Case Studies

We are always looking for new Case Studies to show the work we have done, the ones we have put on the website are just a flavour of some of the work we have been commissioned to do. If you would like more details on a Case Study or would like information of any other work we have done please get in touch with us through the Contact Us page or click here

The Case Studies we have on this page are:
- Action Walks
- Student Commission on Learning
- Stockbridge Village Young People's Project
- Knowsley Participation Standards
- PLINGS
- Government Office North West Mystery Shopping

For day-to-day updates on the work we are doing you can now follow us on Twitter @KnowsleyYAs

Knowsley Young Advisors work at a community level with Area Partnership Boards to gather neighbourhood intelligence on a range of issues including young people’s perceptions on territory, play and youth facilities, environment and safety. Young Advisors carrying out ‘Action Walks’ where they engage with children, young people and adults from the community to gather insight of community views and experience. As part of the Action Walk the Young Advisors will also use the training they have received and knowledge of the areas to make their own observations on safety and environment. Action Walks inform Improvement Plans by using the information gathered by Young Advisors to set area priorities. The work of the Young Advisors has received recognition from Area Partnership Boards as an innovative way to consult and involve service users in the design and delivery of provision.

Most recently Young Advisors have undertaken Action Walks in local communities across Knowsley to explore how well they are equipped to support children and young people achieve their rights laid out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Such rights include children having the right to meet together and all children having the right to relax and play, and to join in a wide range of activities.

Knowsley Young Advisors consulted with over 1,500 students from years 7-10 in every Centre for Learning in Knowsley through focus groups, surveys and marketplace consultations. Young Advisors explored Pedagogy, Curriculum, ICT and Use of Space with students and used the views and information to produce a set of detailed recommendations that were fed back to each individual CfL. Centres for Learning were provided with reports specific to their Centre containing recommendations from Young Advisors and students. Recommendations helped inform school development plans and provided Centres with a baseline of information for them to continue to develop student voice to ensure they play a central part in the development and governance of Centres for Learning.

Knowsley Young Advisors have worked with Stockbridge Village young people’s Project and ‘Stockbridge in Tune’ young people’s music group to consult with young people in Stockbridge Village. Consultation sessions have been carried out using different styles of music to get young people engaged. Once engaged young people have given views on aspirations, thoughts on the area, leisure activities and how they spend their free time. In addition to the consultation sessions, Young Advisors also carried out Action Walks in the community to support the information gathered through the consultations.

From September young people have been trained by Young Advisors in partnership with Knowsley CVS to be Young Community Champions, they will work alongside the adult Community Catalyst Group already established in Stockbridge Village. The Community Catalyst Group will be a key stakeholder in the design, development and delivery of community led provision and services for young people and adults as part of the regeneration process.

The Knowsley Participation Standards are a Performance Framework for all Children and Young People’s Services to ensure effective, meaningful participatory practices. The Participation Standards combines tried and tested standards for active involvement with what Knowsley children and young people said about how they would like to be involved when accessing services.

The Knowsley Participation Standards Assessment Process is an integral part of the drive to promote Quality in the services we provide to children and young people. It provides public recognition that the criteria embodied in the Knowsley Participation Standards are being met this is further highlighted by Knowsley’s children and young people accessing these services.

The Young Advisors play a crucial part of the assessment process. The YA's team up with an adult assessor an work with services to support them in collating a portfolio of evidence, and will visit and consult with young people who are accessing the service being assessed. The Young Advisors then take each services Portfolio to SPARK, Our Children and Young People's Forum for them to decide whether the service meets the Six Participation Standards.

We have a variety of services who have completed the Participation Standards and achieved the Kitemark above - a flavour of these services are:
- Youth Offending Service
- Libraries
- Children's Centres
- Primary Schools
- Youth Services
- Teenage Health in Knowsley.

For more information on the Knowsley Participation Standards please contact Sean Donnelly or The Rights and Participation Team who's details can be found on our Contact Us page.

Working with Knowsley Young Advisors is refreshing. The Young Advisors can offer a new outlook and approach to many pieces of work and are always up for a challenge. They adapt to different situations and are keen to listen, learn and build on their knowledge and skills base. I had had the privilege of working with the Young Advisors on a number of pieces of work and have always found their dedication and support invaluable, they manage their changing workload with ease and remain professional whilst adding new perspectives. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the Knowsley Young Advisors and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Elaine Jones, Knowsley Participation Standards Co-ordinator

Plings is a project led by Substance with backing from the Government's Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). It's even got the support of England and Arsenal star, Theo Walcott! Through the DCSF’s Information and Signposting Project, Plings is currently working with more than 20 local authorities and many activity providers to help them collect, manage and share their activity information. Information about how we have helped and the work we have been doing with them can be found in the publication ‘Taking Positive Activities Information Further’ and downloaded from the Department for Children, Schools and Families website

As well as making sure everyone who's aged 13-19 to be better informed about what is happening in their local area, Plings helps local authorities meet their legal requirements to publicise and keep up-to-date, comprehensive and accurate information on positive activities for young people. It also helps them know what’s being delivered so they can identify gaps in terms of type of provision, geographical spread and times of the week. You may not know, but they're actually legally required to do this.

Knowsley Young Advisors have supported in the promotion and evaluation of activities for young people in Knowsley. During Summer 2009 Young Advisors spent 2 weeks visiting activities across Knowsley to see what young people thought about them and how they recieved the informatioin on each activity.

The Young Advisors have spent the start of 2010 working with Substance and DCFS to promote PLINGS across Knowsley and spent Saturday 6th March travelling around Knowsley in their Youth Bus to consult on and promote PLINGS. They spoke to over 200 young people on the day and have undoubtedly raised the profile and awareness of PLINGS across Knowsley.

To see pictures and videos of the Young Advisors in action from the Promotion Day please check out the PLINGS section in our Media Centre and visit the offical PLINGS Blog

"With the Youth Bus positioned in Huyton, and later in Kirkby, our SMT (suitably attired in some pretty flash Plings hooded tops), bounded over to any young person they could see and waxed lyrical to them about all the great places to go and things to do in Knowsley … and as if that sort of Plings promotion wasn’t enough, they then enticed them on board the Youth Bus where we had a couple of laptops set-up so that young people could find out for themselves about Plings and the Boredometer.

It was a great day with lots of interest from the public, a fantastic team of young people doing all the Plings promotion (peer-peer engagement = essential if you want to successfully get a message out), and not a cloud in the sky (well, maybe a couple!)."

Gordan, Substance

Government Office for the North West commissioned Knowsley’s Young Advisors to carry out mystery shopper visits to Sexual Health Services in each of the following four towns: Crewe, Knutsford, Winsford and Macclesfield.

The Young Advisors were asked to access the following:

• Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) from a service in Crewe
• A Pregnancy Test from a service in Winsford
• Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) from a service in Macclesfield
• Chlamydia Screening from a service in Knutsford

The Young Advisors were asked to find one service to visit in each of the areas and research was undertaken by Young Advisors prior to the visits to establish how easy or difficult it was to get the information. The accuracy (or not) of the information was then used to locate and access the service.

"The report and the presentation are fantastic. Please thank everyone involved for all of their hard work and a special thanks to you and your colleague for getting this to us in such a short turn around. Looking forward to seeing you all later."
Catherine Alexander - You're Welcome Regional Lead, GONW

"I have received the report and needed to share my appreciation of the depth, quality and professional approach to the commission and report - I am staggered by the insight and commitment -it is invaluable"
Wendy Nicholson - Regional Teenage Pregnancy co-ordinator, GONW