Get involved and have your say

We want children and young people:

• to have their voices heard
• to have their views taken into account
• to have their views taken seriously
• to have a say in how our services run
• to have rights in line with Article 12 of the UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) which states that they have the right to be heard and involved in decisions that affect them

Contact

Participation, advocacy and engagement
Telephone: (0191) 643 8215
Email: participation@northtyneside.gov.uk
Twitter: @ParticipationNT

The Elected Young Mayor is the lead spokesperson for young people in North Tyneside and chairs the Youth Council.

All young people aged 11 to 18 (school years 7 to 13) who live or study in North Tyneside can stand for the position and can vote for who they want to represent them.

Young Mayor Coby Black, 12 years old and attends Norham High School. He lives in North Tyneside and his pledge is:

Raising awareness of the dangers of vaping, smoking, drinking alcohol and illegal drugs. Working together as a community to improve people’s health.

Youth Councillors are holding their meetings in person at Council Offices, Quadrant East, Cobalt Business park NE27 0BY 

The Youth Council:

• has 50 places on it, with members aged 11 to 18 years old or up to 25 years for those young people with additional needs from across North Tyneside
• represent the views and ideas of other young people in North Tyneside
• allows young people to meet elected members and key decision makers

Youth councillors meet monthly:

• complete their own agreed priorities
• to discuss what is happening
• hear from officers of the council about plans and opportunities to get involved

You can watch previous Young Mayor updates on our YouTube Channel.

Anyone interested in contacting Max or Hannah, or who would like to know more about joining the Youth Council, can email youngmayor@northtyneside.gov.uk.

Committees are made up of youth councillors who are focused on an issue that is important to them and the young people they represent. The aim is to meet with adult decision makers to have a direct voice discussing the issues and agree how they can support each other to achieve a positive change for young people and their families in the borough. Each committee is working on the following:

• Emotional Wellbeing & Mental Health Committee - Working to create better support in schools for mental health issues and work on improving and promoting mental health.
• Environment Committee - Working to reduce the carbon footprint for North Tyneside.
• Equality & Diversity Committee - Working to ensure equality for all and diversity in our borough through action and education.
• Ready  for Life Committee -  Working to ensure that young people in education receive the required skills for life after they leave school and enter the wider world.
• Community Safety Committee - Focusing on public health related issues, safety and community engagement.

For more information email youngmayor@northtyneside.gov.uk

The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP):

• represents the views of 11 to 18-year-olds in Youth Parliament
• gives young people a voice on issues that matter to them at national, regional and local level
• is made up of over 350 members and deputy members who are elected by their peers to represent young people across the UK

Member of UK Youth Parliament John Zeng, 14 years old and attends George Stephenson  High School. He lives in North Tyneside and his pledge is:

To help children learn how to spend smarter by better financial education.

The Children's Council is a group of children who are aged 5 to 11 years old living or going to school in North Tyneside.

The Children’s Council:

• work with other children and represent the views of children in the borough
• act as a research team looking at issues, which affect children, under 11 years old in the area in which they live
• feed into services within North Tyneside Council who work with children under 11 years old

We have three forums for children in care and care leavers to have a voice and give their opinions on how we run their services.

The Junior Children in Care Council is for aged 7 to 11 year olds:

• they meet during school holidays and focus on issues related to their age range

The Children in Care Council is for ages 12 to 16 years:

• they create annual surveys to gather views for other looked after children
• run the Champions project where they link directly with service managers
• organise events for corporate parents to attend with them

The Care Leavers Council is for young people aged 16 plus

• they focus on leaving care issues
• carry out inspections of children’s homes
• do foster carer assessments
• deliver Care4Me training to staff about what it's like being in care

Contact:

Children in Care Council
Telephone: (0191) 643 8215
Email: cicc@northtyneside@gov.uk

The Children Act 1989 (Section 26A) gives all looked after children, children in need and care leavers a statutory right to advocacy when they are making a complaint or representation to the local authority.

An advocate is someone who is just 'the voice of the child'. So, even if the 'best interest' view is clearly the right one, the child or young person will still have an adult supporting them to make sure that their wishes are acknowledged.

An advocate can do a range of things for a child or young person but the most likely are:

• making phones calls, emails and letters to the social worker of the child or young person and other professionals involved
• supporting them to attend meetings and reviews, or attending on their behalf
• helping them go through the formal complaints process
• signpost the child or young person to the information they need
• promote the rights and entitlements of the child or young person

Wherever possible the advocate will encourage the child or young person to speak up for themselves so that in the future hopefully they can deal with issues without the need for an advocate.

Advocates work in an open way, and will always tell the child or young person they are working for about any conversations they have had with professionals. If it is a time when sharing this information may be upsetting or harmful to the child or young person they will work with the professional to make sure they are told in a more suitable way.

Conact an advocate:

Telephone: (0191) 643 8215
Mobile: (call or text) 07971 294247
Email: advocacy@northtyneside.gov.uk

An Independent Visitor (IV) is a volunteer who spends time with a child or young person living in care on a regular basis.

We are seeking volunteers to become consistent adults for children and young people in a befriending role.

Typically, an IV’s visit their child or young person twice per month, spending time with them, listening and encouraging them to try new things outside of their home. Most of all, visits should be fun and help young people develop to reach their potential.

Training and support are offered to assist you in the role, and activity expenses will be covered.

"I’d recommend being an Independent Visitor to anyone.  I’m loving it!  For me, I get to be a 'fun Auntie', spending time with a special girl who I like to think of as my 'bonus niece'.  I don’t have kids, but I’ve got spare time on my hands to go out and do some fun things.  This has been a fantastic opportunity to develop a relationship with a young person who is in care. 

I hope that I am a good influence on her, but we always end up eating and filling up on sugar on our trips out. She might not be a good influence on me or my waistline!”

(Pam, a current Independent Visitor who is supporting a 12 year old)

To find out more about this volunteering role email independent.visitors@northtyneside.gov.uk or call 0191 643 4087

North Tyneside SEND Youth Forum is open to children and young people aged of 11-25 with Special Educational Needs and /or Disabilities (SEND) living or attending education in North Tyneside.  

The group discuss issues that affect their lives, raise awareness about SEND and are supported to work with North Tyneside Council and other organisations (who provide services for young people).   

Currently the group meet on the second Wednesday of each month at 5.30-7.00pm (sessions are a mix of virtual and face to face). 

For more information or to recieve a link to the virtual session on Microsoft Teams, please contact: Participation Advocacy and Engagement Team. 

Tel: 0191 643 8215

Email: participation@northtyneside.gov.uk 

Facebook: North Tyneside Participation and Advocacy Team

The Young Civic Award:

• gives a sense of achievement
• builds confidence
• increases skill levels in your chosen activities
• helps you work towards a Duke of Edinburgh Award and to go on to further education, employment or training

To achieve the award you must:

• be between 11 and 14
• live or go to school in North Tyneside
• take part in a variety of activities for a set amount of time
• show dedication and enthusiasm

Contact:

Participation, Advocacy and Engagement Team
Telephone: (0191) 643 8215
Email: participation@northtyneside.gov.uk
Twitter: @ParticipationNT