Brendan O'Keefe, who established one of the first staff-led youth mutuals in England when Epic Community Interest Company (CIC) took on responsibility for services in Kensington and Chelsea in 2014, said youth services, along with children's centres, are continuing to bear the brunt of ongoing local authority cuts.
He said that, rather than relying on local authority funding, youth services must adapt, and seek out different forms of investment in order to survive, designing themselves around invest-to-save principles and creating new funding models with social investment organisations.
"If spending trends continue as they are, local authorities may sooner or later vacate the youth services arena altogether," he said.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
