Information for parents and carers

Participation means giving people the opportunity to get involved in decisions that could affect them. Children getting involved and participating in Brook’s work will help to make sure our work is the best it can be for children and young people in local areas and across the UK. Participation goes two ways, so children will also play a key role in their own development by increasing their knowledge and skills in lots of different ways.

FAQS

What will the young person get from joining a Brook Participation Advisory Group?

• Education: relationships & sex education plays a pivotal role throughout PSHE and it is introduced and expanded upon across all of the Key Stages; taking into consideration what is age appropriate.
• Participation: Participation means giving people the opportunity to get involved in decisions that could affect them. Children and young people have this guaranteed to them through Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Right’s of the Child (UNCRC). Brook is committed to involving young people at every level in the organisation and ensuring that their experiences and voices inform our work.
• Incentive: for spending their time learning and taking part in the Groups, young people will be thanked for their time. This could be in the form of freebies, vouchers or support with their CV, as their experience will be tracked so they have an individual record of achievement.
• Signposting: young people will learn about reputable organisations including online, to find out further information relating to health & wellbeing.

How is Brook qualified to deliver these workshops?

Brook has over 55 years’ experience of working with children and young people. Brook works across the country in schools, colleges, Universities and other youth settings providing quality assured education and information to children and young people, both in person and online.

The Brook staff leading the advisory groups have years of experience working directly with children and young people and they are safeguarded trained with enhanced DBS checks.

What happens if a young person becomes unwell during the sessions?

We will ask for the young person to provide us with emergency contact details, this will likely include the details of a parent/carer.

Why do you need details about the young people joining the Brook Participation Advisory Groups?

This information will be used by Brook staff to ensure that only registered participants are able to access Brook sessions. Brook will collect and process the young people’s data in accordance with our client privacy statement. Data is collected for the purpose of providing the best possible support and information and to evaluate the impact of our work. The young people will be informed about how we will collect and store their information.

How do you create the content of your workshops/sessions?

• Brook’s education sessions have been carefully created and mapped against the UK Government and PSHE Association key stage guidance.
• Brook’s education is designed to equip young people with knowledge to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships including navigating online life safely, which is age and stage appropriate.
• Brook’s resources are quality assured.

What do we expect from young people in the Advisory Groups?

The young people who attend the Brook Advisory Group meetings and workshops can participate as much or as little as they like. They will not be put on the spot. The young person can absolutely change their mind and decide not to join the Group.

What happens if a young person discloses a safeguarding issue?

Brook will follow their safeguarding policy to ensure in the first instance that the immediate safety and needs of the young person are met.

How we will ensure the safety of young people during sessions?

• When working with young people Brook always embeds a group agreement at the start of any session. This is a set of rules that helps young people to feel safe during the session, for example participants must respect each other, and facilitators will also highlight the Brook confidentiality agreement so young people understand the limits of confidentiality.
• Young people will be signposted to further online learning and resources for support.
• Safeguarding policies will be followed at all times which is available upon request.