Councils begin to develop youth innovation zones

A total of four youth innovation zones, in Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Knowsley, and a consortium led by Devon, were announced by the government yesterday as part of the Positive for Youth policy statement.

The aim is to test "radical new system-wide approaches" to youth services and provide other areas with good practice examples.

Knowsley Council has revealed it will work on two models – Youth Lite and Youth Deep. Youth Lite will involve shifting delivery of youth services into "centres for learning" and dedicated youth facilities across the borough making them an integral part of the school day.

For young people whose needs cannot be met by the universal Youth Lite model, a proposed 14 to 19 youth development free school will provide a more intensive and targeted form of support, known as Youth Deep.

This will offer a personal development package for young people led by a range of educators from industry, education, the voluntary sector as well as traditional youth services.

Eddie Connor, Knowsley's lead member for leisure, culture and community, said: "It’s great news for the borough’s young people who will be central to the new approach and delivery of youth services, building on the fantastic input they've already had in the development of OurPlace, the borough’s £5m dedicated youth facility."

Hammersmith & Fulham was chosen as an innovation zone in part due to its youth commissioners programme, under which young people go out and monitor all youth provision, interviewing young people and workers and providing feedback on the quality of services. 

They also commission services for young people, writing and evaluating service specifications.

"Hammersmith & Fulham is keen to involve local people in innovating and exploring better ways to provide services and that absolutely includes young people," lead member for children’s services Helen Binmore said.

"We have led the way in redesigning our youth service based on the views of local young people. They are bright, enthusiastic and, of course, are the people who use the service. Their views have been hugely influential in rethinking how services are designed and run.

"We are delighted to have been chosen as an innovation zone and it is a major endorsement of the success of our decision to move to commissioning all our youth services from voluntary and private sector specialists, rather than running projects ourselves."