The National Youth Agency Youth Report Card summarises - on one sheet of paper - local performance on 25 national indicators directly relevant to young people. It is a valuable and powerful tool developed with the input of local authorities to enable them to measure their performance against national benchmarks.
And, best of all, the card is free to each local authority.
Its key features and benefits include:
- A one-page summary of local performance
- A tool to aid local authorities, including elected members
- Highlighting good performance and areas for improvement
- An indication of overall direction for the local authority
The Youth Report Card builds on the extensive work the National Youth Agency has carried out over many years on auditing local authority youth services and improving performance in the youth sector. Its development has been informed by a working group including representatives from the Association of Directors of Children's Services and the Confederation of Heads of Children and Young People's Services.
Project manager Jon Adamson said: "The National Youth Agency has a long history of producing an annual audit of statutory youth services for local authorities in England. However, as we move towards a model of integrated working this type of audit single-service report is of less use and has been discontinued.
"The Report Card provides an overview of performance against a broad range of measures. It tells you where performance is good, bad and somewhere in between. It tells you where the problem is. It helps you ask the right questions.
The agency received technical support from Leicestershire County Council, a leading exponent of innovative methods of data presentation in local government, in developing the Youth Report Card. This partnership between us and a local authority is a key factor in making sure this work is relevant and fit for purpose."
Plans for its development include an updated version later in the year. To find out more and to receive a free copy, local authorities should contact Jon Adamson on jona@nya.org.uk or by telephone on 0116 242 7417.
