requirement when using Hear by Right and are fundamental to successfully completing the framework.

The What's changed for young people tool, which accompanies the Hear by Right standards framework, is designed to capture the changes that have occurred as a result of children and young people’s participation. It is used to record, measure and report the results of participation where a tangible change has taken place. It captures the story of children and young people’s participation, drawing upon their own words and showcases and celebrates their achievements. The story does not need to be a complex issue, just real and visible change for the better.

The tool records the most important evidence of change, which is that from the children and young people themselves. It is essential that they tell their story in their own words, providing evidence of dialogue and evidence of change. The story also includes the perspective of the organisation. 

Although the What's changed for young people tool is the leading evaluative and celebratory tool for assessing the success of the Hear by Right standards, it can also be used on its own. The Hear by Right standards is just one way in which change for young people can be achieved, and we wish to celebrate and showcase all stories where young people have made positive change as a result of being involved regardless of whether the standards framework was used.

In order to build a body of evidence of participation outcomes and to share good practice The NYA is very keen to celebrate your examples of change on our website and in Children & Young People Now magazine. As the What's changed for young people tool is accessible to everyone, not just users of Hear by Right, you can find a growing archive with over 85 stories of change for young people on the Hear by Right website.

The What's changed tool is available for free in the Downloads sections or at the bottom of this page. Once you've completed the tool please share your story locally and nationally by sending a copy to hearbyright@practicalparticipation.co.uk

We recognise that considerable organisational change may occur before change for children and young people has been achieved. This needs to be celebrated and shared so that changes occurring in your organisation can be monitored and others can learn from your experiences. In order to achieve this we have prepared the What’s Changing for your organisation template. This can be found on the Contribute to this site page.