Interview: Youth work's big chance - Fiona Blacke, chief executive,The National Youth Agency

Barely a month in post, she cannot be accused of lacking urgency. Blacke describes the NYA role as "a dream job I aspired to for a number of years". She says the 10-year youth strategy unveiled in July is the "best piece of youth policy for a couple of generations", based as it is around the "transformational themes" of empowerment, access and quality. But, she adds, "the mantle is now down to service managers and deliverers to make that work", particularly in commissioning services and gaining young people's involvement.

Blacke, who's spent most of her working life in Scotland, has begun an 18-month fact-finding tour of England's 150 local authorities. "We can't support services unless we understand their challenges," she explains. "The agency has a strong track record under my predecessor Tom Wylie of basing what it does on evidence and outcomes and under me that will continue." She adds that as commissioners, councils must help create and sustain organisations that deliver good youth work. That means sometimes forging ties with the private sector. One idea is for the local supermarket to match fund a youth centre. And she says businesses should be encouraged to take on human resources and IT on behalf of smaller community groups - as they do in some local authorities - to enable these groups to focus on their core work with young people.