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Azora Hurd

'How effectively do public and third sector organisations encourage children and young people to participate in decision making processes affecting their lives’?

Supervisors: Professor Tony Boviard (Birmingham) and Professor Chris Pascal (CREC)

This research is fully funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

What benefit, if any, can be gained from children and young people’s participation in the democratic process? What right do children and young people have to participate in the decisions that affect their lives? Emerging from the broader national agenda for greater citizen participation, which has in the last decade seen a significant drive for more ‘listening, participation, empowerment, user involvement, consultation and inclusion’ (Willow, 2002, p. 31), my research investigates how the ‘rights of the child’, as expressed in Article 12 of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC 1998), have developed a growing realisation that children and young people are both a distinct and integral part of the participatory policy initiative. It explores, the ways in which children and young people are currently being actively engaged, how their involvement is manifest and what factors affect their ability or inability to participate within public and third sector organisations. The aim of the research is to understand the importance of participation, with particular reference to its capacity to advance the improvement of service development and delivery affecting both the lives of children and young people directly as well as the indirect effect upon them as part of the wider society.

The review of literature established that engaging with children and young people involves unravelling the listening process, which is multi-faceted and in recognising how the participation empowerment process is structured and layered. The review began a process of formulating a new expression of the key factors necessary to promote fuller and truthful participation. Along side this, though with some independence, I conducted a pilot study, which was undertaken within a voluntary aided public primary school setting, gave expression to key factors such as - ‘respect’, ‘relate’ and ‘respond’, which encapsulate a construct that ultimately I have termed the ‘Three R’s of Awkwardness’. In view of these 3 key factors, and in light of the literature review and its emerging construct, the study examines children and young people’s participation experiences within three settings, reflecting the public sector (looked after children), third sector voluntary (a Muslim youth group) and independent third sector (a private primary school) organisational contexts as these represent typical spheres in which children and young people function on a day to day basis.

My approach is from an interpretive methodological perspective with the empirical research based on 3 case studies which includes undertaking an interactive group work programme directly with children and young people for 6 contact hours, conducting semi-structured interviews with key organisation’s staff responsible for children and young peoples participation, obtaining questionnaire data responses from all employees or volunteer staff associated with the case study setting and obtaining secondary data from each organisation setting out their ethos and analysing policy documents concerning children’s participation.

Profile

I commenced my PhD studies following successful completion of the Masters in Public Administration (MPA/MBA) at the University of Warwick Business School. At the time I worked full-time for Birmingham City Council as a senior manager managing the Sure Start Children Centre’s in the East side of the City. I completed my research dissertation project on the impact of worklessness on family life in 10 separate children centre areas.

I am a Nursery Nurse and a Social Worker by professional heritage. I have practiced in the Probation Service and Local Authority Social Services Department's before specialising in Children, Young people and Family Services. My experiences include working as the Panel Manager for GALRO and as Service Manager for CAFCASS prior managing the Sure Start Children’s Centre in Birmingham. I am a registered Social Worker with the GSCC. Over the past 20 years I have worked in the following areas predominately in a management position:

CAFCASS – Service Manager
GALRO Service Birmingham – Head of Service Panel Manager
Leicester City Council – Head of Staff Development
CCETSW/GSCC – Consortium Manager
West Midlands Probation Service – Probation Officer

I have undertaken a number of consultancy roles for the following agencies:

National Catholic Safeguarding Commission – Review Panel member.
General Social Care Council – Managing a post qualifying initiative for the PQSW award for a group of ‘Black’ staff. I achieved 100% success.
The Heart of Birmingham PCT – Organisational Development and Team Building for the Breastfeed Service.
The Heart of Birmingham PCT – Anti-natal and post-natal services review.
KYRA Leadership Training Programme Aston University – Management Coaching and Mentoring
CREC – National Post Qualification in Integrated Leadership – Mentor and Assessor.
NCSL – Consultant on Leadership / Management Standards.

Qualifications

MPA (Masters in Public Administration – MBA) University of Warwick Business School
MSc in Social Services Management - INLOGIV, University of Birmingham
Advance Award in Social Work - Masters in Management Practice - GSCC
NPQICL (National Post Qualifying in Integrated Centre Leadership) from the Institute of Education at Warwick University & NCSL (National College for Schools Leadership)
CQSW / DipSW (Social Work Qualification) (Birmingham City University )
LLB (Hons) Law Degree (Birmingham City University)
NNEB Nursery Nursing Qualification (Sutton College)

Place of Award:

PhD final year INLOGOV University of Birmingham

Research interests

Children and young peoples participation in decisions
The impact of poverty on family life
Policy relating to children, young people and their families
Organisation design, including quality assurance and control mechanism
Organisational and team development
Interpretivism as a social research method

Professional memberships

British Association of Social Work – The College of Social Work (BASW)
European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA)
Centre for Research in Early Years (CREC)

Teaching responsibilities

In my experience I have taught at the following universities:

Aston University - MBA programme
Wolverhampton University – Diploma in Social Work Programme
University of Birmingham – Approved Social Work Programme

I have also acted as External Assessor or Examiner for the following programmes:

Birmingham City University – The Diploma in Social Work
General Social Care Council – The North East Post Qualifying Consortium and Far South West Post Qualifying Consortium
Welsh Care Council – Wales Post Qualifying Consortium

Conference papers

Hurd, A. (2010). Poster Display – Children and Young Peoples Participation. UoB and EECERA

Hurd, A. (2010). Children’s Rights & Participation in the Decision Making Process. University of Birmingham. UK at the European Early Childhood Education Research Association

Hurd, A. (2009). Developing Citizen Participation in Children and Young People – The Three R’s of Awkwardness. University of Oslo (I received a Certificate stating that I passed with 10 ECTS credits)

Publications

Hurd, A. (2010) Children’s Rights & Participation in the Decision Making Process. University of Birmingham. UK at the European Early Childhood Education Research Association

Hurd, A. & South Birmingham PCT. (2005) Sure Start for City Mums. Connect (Spring / Summer 2005), Issue 8.