This section will help you get the process underway and to start talking with colleagues about young people's participation in your service. A range of tools will enable you to assess how you currently work with YP, understand how HeadSpace can help you to respond to government policy, evidence where there are areas of good practice and where you want to focus your learning.

Click on the headings and links below to work through each section. Please remember to use the 'back button' on your web browser to return to this page at any point.

Fulfilling their Potential

The HeadSpace project is part of the Fulfilling their Potential (FtP) programme - a national programme aimed at transforming public library services for 11-19 year olds. Download the FtP Improvement Framework (Word, 121kb) and work through it online to identify key priorities for development that your HeadSpace project can help you to address.

Young People's Library Offer

The Library Offer to Young People (pdf, 29kb) has been developed by the The National Youth Libraries Board. It identifies what young people should be able to expect from their local library service. Find out more about how you can use The LIbrary Offer to Young People to help with:

service planning
Advocacy
developing priorities for your HeadSpace project

National Policy

Find out how HeadSpace can play a key part in responding to key government policy areas - Every Child Matters and Youth Matters.

Supporting Young People's Participation

The HeadSpace project is built upon the principles of young people's participation set out in the National Youth Agency's Hear By Right Standards framework and has shared values with youth work.

What Do We Mean By Young People's Participation?

By young people’s participation we mean library staff and partners working with young people to ensure that their views are heard and valued in the taking of decisions which affect them, and that they are supported in making a positive contribution to the library service and their local community.

HeadSpace offers young people the opportunity to participate in developing and running library services in 2 key ways: empowering young people to share power and responsibility for decision-making about library services for them and supporting young people to be co-creators of services through volunteering. Find out more about working with volunteers by reading the Summer Reading Challenge case studies.

Ensuring young People’s views are heard and valued not only improves services for young people, but also has a positive impact on the local community and outcomes for library services. Giving young people a say in services for them can improve use of libraries by this age group, develop a more inclusive environment and reduce incidents of challenging behaviour. Youth volunteering in HeadSpace can also give young people the opportunity to develop critical thinking, citizenship, communication and influencing skills, helping every young person to fulfil their potential.

Download the 'Listen and Change' document from Participation Works to find out about building a culture of young people's participation in your service.

Use the Hear By Right Mapping and Planning tool (Word, 396kb) to assess and improve your practice and policy on the active involvement of children and young people.

Download the Participation in practice (Word 307kb) document to find out some key methods from the HeadSpace project used to involve young people in decision-making.

Learn more from TRF about involving and consulting young people.

Use the What's Changed tool to involve young people in identifying areas for service improvement. Find out how Swindon Libraries (Word 43kb) used What's Changed to consult with young people.

Now go on to the next section, Planning your Project.