Unite blasts youth policy proposals
Neil Puffett
Thursday, October 13, 2011
The government has been accused of ignoring sector concerns over youth services just weeks before it is due to publish a youth policy statement.
Positive for Youth, a policy statement on services for young people, is expected to outline the government’s vision that whatever a child’s background or circumstances, they should be able to fulfil their potential and get a good job.
But trade union Unite has launched a blistering attack on the consultation, which ended last month, with its response to the formal process criticising the government for "pulling apart the modern youth service".
It states that years of professional expertise are being destroyed and that the government has failed to use its statutory powers to intervene while several local authorities have completely abandoned their youth service.
"While the Department for Education discussion papers insist they wish to create a vision and society that is ‘positive for youth’, the actions that the government has so far taken have been negative for youth," it states.
The response adds that Unite is "astonished and disappointed" that the discussion papers for the consultation take "no notice" of the conclusions of the parliamentary select committee’s inquiry into young people’s services and some of the issues surrounding them.
The committee raised concerns about the resourcing of the youth service and its historic cost effectiveness.
Concluding the response, Doug Nicholls, national officer for community and youth workers’ and the not-for-profit sector at Unite, said the organisation remains committed to a genuine dialogue about the improvement of services to young people and opportunities for them.
"This cannot be achieved without a coherent plan and proper social investment," he said. "The discussion papers are predicated on disinvestment, damaging and are counterproductive in our view.
"We advocate in these urgent circumstances the establishment of a youth service advisory committee with powers to work with all relevant partners to develop a coherent strategy with statutory powers of investment and standards."
Positive for Youth is scheduled to be published this autumn.
