Youth Work: Youth worker training strategy stalls after failure to raise funds

Youth work organisation Partnership for Young London (PYL) started developing a cross-London training strategy in January 2007 after getting £50,000 from the Children's Workforce Development Council. The strategy was to improve training for youth support staff in the capital to ensure young people got higher-quality services.

But while the actual strategy document is complete, work to implement it has stalled due to a lack of funding.

Helen Hibbert, strategic director at PYL, said London needed the strategy at a time when budgets are tight. "There is an uncertainty around quality assurance for training and the irregularity of costs - not just about different providers charging different amounts but not knowing if it's value for money," she said. "People are running similar courses across neighbouring boroughs on the same day that are only half-full. People want to have more joint initiatives and to work together."