A core component of Early Action System Change in Renfrewshire is co-design and evaluation. We seek to work collaboratively with children, young people, families and communities to co-produce services that are needed, wanted and will likely make a difference.
INSIGHT WORKSHOPS
More than 500 young people and families participated in the insight workshops which explored their perceptions, priorities and experiences around coercive control and wellbeing.
The activities were hosted by:
Together, they produced the following report which helped inform the co-design workshops to follow:
CO-DESIGN WORKSHOPS
The newly formed Co-Design Commission undertook a range of workshops with young people and families to co-design systemic responses to the priority issues. These took place online, or in-person where safe to do so. They covered a range of specialist and mainstream settings (e.g. residential care, schools and community groups).
“NOTHING ABOUT US, WITHOUT US.”
The activities were be hosted by the following groups, and you can read about what they did specifically, below:
KIBBLE
Kibble specialises in working with young people with care experience. Kibble aims to help young people identify coercive control, develop an understanding of how to stay safe online, and improve communication skills around difficult topics. Kibble’s co-design workshops will include interactive games, art, and storytelling, with subsequent designs to be tested in small groups, reviewed and refined. Wellbeing boxes will be created, containing different information, tools and other supportive resources.
We have been able to tackle the concerns around safeguarding and coercive control for significantly vulnerable young people.
The expertise within the group enables an informed and creative response to coercive control
- Ruby Whitelaw, Quality and Safeguarding Manager
STAR Project
STAR Project will work with their partners and current client groups to reach a range of ages and sectors. STAR Project have produced a detailed programme of development, testing and training including conversation-starting games, testing with partner organisations, and codesigning a training pack. The pack will seek to support professionals across multiple sectors to prevent coercive control during adolescence and increase parental capacity to understand and address coercive control.
YMCA RENFREWSHIRE AND YMCA PAISLEY
YMCA Paisley and YMCA Renfrew have a combined membership of 240 local 8-17 years olds of various backgrounds and needs including young carers and young people with assisted support needs. YMCA will use a range of digital tools and research methods to facilitate sessions, including digital storytelling and digital whiteboards. YMCA will use analysis from phase 1 to identify key priorities, explore ideas, conceptualise and design a prototype. In collaboration with Youth Interventions, they aim to empower young people to take an active role in shaping services, raise awareness and help-seeking as it relates to coercive control and promote healthy relationships both on and offline.
During recent times with the impact of COVID-19 very prevalent in communities, emotional wellbeing and coercive control amongst young people is a concern. Being involved in a Renfrewshire wide approach, contributing and learning from each other to reach and support a larger number of young people is a step in the right direction to improving outcomes for children and young people's overall wellbeing.
- Kimberley Logan, Youth Development Worker
YOUTH INTERVENTIONS
Youth Interventions work with young people aged 11-17 to recognise and identify abuse, develop assertive communication and healthy boundaries, and to build confidence and self-esteem. They aim to create a tool which develops common language and understanding around coercive control, identifies vulnerabilities, changes behaviours, improves self-worth, eradicates stigma, and provides peer support. In collaboration with YMCA, Youth Interventions aim to empower young people to take an active role in shaping services, raise awareness and help-seeking as it relates to coercive control and promote healthy relationships both off and online.
Workshop with young people discussing healthy boundaries and understanding of coercive control.
CREATE PAISLEY AND ACTIVE COMMUNITIES
CREATE Paisley and Active Communities will work with 10-20 young people and JamHot Studios on a 10-week coproduction programme to produce a public health campaign. They will design and test resources and campaigns which challenge the attitudes and norms surrounding coercive control. CREATE Paisley and Active Communities aim to engage with young people who are participating in the Mentors with Violence Prevention training program mentor to produce final materials and micro-campaigns that best target young audiences throughout Renfrewshire. Young people will influence and decide on the distribution of a small £2k campaign budget.
CHILDREN 1ST
Children 1st will produce a resource pack and Training for Trainers course for school staff, empowering them to develop and disseminate the skills and knowledge to respond appropriately to disclosures of coercive and abusive relationships. Identified champions will disseminate the training and resources to all staff working within secondary schools (with support from Children 1st if required). Children 1st will use young people’s experiences and insights of abusive and coercive relationships to create the course, resources and materials, to ensure their voices are at the heart. They will also work alongside and in partnership with Mentors in Violence Prevention programme, coordinated by Renfrewshire Council.
