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 from our Case Study Archieve please get in touch with us through the Contact Us page or click here

The Case Studies we have on this page are:
- Knowsley Participation Standards
- PLINGS
- Government Office North West Mystery Shopping
- Youth4U Young Inspectors
- Action Walks

The Case Study Archieve has the following Case Studies:
- Ourplace (Myplace)
- Hazel Blears Youth Panel

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

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 Elaine Jones or The Engagment 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

Knowsley Young Advisors have been an integral part of Knowsley's Young Inspectors Programme and have worked alongside the Engagement & Participation Team to design and deliver appropriate training to skill up the young people involved so they are able to effectively and positively inspect services and offer realisitic and appropriate areas for development. The Young Advisors also support the Inspectors when they are out on inspections making sure they feel supported and empowered to carry out inspecions.

For more information on Knowsley Young inspectors and the work they do please visit the Shout4Knowsley website or e-mail Joe Colburn our Young Inspectors Apprentice Support Worker.