Youth leaders question future of youth innovation zones

The call for the Cabinet Office to invest more funding in “youth innovation zones” – local authority-based projects that test and evaluate new approaches – came after a government report championed the work of the zones earlier this month.

The update on the government’s Positive for Youth strategy said 14 youth innovation zones were continuing to test “radical new system-wide approaches” to youth work.

But youth work experts involved in the delivery of the youth innovation zone programme were sceptical about the claim. They said it was unlikely the projects were able to help local authorities respond to new challenges, such as reduced government funding and devolution of power from central government.

Confederation of Heads of Young People’s Services chief executive David Wright said any work that was continuing would be “legacy work”.

“Some interesting pieces of work came out of the youth innovation zones, but I don’t think any of them will be continuing to operate in the same way,” said Wright.

“The work may be continuing, but the phase of input and change that might have been brought about by the youth innovation zone funding will not be.

“If the Cabinet Office’s view is that it wants to look at innovative ways of working, we need to be supported to be able to do that. You need support to innovate and change,” he added.

Tony McGee, who led on the youth innovation zones project for consultancy FPM, said local authorities that wanted to continue exploring new ideas had to fund work from their own budgets.

He said that although the project was always only intended to be funded for a year, people involved were disappointed this had not been extended.

“The project was very cost efficient – people got a lot from it in a very short space of time,” said McGee.

“Case studies from the projects demonstrated some very strong learning and innovation.”

According to the Positive for Youth progress report, the government invested £780,000 on the zones, which was administered by the Local Government Association.

The youth innovation zones project ended on 31 March 2013.