National youth scrutiny group to advise ministers as Positive for Youth policy is unveiled
Neil Puffett
Monday, December 19, 2011
A national scrutiny group of young people will advise ministers on how government policies affect them and their families, as part of the government's youth policy.
Positive for Youth: A new approach to cross-government policy for young people aged 13 to 19, brings together for the first time all of the government’s policies for young people aged 13 to 19.
A national scrutiny group was one of the proposals set out in CYP Now’s Manifesto for Young People. The advisory group will be set up by the British Youth Council, which has also been asked to advise councils on how to involve young people in decision-making and auditing services.
The government has also addressed CYP Now's calls to revise statutory guidance on local authorities' duty to secure sufficient activities and services for young people, and publish an annual set of measures to demonstrate the progress on improving outcomes for young people.
The government will be measuring progress by local authorities, and central government, in delivering better, more targeted opportunities for young people.
Annual data will be published on positive and aspirational measures for young people in a way that the government claims will not create an additional burden for local authorities.
The new measures include percentages of young people volunteering, numbers in education and work-based learning, and percentages who have claimed free school meals and gone on to achieve Level 3 at A Level standard.
Others will include percentages of 10-to 17-year-olds who have not had any contact with the criminal justice system, percentages of 11-to 15-year-olds misusing drugs and alcohol, and teenage pregnancies among 15-to 17-year-olds.
Writing in the foreword of Positive for Youth, Education Secretary Michael Gove, said: "This document heralds a new opportunity to help all young people realise their potential.
"For the first time, we have brought together all the relevant government departments to create a single plan for young people in this country.
"We have worked closely with ministers across government, public, private and voluntary sector partners and, of course, the real experts – young people themselves.
"By working together, celebrating success and supporting those who are struggling, I hope that we can give every young person the opportunity to make their mark in society, make a difference in their local area and make the best possible start to adult life."
Other steps to support the Positive for Youth vision include supporting local authority commissioners by giving the Local Government Association £780,000 to test "system-wide" approaches of supporting young people and funding a "mutuals information service" to provide support for public sector workers to create staff-led mutual youth services.
The government will also fund a voluntary sector partner to promote access to social finance initiatives and support workforce development.
A number of ongoing reforms, including the government’s £1bn Youth Contract, raising the age of participation and education reforms are also listed.
Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, described the document as a "clarion call to all of us to make young people a priority".
"The challenge now is for councils, teachers, youth workers, health professionals and the police to combine their expertise and resources to truly help young people flourish. We must invest in our young people’s future," she said.
Fiona Blacke, chief executive of the National Youth Agency, said she hopes the strategy will provide impetus to bring new thinking to the planning and delivery of services for young people.
"As an organisation that advocates for young people’s voice and influence in society, we are pleased the government has recognised the important role of young people within communities.
"We welcome the commitment to retain a statutory duty on local authorities to secure positive activities for young people," she said.
"We look forward to being able to comment on the new streamlined guidance that is to be published shortly and want to work with government to ensure it is sufficiently robust to ensure young people get the support and opportunities they need.
"As an agency we fully support the vision that a society that is Positive for Youth must have strong ambitions, good opportunities and supportive relationships. This strategy sets a challenge to us all to deliver on that vision."
Positive for Youth proposes to:
- Empower young people to inspect local youth services and "youth proof" government policy
- Fund 18 voluntary organisations to pioneer and evaluate approached to "early help"
- Clarify expectations on local authorities through revised statutory guidance
- Provide the LGA with £780,000 in 2011-13 to test new approaches to supporting young people
- Fund a voluntary youth sector partner to promote access to soclal finance and support workforce development
- Help services demonstrate impact by funding a "Centre for the Analysis of Youth Transitions"
- Bring together nine government departments with voluntary organisations in a "Youth Action Group"
- Publish an annual set of national measures to demonstrate progress in improving outcomes for young people
- Commit to a "one-year-on" audit at the end of 2012 to judge progress of Positive for Youth