Trade unions Unite and Unison, and the Lib Dems are among those calling for youth work to be made statutory, to prevent councils cutting back provision.
But Marion Davis believes such a move is unnecessary. Speaking in an interview with CYP Now, she warned that making services statutory could deter young people from using them.
"I understand the call from youth workers," she explained. "But we've got to make sure that we are not stigmatising service users, who don't need high-level statutory interventions but support that's timely and tailored to their needs."
But she admitted that youth workers do need to be assured that services won't be cut.
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