Why?
Dorset wanted to make sure young people were involved in the work and had opportunities to meet senior decision-makers.
What?
+ A new role of ‘task force’ leader was created.
+ The taskforce leaders had a specific interest and experiences in the 4 areas of the Dorset New Belongings action plan.
+ They met with managers from the relevant services to share their views and ideas so managers were better informed of the issues needing to be addressed.
+ Together the managers and task force leaders jointly developed the action plan.
+ The meetings were held on line, so a wide range of young people could be involved – e.g. those out of area, young parents. Meetings were held at times that were convenient for young people and were run in a flexible way – for example, some young people only felt able to contribute if their cameras were switched off.
Impact
Managers heard the experiences, views & ideas of young people and this provided the basis for the authorities action plan. Everybody felt the plan addressed the challenges young people faced.
