Health bosses have taken a fresh approach to recruiting children's workers - they let the youngsters interview the candidates.

Gateshead Health NHS Trust, which achieved a three star rating from the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) for the first time this year, is enlisting youngsters for interview panels for jobs within its children's directorate.

Clinical nurse leader for children's services, Jenny Myles, said: "Children are very well equipped to help with and influence a decision on the best candidate for a post of this nature.

"The children's interview panel provides us with a different insight from a typical adult to adult interview. We can get a more accurate picture of how well a candidate relates to children and how the children respond and interact with them.

"It's a vital indicator for these jobs as the children come first."

A trial of the scheme saw youngsters, aged from nine to 14, help interview for a team of four emotional wellbeing workers, funded through the Government's Children's Fund initiative.

These workers will provide a preventative and early interventions service to meet the emotional needs of children, aged between four and 14, across Gateshead.

The children have attended workshops which looked at recruitment processes and enabled them to develop their own questions and scoring systems for candidates.

Anne Duffy, a member of the emotional wellbeing team, said: "We now have a number of children, a good mix of girls and boys, to call upon for their input.

"These interviews can also be viewed as a self-esteem and confidence building opportunity for them."