Youth Charter
We developed the Youth Charter by working with young people so that their experiences shape practicioner responses to child criminal exploitation.
The Charter shows practitioners what is important to young people, in their own words. Drawing on the principles of the Social Services Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, our Youth Charter was developed in consultation with the Peer Action Collective (PAC) based at Media Academy Cymru.
The Youth Charter has been developed to enable practitioners to talk to young people about what matters to them, how their existing strengths and resources can be used to do these things and what services and approaches they would find most helpful.
Youth Charter
Ask us. Give us the option about how, when and if we engage with you.
Be yourself. Introduce who you are and why you want to talk to us.
Create a safe place to talk. Find a safe space, comfortable place to talk to us. Ask us where we would like to meet you.
Don’t assume you know us. We are all different. Take time to get to know us and what we may find upsetting.
Explain your role and responsibilities. Be clear and upfront about your safeguarding roles and responsibilities. Tell us what information you must share and whether you will tell us before this happens.
Focus on us, not what information you need. Don’t just bombard us with questions. Let the conversation flow by taking part. Don’t just write notes.
Give us time. It may not be the right time for us to tell you what is happening. We may have obligations to our friends, or we may be afraid of repercussions from exploiters.
Help us to trust you. Be honest. Tell us about your links and roles with other practitioners. It can be distressing if we don’t know who you are talking to about us. But it can also be positive if we know you are working with other people to help us.
Include us in decision-making. We should be encouraged and supported to make decisions about our lives. This includes what support we receive, the services we engage with and the activities we take part in.
Jargon excludes us. Talk to us at our level and keep jargon to a minimum.
Keep our needs in mind. We have different backgrounds and cultures. We may not want to engage in the same way. We may not feel comfortable in group meetings or activities.
Listen to us. Be prepared to hear what we have to say. Respect our views and don’t assume you know us.
Maintain boundaries. While we want you to get to know us, this is still a service setting. Encourage us to develop a practitioner-young person relationship. Don’t try to be our friends.
Never force us. Be mindful of our body language and use of eye contact. Give us our personal space and be sensitive to our needs and triggers. Don’t force us to disclose to you.
Only promise what you can deliver. Don’t make false promises or say you will do things unless you know you can do them. Be realistic about what you can and can’t do.
Prepare yourself to feel uncomfortable. It can be difficult to hear what we have to say, for a range of reasons. Don’t judge us. Just listen.
Query, but don’t question. Check you understand what we’ve told you, but don’t question or interrogate us.
Report back to us. Tell us when you will do things and what will happen next. Let us know what actions have been taken since we met you.
Say goodbye. Let us know if you are changing jobs or roles. Say goodbye to us and introduce us to the person taking over your role.