Recording and accreditation in youth work

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RECORDED

By Sam Long:

Recording and evidencing some of the work undertaken with young people can be difficult or very Straight forward. Often I have been asked by volunteers/trainee youth workers who have difficulty in understanding recorded outcomes and what they should be evidencing and looking out for. I end up telling them that it is a way of evidencing movement made by a young person. Can be a valuable process of reflection for the young person that is facilitated by a youth worker. Or could be a way of understanding a process that a young person has traveled. I also inform them that it is way recognition of a young persons development that could be a positive way of noticing a young person’s achievement.

According to NYA definition “Credit Where It’s Due” ‘Recorded outcomes’ must have the following features:

  • Provide evidence to show actions undertaken by the young person, their progression, and distance traveled – to show distance traveled the record must identify starting points, describe the process/identify what happened, and be clear about the achievement, learning gain or
  • End product. This may include, for instance, a decision made as a result of counseling or a detached work encounter.
  • Provide evidence of the benefit derived by the young person as a result of a youth work intervention.
  • Be evidenced (though not accredited) by a youth worker or an external awarding body.
  • Be meaningful (not just a narrative of events) – it must confirm the achievement of a declared-objective that is significant for that individual young person. Some subjective judgments will need to be made in assessing what constitutes a ‘significant’ objective for each young person, given their backgrounds and skill levels.
  • Be recognizable within Ofsted frameworks for inspection – the record should be able to provide evidence to inspectors seeking to report within the section ‘Standards of young people’s achievement and the quality of youth work practice’. A ‘recorded outcome’ does not: 

  • Have to subscribe to a specific format;
  • Necessarily lead to an accredited outcome – a recorded outcome may be sufficient alone for some young people. For others it may form part of the learning journey towards an accredited outcome; or
  • Have to be measured against a declared curriculum, but it can be good practice to do so.’ Accredited outcomes’ must have the following features:
  • Be undertaken by young people supported within the youth work process.
  • Have currency/credibility outside youth work including enhancing life and social skills and, where possible, a link to employment, education and training.
  • Be subject to either independent internal verification by the organization making the award or be externally assessed by an awarding body.

Heres as short video on recorded outcome

 

 Taken from BVPI 221a – ‘Participation In and Outcomes From Youth Work: Recorded Outcomes’

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