Get involved

When you have personal experience of our services, it's important that you let us know how you feel, that you take part in and understand any decisions that affect you, and that you know why they were made. We also want you to feel that you can ask questions.

If you are interested in taking an active role in the community, you’ll find some information below about how to do this. We’ve included pointers to other parts of the website where you can find more detail.

Getting involved with decisions that affect you
Whether you are a young person or a parent or carer, we'd like you to help us get things right. And we want to make it easy for you to participate – especially if you are a child or a young person.

We will fully involve children, young people, and their families in decisions about their future. Our strategy on the active involvement of children and young people in Warrington sets out how we will encourage participation.

Children and young people have the legal right to be actively involved in decision-making. The principle is contained in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and in the European Convention on Human Rights. The UK government supports this principle and has introduced a number of acts that mean children’s services must involve children and young people in the planning, design, provision and evaluation of services.

You may find some of the terms that professionals use are unclear. To help everyone understand them we have published a guide to explain them.

Giving us your views
We want to know where we can improve things. Your comments can help to change things for the better. One example of consultation that made a difference is when we talked to young people and their families, the general public and professionals. Their views and ideas helped us to write our Children and Young People's Plan. The plan sets out the priorities for children's services in Warrington over the next few years.

Warrington Borough Council also seeks the views of residents on a range of other topics and has published a consultation strategy. To find out more, visit the information in our section on consultation.

Taking an active part
For children and young people, opportunities to take an active part in a range of schemes, clubs, organisations and other projects are covered in our section for young people. They include joining the Youth Parliament and volunteering  opportunities.

For parents, carers or other adults, there are a number of ways in which you can play an active part in supporting children and young people. These include becoming a school governor and other jobs in schools, but also helping local community projects through volunteering.

Leaflets and publications:

• Active Involvement Strategy
• 'Learning to Listen' core principles
• 'Words Matter!' 
• Children and Young People's Plan
• Children and Young People's Plan annual review 06-07
• Corporate Consultation Strategy
• National Youth Agency - an introduction
• National Youth Agency - how to find out more 

Related pages:

• UK Youth Parliament
• Volunteering
• Becoming a school governor
• Children and Young People's Plan
• IMPACT Youth Forum 

External websites:

• Junction49 - a website where you can post ideas about how to sort out problems that affect you in your area
• Every Child Matters - participation 
• Every Child Matters - UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Participation works

Contact us:
Involvement and Participation Manager
Performance Business Unit 
2nd floor, New Town House
Warrington, WA1 2NJ
Tel: 01925 443895 
Email: mkretz@warrington.gov.uk

Last updated 27/04/2009 09:44:22

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