MPs’ youth work review seeks professional views
Fiona Simpson
Monday, January 29, 2024
Two MPs are seeking the views of youth workers as part of a rapid review into how youth provision has changed since the last general election.
Conservative MP for Mansfield Ben Bradley and Labour (Co-op) MP for Brighton, Kemptown Lloyd Russell-Moyle say they want to build on the findings of a 2019 review of youth work by the all-party parliamentary group for youth affairs.
In an article for CYP Now, the pair say that as the UK heads into a year of national and local elections, “the priorities for and needs of young people are consistent across the board, from mental health and to school attendance, fear of crime and violence, hopes for skills and employment”.
They highlight the role of youth work in supporting young people to deal with challenges linked to the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis as well as raising questions over cross-departmental responsibility for services for children.
“As we enter 2024, the make-up of youth work is such that 80 per cent of youth services are now delivered by voluntary organisations and community groups, albeit a significant part commissioned or grant funded by local councils,” the article states.
“There is a shared political narrative of young people needing “somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to” that has run through government policies since 2008. Yet our reports found a lack of consistency in funding, where and how services are provided, and an uneven spread of opportunities within communities as well as between local authority areas,” it adds.
The rapid review seeks youth worker’s views on three key questions:
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We know youth work is fragmented in the type of provision, levels of funding, across the regions and between local areas. What funding is needed to secure universal youth services to deliver a local youth offer?
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Starting from where we are now, with youth work delivered predominantly by the voluntary sector, what are the delivery models for effective work with wider children’s services?
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As part of a children’s workforce and range of services, where and how are youth workers best employed to address the key issues and challenges faced by young people?
Please send your views along with any supporting evidence to cypnow@markallengroup.com by 1 March.
