Agenda item

(Indicative timing: 10.05 - 10.40am)

The Panel considered a report that outlined the steps which were being taken to review and strengthen the Council’s youth offer and inform the recommissioning of the Council’s funded youth services.

The Public Health Consultant explained the Council’s statutory duty in relation to youth services and activities for young people. The National Youth Agency defined youth work as a ‘distinct educational process adapted across a variety of settings to support a young person’s personal, social and educational development.’ The Panel was informed that there were three evidence-based domains for youth work interventions, universal open access, detached youth work and one to one mentoring, all three of which were operated in Worcestershire via a range of statutory, voluntary and community sector organisations.

Since 2016, the Council had funded 14 Open Access ‘Positive Activities’ Contracts in the County and the infrastructure to support these. The recommissioning of these contracts was now overdue. Some additional short-term funding had also recently been made available to District Councils through the Contain Outbreak Management Fund for detached youth work and one to one mentoring support for those young people adversely impacted by the pandemic.

As part of the work to review the youth offer and to support the recommissioning work, an Adolescent Health profile for the county had recently been completed and whilst this showed that, overall, the county fared better than the England average, there were disadvantaged areas where young people faced poorer outcomes. A Youth Needs Assessment had also been carried out which mapped current provision. This process which had included engagement with a variety of stakeholders and young people and had identified some key findings to be taken into account for the development of the revised strategy, strengthened youth offer and re-commissioned Council youth provision.

Members asked a range of questions which were responded to as follows:

·         The Panel was informed that the ‘youth offer’ was a package specific to a location based on local need and that commissioning work needed to take account of that. Moving forward a Youth Outcomes Framework would be developed, in conjunction with young people and stakeholders to ensure that the services provided would meet specific local need and were able to be effectively evaluated.

·         The National Youth Association offered guidance on the numbers of young people it was expected to be in regular contact with youth provision. Engagement with youth services in the county was measured and currently fell short of the expected levels.  This was an issue being addressed as part of current work, which would take into account the voice of young people and their changing needs.

·         In terms of the impact of funding youth services over the last decade, the Public Health Consultant confirmed that there had been issues caused by having some short-term funding which had led to problems with staff retention. With this commissioning process it would be ensured that there was longer term funding in place leading to a sustained approach aimed at building capacity locally to add skills to the workforce and meet local identified need. 

·         The Consultant explained that the needs assessment was currently in the process of being published, after which members would be able to look at detail relating to their area.

·         A Member raised his concern about a February 2022 YMCA report which indicated that Worcestershire was not spending any money on young people. The Consultant advised she would look into this and report back.

·         A Member highlighted that it was very time consuming for youth workers applying for bids and any support that could be provided would be welcomed. The Consultant confirmed that this was an area that it was hoped support could be provided in.

·         In response to a query regarding the number of young people who had provided input into the youth needs assessment, the Panel was informed that 120 young people had contributed (via 8 focus groups) and that the Youth Cabinet had also been consulted. A Member suggested that schools could have been included in the process and that Members of the Council might have also offered their support. These suggestions were welcomed and would be acted upon going forward.

·         The Advanced Public Health Practitioner confirmed that all of the stakeholders who had been consulted on youth provision in the county had provided input. The input had been obtained via face-to-face conversations rather than via a questionnaire.  It was agreed that the feedback received from stakeholders from the Needs Assessment process would be shared with the Panel.