ABSTRACT

Opportunities for children to be involved in the decisions made about them are part of current statutory educational legislation. Person-centred planning (PCP) has been proposed as an appropriate method of meeting statutory requirements to gather pupil views. However, young people within alternative provisions (APs) may lack opportunities to be heard. This paper reports on an action research project with staff from an AP for children at risk of exclusion. Participants opted to trial the use of the PCP approach ‘Making Action Plans’ (‘MAPs’; carried out virtually due to Covid-19 restrictions) and evaluated the project through two focus groups. Findings indicate that (virtual) use of MAPs requires staff to carefully consider their setting’s structure, needs, capacity and capabilities. Pre-meeting preparation and adapting the MAP process with technology improved engagement, access and alternative ways of working. The MAP process provided a range of positive outcomes as a by-product of its implementation.

摘要

儿童参与决策的机会是现行法定教育立法的一部分。以人为本的规划 (PCP) 已被提议作为满足法定要求以收集学生意见的适当方法。但是，替代条款 (APs) 中的年轻人可能缺乏发表意见的机会。本文报道了一个行动研究项目，该项目由 AP 的工作人员针对有被排斥风险的儿童开展。参与者选择试用 PCP 方法“制定行动计划”（“MAPs”；实际上由于 Covid-19 限制而进行），并通过两个焦点小组评估了该项目。调查结果表明，（虚拟）使用 MAP 需要员工仔细考虑其环境的结构、需求、容量和能力。会前准备和使用技术调整 MAP 流程，提高参与度、访问权限和替代工作方式。作为其实施的副产品，MAP 流程提供了一系列积极成果。