Pupil Voice

Links

National Foundation for Educational Research (www.nfer.ac.uk)

Involving children and young people
This area of the website highlights some key documents looking at the involvement of children and young people in the services that they use and organisations that affect them. It includes literature focusing on participation and voice not only within the education system and but also more widely.
Audience: It might be useful for researchers and policy makers interested in the area of consultation and participation and also for practitioners interested in empowering children and young people they work with to have a voice.

Carnegie Young People Initiative (www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/cypi)
The Carnegie UK Trust’s programmes for young people focus on promoting their involvement in public decision-making at community and national levels. At a strategic level the Carnegie Young People Initiative carries this forward. CYPI is a specialist unit of the Trust which directly, and through commissioned research, seeks to influence public policy and the practice of the various public services that impact upon young people – in areas such as schools and youth services, health services and town planning. The CYPI staff team of five, including a student intern, is based in London. Its work programme however covers the whole of the UK and Ireland.

Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) www.crae.org.uk
The Children's Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) is a coalition of over 360 voluntary and statutory organisations committed to the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. They are one of the biggest children's rights coalitions in the world. Membership is FREE to under 18s: a small membership fee is payable for organisations and adults.
CRAE exists to transform the lives and status of children in England. It seeks the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other human rights instruments and wants all children to be respected as individual people and to be treated as full and equal members of society. It lobbies for laws and policies to be fully compliant with children's human rights, we monitor Government action on implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other human rights instruments, and disseminate children's rights information to the public.

Children and Young People’s Unit (DfES)
Learning to Listen: Core Principles for the Involvement of Children and Young People (2001) [online]. Available: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/listeningtolearn/downloads/LearningtoListen-CorePrinciples.pdf

British Youth Council (BYC) www.byc.org.uk
The British Youth Council (BYC) is the national youth council for young people aged under 26 in the UK. BYC represents and involves a unique coalition of young people through their involvement as individuals or through their youth organisations. It brings young people together to agree on issues of common concern and encourage them to bring about change through taking collective action.

BYC aims to

Provide a voice for young people;
Promote equality for young people;
Help young people be more involved in decisions that affect their lives;
Advance young people’s participation in society and civic life.

National Children’s Bureau (NCB) www.ncb.org.uk
Founded in 1963, NCB is a charitable organisation that acts as an umbrella body for organisations working with children and young people in England & Northern Ireland. Through working in partnership, sharing knowledge, resources and services NCB have created a ‘powerful, authoritative and influential voice to improve the lives of children and young people’.
Partners include the semi-independent organisations and networks hosted, the agencies and organisations we undertake projects with, as well as members. NCB membership is a multi-agency network of child education, health and social care, youth, early years and other children’s services professionals. NCB also works in partnership with Children in Scotland and Children in Wales.
Young NCB is NCB’s free membership network for all children and young people aged under 18. Young NCB members speak out on issues they feel are important, such as safety, sex and relationships, education, bullying, drugs, media and smacking.

National Youth Agency (NYA) www.nya.org.uk
The National Youth Agency was founded in 1991 and is based in Leicester, England. We aim to advance youth work to promote young people's personal and social development, and their voice, influence and place in society. Funded primarily by the Local Government Association and government departments it works by:

Supporting those working with young people in a variety of settings
Influencing and shaping youth policy and improving youth services
Promoting young people's participation, influence and place in society
improve and extend youth services and youth work;
enhance and demonstrate youth participation in society; and
promote effective youth policy and provision.

NYA provides resources to improve work with young people and its management; create and demonstrate innovation in services and methods; support the leadership of organisations to manage change; influence public perception and policy; and secure standards of education and training for youth work.

School Councils UK (www.school.councils.org)

School Councils UK has been helping schools to develop into caring communities, working with teachers and pupils in infant, primary, secondary and special schools for more than ten years. School Councils UK, which has the support of the DfES, also works in partnership with Local Education Authorities, providing guidance, support and training.

England

http://www.consultingpupils.co.uk/

www.connexions.gov.uk

www.cypu.gov.uk

www.carnegie-youth.gov.uk

www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk

www.byc.org.uk

www.schoolcouncils.org

www.ncsl.org.uk

http://www.cewc-cymru.org.uk/

http://www.youngncb.org.uk/schools/index.htm

http://www.rightsbase.org.uk/schoolcouncil/