making a difference: engaging with young people

1. consultation with young people: making a difference to outcomes making a difference:engaging with young people Alun Morgan Faculty of Health & Social Care The Open University a.morgan@open.ac.uk www.open.ac.uk

2. outline forpresentation Making a difference: engaging with young people practice & personal examples audio-CASI participation with young people The Open University research audio-CASI

3. professional background 10 yrs, Social Worker and manager in child protection and mental health 10 yrs, academic on Diploma in Social Work and social work degree courses. 5 yrs, local authority senior manager in child care. 2 yrs, lecturer in social work: Open University

4. using information to engage with YPpractice & personal examples capturing and analysing data for Gov – constantly changing agendas – but statistical data is relevant – don’t want Old Days! CareFirst (or similar) client-data systems, integrated children’s data systems – powerful. frequently used traditional local survey info’ - stored and analysed using database software. conducted community-wide surveys, using SNAP. used Viewpoint Interactive – LAC, YOT. lots of powerful tools – but poorly applied overall. challenge = to use SU info’ more effectively & consistently. (e.g. Dublin Airport. RAC, Chile).

5. using audio-CASI to engage with YP:technical description audio-CASI: questionnaire delivered on a computer. interviewee wears headphones – questions and responses ‘spoken’ by computer, has on-screen assistants – poor literacy not really a disadvantage. can have individual ‘profiles’ included, so computer appears to ‘know’ the interviewee personally. questions can be multiple-choice or free text. subject retains the ‘locus of control’ in interview. data is collected electronically, can be completed on stand-alone computer, or on-line. can include time-limited ‘breaks’ for computer games – e.g. Viewpoint Interactive ……

9. using audio-CASI for‘sensitive’ data collection audio-CASI can have a substantial effect on the willingness of people to report stigmatizing or embarrassing information – used in many research applications world-wide: e.g. surveys on drugs, sexual behaviour, lifestyle choices. computers are familiar to YP, give illusion of neutrality, and are universally available. YP like the methodology – (research subjects running to data collection instrument!). quantitative and qualitative data, available immediately, for analysis & for feedback.

10. some ‘free text’ quotes - LAC I want to see my parents less – so I can do more things. I want to know where I can contact my family. I would like to live with my cousin Aziz please. Tell the Reviewing Officer – I never want to see my dad. I have a pain in my right side – I’m wondering if that’s a big thing. I need a computer to do school work. I always end up in tears at review meetings, so I don’t always say what I feel – I think I need to write more things down. I would like things to happen, as decided at my Review. Make dad stop hitting us.

11. audio-CASItypical applications in social work LAC & CP reviews, core assessments service quality monitoring service planning youth justice (e.g. substance misuse monitoring) education: bullying surveys, self-esteem surveys children with disabilities participation – e.g. YP statistics to Elected Members. Information-rich: contributes to the ‘emotional intelligence’ of organisations.

12. participation:principles participation: “the process of sharing decisions which affect one’s life, and the community in which one lives” (Willow, 2002)”. listening, valuing, respecting rights. promoting achievement, development, learning. promoting processes for complaints, inspection. YP sharing decisions – to highest level possible. providing feedback, on difference made.

13. participation:methods models: from… consultation (can be tokenistic?); to… peer education and peer-research. youth work, in YP’s community/cultural context. photography, drama, music, dance, video, groupwork, youth forums. involvement in individual assessments/reviews. Youth Parliament (annual sitting, 1st was 2001). focus groups, inspections, surveys, audio-CASI. joint training with staff. YP training/interviewing for staff appointments.

14. The Open University:research project pilot study: Hertfordshire & Newcastle research question: what is the impact of the application of audio-CASI in facilitating participation, for children and young people receiving social work services in Hertfordshire and Newcastle? plan to complete more extensive research, based on experience of this pilot

15. The Open University:research project - methodology audio-CASI questionnaire with sample of YP - administered by on-going support workers. on-line questionnaire with managers separate focus groups: YP and managers. to explore Influence of audio-CASI on: Culture of participation? Structurefor participation? Practice of participation? Reviewof participation?

16. summary service user (‘hard to capture’) information is crucial in service delivery - the tools exist and are being used extensively in industry and commerce. audio-CASI is a well-established method for collecting information about sensitive subjects. it is likely that institutional cultures of participation facilitate the capture and utilisation of ‘soft’ data – contribute to organisational ‘emotional intelligence’. Open University research project to investigate the contribution of audio-CASI to participation.