NHS England Youth Forum 2016 Application

NHS England Youth Forum 2016 Application

NHS England Youth Forum 2016 Application

In 2014, the British Youth Council worked with NHS England on a pilot project - to create a brand new NHS Youth Forum, to help shape health services and to hold NHS England to account.

The British Youth Council is excited to announce that we are now recruiting for the 3rd year of the NHS Youth Forum and we are looking for young people aged 14 – 25, from across England to be part of it!

If any of the bullet points below apply to you – we would like to hear from you!!

  • Do you have an interest in health?
  • Do you have experience of healthcare services?
  • Are you a member of a local health forum or council?
  • Are you a member of a local youth council or youth forum?
  • Have you worked on a local/regional/national health project or campaign?
  • Are you passionate about youth representation and the improvement of health services for all young people?

All expenses are covered – your train fares will be booked in advance and information sent to you and all accommodation and food will be provided for 3 residentials.

About NHS England

The main aim of NHS England is to improve the health outcomes for people in England. They work with all NHS staff, and patients and the public to develop and deliver high quality health services. NHS England oversees the budget, and planning for healthcare services in the NHS. They focus on primary care services (these are the services from your GP, dentist, eye care and pharmacy), and also on specialised services (rare diseases and conditions that are uncommon or require specialist treatment).They provide support and guidance to other areas of the NHS.

They also work very closely with the British Youth Council to support the NHS Youth Forum!

The NHS Youth Forum also has direct support from NHS partners, to feed into cross cutting health care issues.

Purpose of the Group

The purpose of the group is to bring together a diverse range of young people who can use their own perspectives and experiences of healthcare services to highlight good practise and develop suggestions for improvement in areas which may need it. They may be involved in giving advice and opinions on healthcare policies, providing ideas on how services can be improved and holding both Commissioners and the Executive Board to account for their decisions and their work.

The group will work on key objectives (key focuses) for the year – by either producing materials, putting on an event, hosting meetings or creating media for example.

How the group will work

The group this year will again be made up of 25 young people. Up to 8 will be selected from the outgoing forum (from 2015/2016); 4 will be elected regionally from Members of Youth Parliament across the 4 NHS regions of North, London, Midlands / East of England and South West / South East and at least 13 places are open to any young people across England who meet the criteria; who essentially have an interest in health.

We are looking for people who are both passionate about youth representation and the improvement of services for all young people, as well as trying to ensure that the group is fully representative of all young people across England.

The group is due to meet 3 times a year in person at residentials to work directly with decision makers regarding some key areas of work that will be decided on by the group. They will also be involved in ongoing, remote, working throughout the year. This will involve taking part in online discussions, reviewing and feeding back on materials outside of meetings.

There may be opportunities for some members to attend additional meetings – either with BYC support or independently and these opportunities will be shared on an as and when basis.

We are recruiting volunteers for a one term role at this point. Dates are shared below in the application form.

Please note that the project is subject to final confirmation from NHS England.

To apply – simply complete the application form below and return to

Closing Date for Applications: 9am on Thursday 19th May

If you have any questions please contact Anna (BYC National Projects Co-ordinator): or 07956 681150.

NHS Youth Forum - 2016

Application form

Your details

Surname: / Forename(s): / Gender:
Postal address in full: / Email Address:
Mobile Telephone no.
Date of Birth: / Age at 17.06.16:

Do you currently live in England? Yes / No

Please tell us about you – this is to help us get a better idea about you and the skills & experience you could bring to the NHS Youth Forum. Please share your reasons for wanting to be part of this Youth Forum.

  1. Tell us about you, who you are and what your current involvement is (Max 200 words)

  1. Why do you think you should be selected to be a volunteer on the NHS Youth Forum? (Max 200 words)

  1. What would you like to gain from this experience? (Max 200 words)

4. Please make sure that you are able to commit to ALL the following dates and that you have secured (asked and obtained) parental / guardian permission if you are under 18 years of age.
NB. If any of these dates are a problem for you, please do not continue with your application, as this is a time and date specific project.
  • Friday 17th– Sunday 19th June : residential (this will require independent train travel to Kidderminster. You will be met at Kidderminster railway station).
  • Friday 28th October –Sunday 30th October: residential (PROVISIONAL and location to be confirmed)
  • Friday 24th – Sunday 26th February: residential (PROVISIONAL and location to be confirmed)
Residentials will start in the early evening on the first day at approx 6.00pm (if you need or would like letters to secure time off school/college/university or work, BYC can provide these). You will need to travel earlier to arrive on time. Residential weekends will end at approx. 2.30pm and participants can therefore expect to be home on the final day in each case between approx. 6pm and 10pm (depending on location).
Accommodation at sites will be “accessible” however we need you to share full details in this application, to ensure that any needs are met. Rooms will be multi – occupancy (sharing – approximately 2 – 8 people per room, depending on the site).
Residentials are typically a mix of training, team building, discussion and outdoor activities. We hope they are enjoyable and fun too!
The first residential is an induction – there will be time to get to know other forum members and find out what people have worked on in the past.
There will be other opportunities to attend one day events and meetings as well as short residentials for individual members.
There is no expectation for you to attend these, but opportunities will be shared.
A Facebook group will be set up for you, to enable communication on a regular basis. You will be expected to check this at least once a week.
You will receive a weekly mail on a Wednesday that you will need to read and respond to, if necessary.
4. Are you between the ages of 16 and 25 and able to travel independently to different locations across England, and this has been confirmed with your parent or guardian? YES / NO
If you are under 16:
Have you arranged for parental / guardian / youth worker support? YES / NO
Is your parent/guardian happy for you to travel independently to British Youth Council events? YES / NO
  • If yes, should you be successful, Anna from BYC will contact your parent or guardian to discuss in advance of the first residential.
  • If no, we’re happy for a parent/guardian to accompany you to events, unfortunately we aren’t able to guarantee covering travel expenses for accompanying adults. If no and you cannot be accompanied, please do not continue with the application.

  1. To ensure that we meet your needs, please fill in the next section as fully as possible:
  • Do you have any needs that we can be aware of to support you, in terms of travel? If you select “no” we will expect that you are able to travel independently (if aged 16 or over) on public transport from your home to a venue in England. If you select “no” and you are aged under 16, we will expect that you only need support in terms of your age.
Yes / No
Details:
Do you have needs that we can be aware of to support you in terms of attending a residential? If you select “no”, we will expect that you are able to independently stay in a residential centre or hotel without any requirements. If you may require support in any way, please do provide as much detail as possible – even if it is not always required. Thank you. Yes / No
Details:
  • Do you have any access requirements or additional support needs to help you take part in the Youth Forum? Please provide details.
Yes / No
Details:
  1. Reference:
Please provide the details for one reference; a person who knows you and can confirm that the details in this form are correct. This may be a youth worker, a teacher or a health care professional for example.
  • Name:
  • Job role and organisation:
  • Relationship to you:
  • Contact address:
  • Contact telephone number:
  • Contact email:

Thank you!!! 