Outsourcing proposals threaten youth services, NCVYS warns

Responding to a recent consultation on the controversial proposals, NCVYS said the “extra layers” created by external organisations taking over delivery of some children's services, including child protection, would distance youth services from the council officials who hold responsibility for them.

The organisation also warned that services would be likely to fall victim to further budget cuts, putting their future in jeopardy as a result.

Responsibility for the youth portfolio was transferred from the Department for Education to the Cabinet Office in July 2013, but NCVYS said the majority of local authority-run youth services continue to be funded through and managed by children’s services.

The response states: “Even with the policy responsibility for youth services moving to the Cabinet Office, at the local level it is typically through children’s services that services for young people will be managed and funded.

“Reforms to these services are already under way across the country and we know that there is great potential for transformation and increased investment in services for young people, which help save money later.

“The consultation paper states that delegation does not remove the authority’s responsibility for ensuring that their statutory obligations are met. Yet we are extremely concerned that extra layers and distance will lead to youth services becoming even more marginalised as the lines of accountability become ever more blurred.”