The Department for Children, Schools and Families funded CRAE to develop and disseminate a comprehensive set of training and tools to increase children's and young people's effective participation in decision-making.

 The Ready Steady Change materials are:

• Two participation training handbooks: one to increase the skills, knowledge and confidence of children and young people (aged 17 and under); the other to increase the skills, knowledge and confidence of all those working with children and young people

• Look what's changing DVD

• Ready Steady Change newspapers (one for children and young people; the other for adults) – to get participants thinking about children's rights before they come on the Ready Steady Change course.

In 2007, we published a review of the use and impact of Ready Steady Change in a variety of settings. You can download the report below:

Training for Change (PDF) 

Ready Steady Change fundamental beliefs

The entire Ready Steady Change programme approaches children’s and young people’s participation in decision-making from a human rights framework. The fundamental beliefs underpinning this training programme are:

• Children and young people have equal worth to adults.
• All children and young people are experts on their own lives.
• Children and young people have the right to be involved in all decision-making that affects them.
• All human beings shape and define their environments and social relationships.
• Children’s and young people’s participation in decision-making is key to improving their well-being.
• Participation is about making everyday choices as well as seeking to influence wider public decision-making and policy and service development.
• Everyone that works with children and young people has a responsibility to encourage and support their active involvement in decision-making.
• A commitment to children’s human rights is key to achieving improved outcomes for children and young people.

In addition to the core materials, several organisations have developed specialised training and tools:

Committed to rights

Barnardo's with Nacro has prepared training materials for all those working with children and young people in the youth justice system (including in custody), to demonstrate that a rights-based approach leads to better decision and judgement making.

Confidence and communication – a students' guide

The English Secondary Students' Association has worked with secondary school students to produce a training programme and toolkit to improve communication between students, teachers and decision-makers.

The headspace toolkit

Advocacy in Somerset has produced a self-advocacy toolkit and power tools for young people in adolescent psychiatric units, covering topics from ward rounds to understanding medication.

What's so queer!?

The Queer Youth Alliance has put together a CD-Rom and materials for professionals so they can better understand the needs and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people.

Make it count

CROA (Children's Rights Officers and Advocates) has designed fun days for children and young people in care, to equip them to get involved in decision-making.

Changing places together

Save the Children has prepared a training package to increase children's and young people's effective participation in regeneration initiatives.