Youth service statutory guidance review delayed by Covid-19

The review, which was launched by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in October 2019, asked for respondents’ views on their awareness and understanding of existing statutory guidance, and how effective they think it is in securing services for young people.

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The government pledged to review the guidance, last updated in 2012, as part of its Civil Society Strategy published in August 2018.

DCMS initially said it would publish a response alongside results from its call for evidence in early 2020, however, this has been delayed during the Covid-19 pandemic in a bid to reduce pressures on local services through requests for information and changes to guidance, sources told CYP Now. 

It is now believed that the response will be published in the autumn.

Meanwhile, a separate review of youth policy, first announced in the government’s one-year spending review in December last year, is also being undertaken by DCMS.

Documents detailing Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget plans for 2021/22 state: “The government will review its programmes to support youth services including the NCS in the spring.”

According to sources, this review, which is not a public consultation, is well underway with terms of reference likely to be finalised before the end of March.

The results of the review, which may be presented before ministers in May, is set to provide  a roadmap for spending on youth services until 2025. 

Themes are likely to include mental health, the choice of services available to young people, services to enhance youth employability and plans to reach underserved communities, sources said.

Funding streams cited in the review are likely to include the £500m youth investment fund promised in the Conservative Party’s 2019 general election manifesto and almost £100m ring-fenced for social action projects, including the National Citizen Service (NCS), as part of the Spending Review.

The future of the NCS and the similar social action programmes are also rumoured to be being discussed by ministers.

The NCS previously pledged to use the funding to “support the work of the wider youth sector as well as schools and colleges across the country” as well as  to deliver the annual flagship youth social action programme and “invest in youth facilities”.

Last year, the NCS was forced to cancel its summer and autumn residential programmes due to the pandemic, instead introducing ‘volunteer at home’ schemes in order to boost youth participation on the frontline of the crisis.

DCMS has been contacted for comment.