Analysis backs drive for youth-led services
Derren Hayes
Monday, November 4, 2013
Young people and communities should be given the authority to decide the shape of youth work services in their area, a study has found.
Analysis of areas piloting the Young People Friendly Neighbourhoods (YPFN) programme has concluded that youth work services are most effective when they are designed and commissioned by young people themselves.
A report produced by environmental charity Groundwork, the programme's organisers, outlines six suggestions for what commissioners could do to ensure young people take ownership of services in the future. These include:
- Creation of community-led partnerships co-ordinated by housing associations
- Development of strong community relationships between youth workers and young people
- A longer-term view for funding support and project development
- A portion of rent money diverted to fund locally-driven services
- Local people to drive the commissioning process for youth services
- Neighbourhoods to decide what proportion of resources are spent on universal and targeted interventions
YPFN provided open access to activities for young people aged 11 to 19 combined with intensive individual support for those who needed it. Funded with a £2.7m grant from the Department for Education, the programme gave young people alongside residents in 20 neighbourhoods across England the chance to run and shape services in their communities.
The 18-month programme, which ended in March, involved 2,400 young people and 47,000 youth work sessions and activities.
Areas that ran the programme included Blackpool, County Durham, Corby, Hackney, Hertfordshire, Kettering, Leicester, Manchester, Nottingham, Paignton, Reading, Rochdale, Stoke-on-Trent and Wakefield.
Groundwork chief executive Tony Hawkhead said: “YPFN has shown how it is possible to unlock the power of young people to make real changes in the places they live. Giving them a stake while they are still young increases the chances of becoming active and committed citizens in their adult life.
“Involving landlords, local authorities and the justice system helps to build mutual respect and understanding across the generations, which can only be a good thing.”
Groundwork managed YPFN in partnership with social housing landlord Sanctuary Housing, Youth Access and public sector consultants FPM.
A formal evaluation of the programme is to be published by the University of Salford.
