Youth service chiefs back plans for shake-up

Announcing the plans at the Association of Directors of Children's Services conference last week, junior children's minister Tim Loughton called for an end to councils' "monopoly" on commissioning and delivering youth services.

David Wright, chief executive of the Confederation of Heads of Young People's Services (Chyps), said: "Asking councils to be more imaginative in a tough economic climate is exactly what we should be doing.

"Of course I am worried about a reduction in local authority services, but there are positive things to be done in terms of working with all partners. We have to look at doing things differently."

But Chyps chair Sue Payne urged Loughton to speak to heads of services and provide more details about how the partnerships would work in practice. She warned that it should not be about two different parts of the sector delivering services in isolation.

"We need to work together to ensure we cover all eventualities, so the service provided is joined up and accessible for all young people," she said.

Payne also urged ministers to ensure young people are consulted about what is important to them before services are redesigned.

The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) is currently in discussions with ministers about how it can best help the voluntary sector deliver more public services.

NCVYS director of policy Faiza Chaudary called for "a more consistent approach to spreading best practice, particularly among those authorities struggling to overcome similar challenges".

"Best practice must be gleaned from the full range of service providers, including the voluntary and community sectors, which are adept at generating imaginative answers to often complex social questions," she added.

The government is expected to provide more details on how voluntary sector partnerships can help deliver youth services at an event later this month that will set out the next steps of the National Citizen Service.