Opinion: Editorial - Education bill should include youth work

But after concerted lobbying, particularly from The National Youth Agency, it appears the commitment to youth work in the bill may be about to be strengthened (see p3).

At the second reading stage in the House of Lords last week, several well-briefed peers banged the drum for youth work in the debate, which ended with Lord Adonis, a schools minister at the Department for Education and Skills, promising to bring forward an amendment at the Lords committee stage this week.

Adonis agreed with the second chamber that "more needs to be done to ensure the youth work provision available to young people is sufficient and appropriate". His amendment to clause six of the bill will "make it explicit that local authorities must ensure access to activities that will promote their personal and social developments, which, in practice, includes youth work".