Young inspectors make mark on city

Sheffield Council recruited a team of young people in a bid to examine local youth services to ensure they meet their needs.

The teenagers, aged between 13 and 19, visited services and rated them from one to five. If they scored four or below, the young inspectors wrote to the service to point out how they might be able to improve.

Sheffield Council’s children’s services spokesman Coun Jackie Drayton said: “It gives me great pleasure to be able to give these awards to such dedicated and hard working young people.

“Who better to assess what children and young people really need if not the young people themselves?”

He added: “We are very lucky to have so many excellent facilities for young people in Sheffield, and it is great to see them being improved like this.”

The council said that its young inspectors would continue to inspect services around the city with findings published on their website at www.sheffkids.co.uk for other youngsters to read.