Young Inspectors Service 

Introduction 

• Who are we and what do we do? 

  The Barking and Dagenham Young Inspectors Service are a group of young people who have been trained to undertake a range of inspections, which includes Interviews, Observations, Mystery Shops, Surveys and Questionnaires.
  
  The Young Inspectors have completed training set out by the National Children’s Bureau.
  
  Barking and Dagenham Young Inspectors are skilled in advising services and organisations about how they can make their service more accessible for young people and ensure the service/organisation is effective at meeting the needs of local young people. This process includes looking at what is on offer to young people, accessibility, customer satisfaction, communication skills and attitudes of staff to young people, the involvement of young people in the design and delivery of the service and lastly, the general environment.
  
  How is this done?
  Inspections form the basis of the Young Inspectors work. Each inspection is tailored to the needs of the service/organisation. Services are inspected through a number of methods, these are:
  
  A) Mystery shopping - This is where a Young Inspector will act as a customer to see how the service responds to their needs. The young person will be ‘under cover’ and will use the service as any other young person might. This gives the Young Inspector a true reflection of the quality of service.
  B) Observation - This process involves the Young Inspectors looking around a service to see what the service has to offer young people and whether it meets the needs of young people. This inspection will be announced and the service will be aware that the Young Inspectors will be visiting.
  C) Interview - Young Inspectors will conduct an interview with a service manager or members of staff to see what is good about their service, and what may need to improve in order to offer the best possible service to young people.
  D) Surveys - The Young Inspectors are skilled in using this process to obtain quantitative information about the service. The Young Inspectors will develop a list of questions in a young person friendly language that are relevant to the service. Findings from the surveys will indicate how effective the service is.
  E) Questionnaires - The Young Inspectors are skilled in using this process to obtain qualitative information about the service. Young people friendly language is used to engage young people in the process. Findings from the questionnaires will indicate how effective the service is.
   
  With each of these inspections, the preparation involves research on the service and they will not go ahead without the Young Inspector having a working knowledge of the service. A written report, including the Young Inspectors findings and recommendations, is produced after the inspection process has been completed.
  

   

• Barking and Dagenham Young Inspectors history 

  In December 2009, Barking and Dagenham were selected as a pilot authority to deliver Youth4u Young Inspectors programme. The pilot was led by the National Children’s Bureau in partnership with the British Youth Council and KIDS. The pilot project involved over 30 other local authorities, charities and other third sector organisations.
  
  The Young Inspectors programme gave disadvantaged young people a voice in how services in their local area should be shaped.
  
  The Young Inspectors achieved this by inspecting services using a variety of inspection techniques such as observations, interviews and mystery shops. After the inspection a report would be written detailing the young people’s findings and their recommendations. A review period was given for Young Inspectors to return to the service to see if the recommendations were implemented. To date the Young Inspectors have completed 40 inspections and 6 reviews.
  
  The pilot ended in March 2011 and as a local authority we were one of a few that has continued the programme. What began as a pilot project has evolved into a service. The ethos of the service is: Young people inspecting services and making recommendations that will benefit not only the organisations, but young people who use the service or want to use the service in future.

   

• Why should you use this service? 

  Article 12 of the United Nations Conventions on the rights of the child states:

  1. Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.
  2. For this purpose, the child shall in particular be provided the opportunity to be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings affecting the child, either directly, or through a representative or an appropriate body, in a manner consistent with the procedural rules of national law.
  
  With this in mind we take the view that young people are best placed to inspect the services that they have access to. Ensuring they are able to influence decisions that will affect young people and have the right to express their views on behalf of themselves and other young people. The Barking and Dagenham Young Inspectors are professionally trained to undertake this task. Involving young people in shaping services demonstrates good practice and a commitment to ensuring youth focussed services are effective and meet the needs of local young people.
  
  To date Barking and Dagenham Young Inspectors Service have inspected over 40 services/venues. These have included: Children’s Centre’s, Youth Service provisions, Youth Participation and Engagement Teams, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Pharmacies for the Young People Friendly Scheme (condom distribution), Heritage and Cultural organisations, Libraries, Leisure Centres, Police Safer Transport Team and Housing Services for young people

   

• External organisation Inspection packages 

  If you are an organisation external to Barking and Dagenham and a non public service body; there is a charge for the Young Inspectors Service, please see charges below:
  
  Inspection package 1 (Price from £450)
  • A pre inspection meeting to discuss specific questions/topics the client would like asked at the initial inspection.
  • Observations by Young Inspectors of the building, workers and users
  • Interviews of workers.
  • A survey of service users.
  • A full written report of findings and recommendations sent via email or post
  • A six month review inspection, which will include a report on the progression made from the original recommendations.
  
  Inspection package 2 (Price from £700)
  • A pre inspection meeting to discuss specific questions/topics the client would like asked at the initial inspection
  • Preparation work with the Young Inspectors to create a specific inspection criteria
  • Observations by Young Inspectors of the building, workers and users
  • Interviews of workers
  • A survey of service users
  • A separate mystery shopping inspection
  • A full written report of findings and recommendations sent via email or post
  • A power point presentation of findings to share with staff and service users, this can be presented by Young Inspectors with time for a Q & A session
  • A six month review inspection, which will include a report on the progression made from the original recommendations
  
  Consultations (Price from £300)
  This is a bespoke service and prices are negotiable based on how many different focus groups the Young Inspectors would consult with and the time period to complete the consultation.
  
  Bespoke inspections (Price negotiable)
  We are able to create an inspection to suit your services needs which can include any or all of the above inspection formats. Prices can be negotiated once the needs of the service and the aims of the inspection have clearly been identified. 

   

• Testimonials from professionals 

  ‘It was important that I could use the young inspectors for this mystery shopping as we needed to test staffs attitude to teenagers and to identify what information was being told (whether correct or incorrect) to young people.  It was also necessary to understand what young people thought of Council services and if their needs were fully met.

  This report was circulated to the relevant managers in Housing Advice and I believe that recommendations have since been made on how to improve the service and to prevent young people in real situations having to go through the same experience that the inspectors went through’.

  Angela Bennett, Executive Officer London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
  
  ‘From my experience working with youth, I personally think it is important that we hear what our youngsters have to say and listen and take on board their comments and accommodate them where ever we can and Barking and Dagenham should be first class leaders in this well worth while project. Thank you for asking me to be part of this project it was a privilege to be interviewed by such a lovely young lady and her supporting mentor’.

  Testimonial from Janet James, Head of School Admissions London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
  
  ‘Seven young inspectors from Barking and Dagenham visited Ofsted’s London offices on the 12 November 2010 as part of the Children’s Commissioner’s National Takeover Day. The inspectors reviewed the current Ofsted user Engagement Strategy and made suggestions about how it could be improved and made more young people friendly. The inspectors also assessed our inspection report styles and came up with ideas about how maintained schools should be inspected in the future. The inspectors were very professional throughout the day and came up with lots of good ideas that have been taken forward for implementation and I would definitely work with them again’.

  Chris O' Connor, Head of User and Stakeholder Engagement, Ofsted
  
   ‘The presentation by the Young Inspectors Project from Barking and Dagenham at the NCB conference was the highlight of the day as far as I was concerned, here we had young people who are being asked to critique services and then present that information to a large audience.  Not an easy task for even the most experienced of presenters, they shone! I was impressed not only by the work that they had done but how they worked as a team offering support to each other and how much the experience will have a positive effect for their futures’.

  Susan Low, Sexual Health Promotion Specialist Nurse- Bucks PCT
   
  ‘In the past year the Young People Friendly Condom Distribution Scheme has benefitted greatly from the work of the Young Inspectors. They were able to carry out "mystery shops" and assessments on many of the sites in Barking and Dagenham who offer sexual health services and advice to Young People in the area. Their feedback became an essential part of improving sexual health services for Young People in Barking and Dagenham. I believe the perspective of the Young People and the work of the Young inspectors greatly improved and influenced people's ability to provide better sexual health services to Young People in Barking and Dagenham’.
  
  Catrina Moore, Condom Distribution Officer, Terence Higgins Trust
  

   

• Contact us 

  Sally Allen-Clarke
  Senior Youth Worker- Participation
  The Vibe
  195-211 Becontree Avenue
  Dagenham
  RM8 2UT
  Phone 020 8270 6030
  Email sally.allen-clarke@lbbd.gov.uk