Young People and the Future of Scotland: participatory horizon scanning engagement

Appendix 3: Ethics, Inclusion, Safeguarding and Data Protection

The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) was responsible for ensuring that the safeguarding, ethics, data protection and inclusion requirements for the project were met. This appendix summarises the actions taken to ensure the ethics, inclusion, safeguarding and data protection requirements of this project were met.

Risk assessment

SYP undertook an ethical risk assessment for the project, working with Demos Helsinki.

In line with the Scottish Youth Parliament’s Participation Framework, a project risk assessment, Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA) and Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) were produced at the start of the project. These were shared with Demos Helsinki and Scottish Government colleagues to ensure all partners understood and agreed with the approach taken.

The EQIA and CRWIA considered:

• How young people would be involved in leading the activity
• How the activity would benefit young people
• Potential risks or negative impacts on young people, and how these should be mitigated
• How the activity would impact children and young people’s rights
• How the activity would give better or further effect to the implementation of the UNCRC in Scotland
• How the activity would contribute to the wellbeing of children and young people
• What, if any, adaptations would be needed to ensure the activity is accessible to children and young people
• How the activity would include a diverse range of perspectives, particularly from young people in seldom heard and/or marginalised groups.

Key ethical issues and potential barriers to participation identified through the EQIA and CRWIA process are outlined further below.

Clearance and disclosures

SYP obtained and provided evidence of appropriate clearance/disclosures for working with children and vulnerable groups.

SYP’s Deputy Child Protection Coordinator, Rosy Burgess (Head of Participation and Programmes) was the lead staff member for this project, and had oversight of the planning, delivery and evaluation of the engagement with young people to ensure it was delivered in line with SYP’s Child Protection, Vulnerable Adults and Trips and Residential policies. More information about these policies is available on the Safeguarding page of SYP's website.

To ensure a member of the PVG scheme was always present during engagement with the Investigation Team and workshop participants, a member of the SYP staff team attended all meetings and events at which young people were present.

SYP is registered with Disclosure Scotland as a registered body to complete Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme applications and checks on staff and volunteers. All SYP staff and MSYPs in leadership roles are required to be members of the PVG Scheme through Disclosure Scotland.

Informed consent

SYP ensured that valid informed consent was obtained from all participants or their parent/guardian if under 16, in line with Scottish Government guidance on working with young people.

Participants were provided with information about the project – including an outline of the project aims – and an informed consent form was designed for all young people involved. This provided detailed information to enable participants to make an educated decision and give informed consent to be involved. The contents of this document was agreed with Demos Helsinki and the Scottish Government.

Ahead of the workshop, informed consent forms were completed by all participants, and their parents or carers if participants were under the age of 16. This consent form outlined:

• Who the Scottish Youth Parliament and Demos Helsinki are
• The aim and purpose of the workshop
• Why participants had been invited to attend
• Logistical information, including location and travel arrangements
• Information about the right to withdraw from participating, data protection and confidentiality
• Information about potential risks and benefits to the young person
• Participant contact details and consent.

Parents or carers of participants under the age of 16 were asked to consent to the involvement of young people in this project. However, SYP recognises that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (including Article 12) states that ‘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’.  As such, all participant information sheets included space for young people and their parents or carers to give their consent to participation.

Barriers to participation

SYP considered any barriers to participation and how these could be overcome in terms of the design, location, length of the engagement, technology required or expenses incurred.

As outlined, the project risk assessment, EQIA and CRWIA identified a number of barriers to young people’s meaningful participation. Where possible, these were addressed in the following ways:

• The short timescales required for the project were a barrier to recruitment and participation. Feedback from the organisations contacted to recruit participants highlighted challenges with supporting young people to attend due to the timing of the engagement on a Saturday and the lack of time to raise awareness of the engagement. More long term and ongoing. engagement in future foresight work would help address these challenges.
• Meetings with the Investigation Team took place online, normally at the weekend or in the early evening to ensure as many members of the group as possible were able to attend at a time when both SYP and Demos Helsinki staff were also available. Whilst this approach met the needs of the individual young people in the Investigation Team, it may have been a barrier to other MSYPs from participating due to, for example, digital poverty and poor internet access; and/or education, family or work commitments.
• The workshop took place in Edinburgh at a venue close to various forms of public transport. Due to the format of the engagement activities, it was not possible to adapt the session for online or hybrid delivery, and this may have prevented some young people from participating. Although location may have been a barrier for some young people, four participants attended from the Highlands/North-East of Scotland. SYP booked travel for all young people attending this event to ensure there was no financial cost to participating in this event.
• As the workshop involves specialist research techniques, and the timescales for this project were short, the co-creation scope was limited and therefore the Investigation Team were not able to fully lead on all aspects. There was a risk that this could have made the Investigation Team feel their participation was not meaningful. This was mitigated by ensuring that the role of the Investigation Team was clear during the recruitment process and at their initial training session. SYP staff and Demos Helsinki worked with the Investigation Team to ensure there was as much scope as possible for the young people to co-create session resources and activities, and to review the workshop insights and final report. Expectations of all partners involved were clearly communicated at the beginning and throughout the project.
• In addition to the emphasis on co-creation with young people, the project design included several further steps to ensure that participants felt that their participation was meaningful. At the end of the workshop, SYP, Demos Helsinki and Scottish Government staff at the workshop outlined what would happen next. All participants were contacted by email after the event to remind them what would happen next and how their participation in the workshop would be used to inform the Scottish Government’s work. The draft report was shared with participants and the Investigation Team, and feedback gathered to ensure the report accurately reflected their discussions. On publication of this report, it is planned that the Investigation Team will be supported to present the project to key stakeholders within the Scottish Government and to receive feedback on the impact of their participation. Additionally, all participants will be contacted to inform them of the report’s publication and to share any further feedback from the Scottish Government.
• In line with SYP’s Participation Framework, all workshop participants and members of the Investigation Team received a gift voucher as a thank you for participating in the workshop. Lunch and snacks were also provided through the event.

Co-creation and participation

SYP worked with Demos Helsinki to ensure that the purpose of the research was clear, and that the research instruments or discussions were relevant and designed to be inclusive, engaging and responsive to participants’ needs and interests.

The Scottish Youth Parliament is a sector leader in delivering meaningful participation with young people across Scotland, with the experience, skills, knowledge and organisational ethics and values required to develop opportunities that are meaningful for young people, and deliver outcomes for project partners.

SYP and Demos Helsinki staff met weekly to discuss the project and ensure this project was delivered in line with SYP’s Participation Framework, which is underpinned by the Lundy Model of Participation. This model outlines the key components of meaningful participation.^[8] The Lundy Model principles of Space, Voice, Audience and Influence were embedded into each stage of the co-design approach, through which young people were supported to take the lead in planning, delivering and evaluating an engagement which was safe, inclusive and accessible.

The co-creation of this project by SYP’s Investigation Team and Demos Helsinki enabled partners to ensure the workshop contents and activities were relevant and designed to be inclusive and engaging. Young people in the Investigation Team received detailed training from SYP and Demos Helsinki to ensure they understood the purpose of the project and project outcomes. Following their training, they met regularly to review the workshop agenda and resources, and made recommendations to ensure the activities were inclusive and engaging. The group agreed a range of different activities to ensure participants had a choice in how to participate at the workshop.

Inclusive participation

SYP outlined measures to be sensitive and flexible to the needs and circumstances of participants, including being particularly sensitive to respondents who may be facing challenges in their lives.

To ensure this was inclusive and met the needs and circumstances of participants, SYP and Demos Helsinki worked with Scottish Government colleagues and the Investigation team to:

• Ensure we worked according to best practice in engaging with children and young people
• Use a variety of engagement methods that allow young people to express their views freely
• Use methods appropriate to the age and needs of the young people participating
• Respect the confidentiality of the feedback we received
• Ensure all data gathered was stored securely in line with regulations and each organisation’s data protection policies.

SYP staff had a pre-existing relationship with all members of the Investigation Team, through their roles as MSYPs, and worked closely with these young people to ensure they were supported to meaningfully participate in the co-creation and facilitation of the workshop.

The informed consent form asked workshop participants to indicate any additional support needs and adaptations that would help them to take part in the workshop. Where appropriate, these adaptations and/or needs were highlighted to Demos Helsinki and the Investigation Team to ensure individual circumstances were met during the workshop. The safeguarding lead (Rosy Burgess, SYP’s Deputy Child Protection Coordinator) was introduced to all participants and parents/carers in their pre-event briefing and at the start of the workshop. All participants were made aware of how they could raise any concerns during and after the workshop.

Sensitive topics

SYP worked with Demos Helsinki to agree how to manage any risks arising from the exploration of sensitive topics.

As previously discussed, SYP and Demos Helsinki staff met regularly to discuss and review the project approach, including consideration and mitigation of all associated risks.

SYP’s Deputy Child Protection Coordinator had oversight of all session plans and resources ahead of the workshop, and was present throughout the planning process and workshop delivery. Additionally, the co-creation approach ensured young people were involved in identifying and adapting information relating to a wide range of topics, and were supported to highlight topics they felt may be sensitive for some young people.

Recognising that there was a possibility that participants might be upset or triggered by some of the topics covered, trigger warnings were included in the informed consent and information sheet, in the pre-event briefing and at key points throughout the workshop. SYP’s Deputy Child Protection Coordinator had oversight of all session plans and resources ahead of the workshop, and was present throughout the event. A separate room was available for participants to use if they required a break, and Mental Health First Aiders were present throughout the workshop to support young people if they required assistance.

Safeguarding

SYP worked with Demos Helsinki to design and implement an appropriate safeguarding procedure to underpin the research. This ensured that there was follow up support available to any participating young person who needed it.

This project was underpinned by the Scottish Youth Parliament’s safeguarding procedures, as outlined in SYP’s Child Protection policy, Vulnerable Adults policy and Events and Residentials Guidance, all available online on the Safeguarding page of SYP's website.

SYP’s Child Protection and Vulnerable Adults Policies, Guidelines and Procedures provide a clear framework for safeguarding the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, protecting them from harm and abuse, and assisting staff, volunteers and others working with them to support and protect children and young people, particularly those who are most vulnerable. SYP’s Trips, Residential and Events Framework aims to ensure the safety of young people who take part in their face-to-face events and sets out clear guidance on protocol, policies and procedures for events planning. These documents were shared with Demos Helsinki and the Scottish Government in advance of the workshop.

Scottish Youth Parliament staff led on the safeguarding aspects, and the safeguarding lead (Rosy Burgess, SYP’s Deputy Child Protection Coordinator) was introduced to all participants and parents/carers in their pre-event briefing and at the start of the workshop. All participants were made aware of how they could raise any concerns during and after the workshop.

SYP staff are all trained to Level Two in child protection, giving them skills and knowledge to assess and address issues around child protection. SYP Senior Managers are trained to Level Three, which covers supervising staff in child protection. Additionally, the Investigation Team involved in this project received a ‘staying safe’ and inclusive facilitation training, underpinned by the principles of SYP’s child protection policy. The training received by the Investigation Team explains how to create a safe space for young people to participate, and what to do if a young person discloses something concerning.

Feedback loop

SYP worked with Demos Helsinki to design a process for enabling the participants to give feedback on the project findings prior to finalisation.

The Scottish Youth Parliament is committed to ensuring young people who participate in their work understand what will happen with the information they share, and how their participation will inform decision-making.

For this project, SYP, Demos Helsinki and Scottish Government staff present at the workshop outlined what the next steps would be and how the views young people shared during the workshop would inform future work. Following the workshop, this information was sent to all participants by email, and participants were invited to contact the Scottish Youth Parliament if they had any additional comments or questions. Additionally, the draft report was shared with participants and the Investigation Team for comment.

A meeting was held with the Investigation Team, at which they gave feedback on the draft report and made recommendations for amendments which would increase the accessibility and clarity of the report. Their feedback was shared with Demos Helsinki and the Scottish Government to enable changes to be made ahead of publication.

Closing the feedback loop is an essential stage in meaningful participation. As noted above, on publication of this report, a blog post written by the Investigation Team will be shared through the Scottish Youth Parliament social media channels and by email to all workshop participants. The Investigation Team will be supported to meet with senior Scottish Government officials to present the outcomes and recommendations from this research, and to hear feedback about the impact of the project. SYP will also support Scottish Government officials to give feedback to participants to let them know the impact of their participation.

Data protection

Handling of data and personal information was carefully managed and compliant with the Scottish Government’s requirements and both SYP and Demos Helsinki’s privacy policies. All personal data was collected, processed and stored according to legal requirements. The Scottish Government and Demos Helsinki did not have access to any participants’ personal data. In the project analysis and final documentation, no data or quotes regarding participants’ views and opinions about the future are attributed to a specific individual. All information and personal data associated with this project will be stored securely for a period of time, and then destroyed in line with each organisation's data retention policies.