In the first scheme of its kind in Lewisham, a group of young people have been trained to sit on interview panels and will have a say in the recruitment of social care staff.
Six young care leavers aged between 16 and 21 volunteered to take part in the intensive seven-week Lewisham Leaving Care Service Interview Panel training course. The scheme is part of an on-going Lewisham Leaving Care Service project.
They all have extensive experiences of the care system and knowledge about the needs and expectations that young people have of social care staff.
Following their successful completion of the programme, the young volunteers are now qualified to interview candidates applying for jobs at Lewisham Council which involve working with children and young people.
As part of the course, the young people learnt about Lewisham Council’s Recruitment and Selection programme and Equal Opportunity policy and practice. They also developed a range of interviewing skills and techniques.
The training programme is accredited to the Lewisham Youth A.I.D. Volunteering in the Community course and graduates are eligible for the MV (Millennium Volunteers) Certificate and Youth Achievement Bronze Award.
Lewisham Council already actively involves young people in the interviewing and selection of staff, however this is the first time the borough has trained young people to this level of competency.
Councillor Robert Massey, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “My congratulations go to all the young people who took part in this innovative training programme.
“It shows, once again, how our young people are engaged with issues affecting them. It also demonstrates the Council’s commitment to ensuring the voices of our younger population are heard.”
Emma Foreshaw, a graduate of the course said on behalf of the group, said: “The idea of having young people as part of the interview panel is a good one and will be very effective.
“It’s nice to know we can give something back to the service that has provided us with so much.”