Medway Young Commissioners (MYC) was launched early in 2009 to support the work of the Medway Children’s Trust. Children and young people between the ages of 11 and 19 (and up to 25 for those with disabilities) have been recruited from all backgrounds across Medway to help shape the services that young people use. MYC meet regularly every two months to undertake training and carry out specific pieces of work related to the identified priorities of the Children’s Trust. This work may involve consulting with peer groups about their needs; research on best practice; informing service specifications and marketing; assessment of service bids; and feeding information back to the Trust and peer groups. MYCs have so far acheived, informed or contributed to the following work:

• Development and delivery of the Medway Children’s Trust launch events
• Development of MYC procedures, polices and handbook
• Development of the Medway Children’s Trust marketing literature
• Consultation with peers on things to do on a Friday or Saturday Night
• Education for young people about homelessness
• Marketing literature on The Common Assessment Framework
• Connexions services in Medway
• Medway’s Looked After Children and their needs
• What makes a good school & Ways for ‘voices to be heard’ in schools
• Opportunities for children and young people to inform school improvement
• The Parenting and Family Support Strategy’s ‘Parent’s Charter’
• National Takeover Day on the issue of Obesity in Medway
• Publicity on Special Educational Needs for young people
• Needs analysis for Integrated Youth Support Services
• CYPP priorities 2011+ on SEN; CAF; Youth Crime/Reparation; Childminding; CAMHs; Drugs and acohol; Volunteering opportunties for young people; young peoples involvement in decision making (school councils)

MYC will ensure that the views of all children and young people feed into the service planning and delivery arrangements for future commissioning and will help us to think creatively about how we might deliver services differently to meet what young people say they need.

The services MYC will consider include those for children and young people that are provided by the council and the health agencies plus those provided by the police, schools and colleges and the many different voluntary and community groups in Medway.

MYC is supported by the ‘older’ commissioning team led by Sally Morris.