The council said it is looking to reduce the existing £2.2m youth services budget by 45 per cent (£1m) by 2017/18 because of an anticipated £5m fall in the current children’s services budget of £57m, combined with an increased demand for young people's services.
Dorset Council currently runs 22 youth centres and works with a range of organisations to help run youth clubs by providing staff or funding.
The council says it wants to base decisions over changes and reductions in services on findings from a six-week online consultation that will collect views on how young people use services and what they would like to see done differently.
Once the consultation has closed, the council will draw up proposals for the future shape of youth services.
Sara Tough, director for children’s services in Dorset, said issues such as substance misuse, parental mental health issues and domestic abuse have impacted on the number of young people subject to a child protection plan or taken into care.
“We want to tackle the increasing demand by focusing more on prevention and early help – targeting those who are likely to need support before things get worse,” she said. “Youth workers play a key role in supporting teenagers and we need to make sure the work they do makes a real difference to those in need.
“We have to look at everything we do to make sure we can improve the lives of children and young people with a smaller budget.
“The review of the youth service is the first major project under our Forward Together for Children programme, which aims to change the way we deliver services for children and young people.”
Young people, residents and local communities can give their views about the future of the authority's youth services through an online survey.
Youth workers will also collect the views of young people directly from Dorset’s youth centres and clubs, while the council plans to talk with partners including voluntary and community groups, schools and local councils.
The consultation runs until 27 October.
