But necessity dictates that we once again ponder what this key document will contain and when it might be released.
Last weekend, the Independent on Sunday said the youth green paper is being "radically reworded" to reflect the Government's "tough stance on yob-related behaviour" and the need for "respect" among young people.
Well, up to a point, Lord Copper. I understand the latest version of the green paper does indeed contain material that reflects the current "yob" and "respect" agenda. But to say it has been "radically reworded" is overstating the case.
In fact, the feeling is that the green paper is now tighter, clearer and more sector-friendly than before. The new ministerial team is having its input, but isn't ripping it up and starting again. As Jane Haywood, head of the children and youth division at the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), says, ministers are involved in almost daily meetings about the document (see p4). The intention is for the green paper to be released in early July, before the school summer holidays kick in (an interesting reference point in itself, given that the document is supposed to be about youth work, rather than formal education).
Former youth minister Margaret Hodge said youth services could be put on a statutory basis in one of her last pronouncements before moving to the Department for Work and Pensions. Apparently this is still possible, although many of us will only believe it when we see it in black and white on official paper.
The stance towards Connexions has also softened since the draft version of the green paper seen by Young People Now back in March (YPN, 16-22 March, p3). It is now possible that the Connexions brand will survive; the conundrum is the detail of relating the youth advice service for teenagers to the children's trusts agenda. And the big question that remains is whether there will be more money to implement the changes.
Ultimately, the main message to Hodge's replacement, Beverley Hughes, and her new team at the DfES has to be: please, please put us out of our misery and don't miss this deadline. We want our green paper.
