Effective Engagement with children and young people

Effective engagement with young people can make the difference that changes a young person’s life. How can understanding the systems around a child help us dismantle barriers to engagement?

During this session, we will explore barriers to disclosure and engagement at a personal, professional and societal level and consider promising practice on how to build strong and effective relationships.

We will focus on:

• Overcoming barriers children and young people may experience, including their own and their communities’ experience of trauma, discrimination and prior engagement with services, and the important role of intersectionality

• Overcoming barriers experienced by professionals, including expectations of victims, understanding of trauma, practice assumptions, and the limitations of professional roles

• Overcoming barriers created by structural and societal norms and the impact these can have on the support children and young people receive

• Effective approaches to engaging young people and making every interaction count, no matter how brief

• Holistic approaches to engaging and working with ‘the whole young person’.

• This session will also discuss young people’s participation and the importance of hearing their voice in service design and delivery