Coalition of the times: Chyps and Ambition merge into one
Derren Hayes
Monday, March 30, 2015
On 1 April, the Confederation of Heads of Young People's Services will merge into youth charity Ambition, a move that reflects the increased role voluntary organisations are playing in delivering statutory youth services.
At the entrance to Ambition chief executive Helen Marshall's office is a pair of boxing gloves in a glass case that once belonged to Freddie Mills, light heavyweight boxing champion of the world between 1948-50. The gloves - a link back to Ambition's boys' clubs roots - are to be auctioned at a gala dinner later this year to mark the 90th anniversary of the creation of the youth charity.
The organisation has moved on since its boys' clubs days, adapting to meet the changing of the times, and 2015 marks what could be a pivotal moment in the next stage of its evolution.
From 1 April, Ambition will be merging with the Confederation of Heads of Young People's Services (Chyps) to create an organisation that will bring together two of the major voices of voluntary and statutory youth services. Operating under the Ambition name, the merger is a business transfer that will see the brand and activities of Chyps move to Ambition. Overseen by a "business continuity group", there will be a 12-month transition period during which Chyps' membership and functions will be integrated into Ambition.
The merger has been questioned by some who fear it further erodes the voice and influence of statutory youth work following a number of years of cuts to council-run services and budgets. But Marshall says the move "does make sense" and is a pragmatic response to changes in the sector.
"I understand on the surface the initial view is, how does that quite work? But I've always said there are too many (youth) organisations and actually they need to get better at working together."
Marshall, who will remain chief executive of the merged organisation with Chyps chief executive David Wright becoming Ambition's director of policy, says with resources increasingly limited, the future of youth services will be about forging partnership across the statutory, voluntary and private sectors.
"Some of that has been funding driven," she explains. "But I don't necessarily think some of the changes are a bad thing. Working together better is a good thing - what it does is make organisations think slightly differently about how they can do things. In the same way that the voluntary sector is now working more with private partners, I think that applies to (statutory) youth services too."
Both organisations are more driven by the desire to achieve "good quality youth services" rather than who actually delivers them, Marshall asserts. In addition, she thinks the merger will strengthen the voice of both organisations and their memberships.
"I don't think either of those voices will be lost through the bringing together of the organisations - in fact, I think it will make them stronger," she says.
To help with the process, the chair and deputy chair of Chyps will be joining Ambition's board of trustees and five of Chyps' regional representatives will sit on the group overseeing the transfer.
Despite one senior Chyps member - Michael O'Brien, head of commissioning, education and lifelong learning at Essex County Council - resigning in the wake of the merger being announced last October, Marshall is confident the majority of Chyps members will renew their membership.
"We haven't had any other unfavourable comments," Marshall says. "There have been questions raised, but that was more about what might it mean. There's been lots of consultation. I've met with some Chyps members and attended its dinner."
Marshall also points out that the link up between Chyps and Ambition did not come out of the blue - the organisations have worked together since 2013 to deliver Ambition Quality, a quality mark for youth services.
"There has already been an ongoing relationship - it's not like we're starting from scratch. There's been quite a lot of communication to members and a chance for them to air their views," she says.
Success in Marshall's eyes would be "85 to 90 per cent" of Chyps members renewing and joining Ambition.
She adds: "Membership of any organisation is a voluntary relationship and they will be members if there are benefits. It is about what they see they will get in return: we've been very clear with communication that the membership will be the same as currently, plus some of the benefits Ambition brings such as funding opportunities."
For Ambition, having closer links with senior decision makers in local authorities will boost its influence in policy circles and help connect its members - community-based youth clubs and support networks - to service commissioners.
"Our role as a national organisation is about facilitation and networking - we don't bid for contracts and have no intention of doing that," explains Marshall. "This is about capacity building at a local level and helping local organisations be more sustainable and increasing the quality of what is being delivered."
If, as seems likely, more local authorities look to commission youth services to alternative providers, some believe having such a close relationship with youth service heads will put Ambition members at an advantage over other youth organisations.
Marshall counters that the merger is an opportunity for the youth sector generally because it opens the door to greater collaborative working.
"If you're very clear about what you're doing, why you're delivering it, where you're going and who benefits, then actually you shoudn't feel threatened," she says.
"It's about whether or not they (other youth organisations) think it's an opportunity for them and how they could benefit from it as well. I haven't changed from my view from two years ago: that it's about organisations working together. It doesn't mean people don't have unique things that they are offering or delivering, but does it have to be done disparately?"
And when it comes to the future for statutory youth services, Marshall is sure local authorities still have a vital role to play.
"I don't know whether there will be any authorities delivering their own youth services (in five years' time), but that doesn't mean they won't have a controlling or lead role about how those services are delivered. They absolutely have a role to play in what those services look like locally and in how they commission those services and how they work with other partners, whether an Ambition member or other organisations."
Youth Work Leaders give their verdict on the merger of Chyps and Ambition
Jon Boagey, acting chief executive, National Youth Agency:
"The merger is indicative of the tough financial climate the sector is operating within. Just like local authorities contemplating different models for delivering services, youth sector organisations are having to evolve their structures in new ways which only a few years ago would have seemed unthinkable. We're all aware that youth services are changing, but local authorities' role in managing and delivering those services for young people remains pivotal. They may not employ as many youth workers, but they have a duty to act as place shapers for the young people in their locale and to deliver or procure high-quality activity that supports young people in their development. Ultimately, the success of this merger will be judged on membership levels as local authorities vote with their feet."
Jenny Coles, chair, the Association of Directors of Children's Services young people's committee:
"The way local authorities deliver non-statutory services to children and young people has changed and will continue to change. Youth services, like children's centres, have been affected by reducing budgets in recent years and voluntary organisations are increasingly being commissioned to reshape or deliver these vital services on behalf of local authorities. The public and the voluntary sectors have always worked closely together, collaborating on shared interests and projects to provide better services and ultimately improve outcomes. In this case, both organisations have a shared commitment to champion the value of high-quality services for young people, including youth work, and to influence public policy. This new, unified organisation will likely be able to speak with much greater authority to a much larger audience."
Rosie Ferguson, chief executive, London Youth:
"The merger of Ambition and Chyps is definitely a step in the right direction, and a welcome one from our viewpoint. The true test will now be to see whether it actually leads to greater strategic leadership at a national level, and a collective voice for young people and community youth work. Youth and community organisations want and need their representative bodies to be making the case for good youth work, and we're pleased to see Ambition taking a lead in this."
Doug Nicholls, chair, Chooseyouth:
"The intention to dismantle the youth service, enacted without a mandate, by this coalition government explains the demise of so many organisations in the sector. But too many have refused to believe the extraordinary scale of the demolition and by ignoring it or denying it have found themselves not in the government's favour, but in their sites.
We need a renewed sense of purpose and unity in the sector to rebuild together as our predecessors did at such a time of danger in the late 1950s. The merger of Ambition and Chyps in a strange way takes us back to where the campaign for the youth service started and Chooseyouth looks forward to working with both organisations to create a new, publicly-funded service."
At-a-glance guide to Ambition and Chyps
Ambition:
- £2.2m turnover in 2014/15 (up from £1.4m in 2013/14)
- 50 members
- 12 staff
- £1m distributed to Ambition members to deliver local programmes to young people
- 500,000 young people helped by its members' work
- 3,500 young people participated in Ambition programmes in 2013/14
Chyps:
- £126,303 turnover in 2012/13
- 198 members representing 161 local authorities (2014/15)
- No staff
- Membership costs between £1,000 and £2,000 depending on the size of authority
- It runs a successful annual conference
Chyps chair Carole Aspden answers key questions
Will the merger affect Chyps's ability to represent heads of local authority youth services?
This arrangement with Ambition allows us to maintain and enhance our ability to champion and advocate for high-quality services as part of a comprehensive local youth offer that embraces the breadth and reach of voluntary sector youth groups and organisations, alongside our continuing responsibility as local authorities to commission and deliver services.
Can you get one organisation speaking for both voluntary and statutory services/providers?
This is a real opportunity to focus on how we can work together to meet our collective responsibilities towards young people and local communities. It is unhelpful to maintain divided and competing voices from those championing and advocating for high-quality services for young people given that we have a shared responsibility and interest in the delivery of a comprehensive local youth offer.
What does it say about the future of statutory youth services when there won't be a stand-alone body speaking for the sector?
It reflects the commitment and capacity within local authorities to adapt and respond positively to the changing, and often challenging, current context for services. Local authorities continue to hold a range of statutory responsibilities towards young people and this includes the current statutory responsibility to secure a sufficient local youth offer for young people.
Could there be a conflict of interest for heads of youth services to be so closely aligned to one voluntary organisation?
We should recognise the maturity of approach that already exists within many local authorities where there is potential for conflicts of interest between their commissioning and provider roles, as well as the experience within the voluntary sector to manage their interests as service providers alongside maintaining a valuable contribution in shaping strategies and policies for young people.
What benefits do you think the merger will bring for Chyps as an organisation, its members and youth services generally?
The vast majority of young people and local communities are no doubt less concerned about the status of the organisation/sector providing their local youth provision and more interested in the quality and relevance of projects, as well as their access to support from qualified and skilled youth workers alongside other adults. This is an opportunity to work together, focusing our collective energy on activities and opportunities that make a real difference for young people, local communities and the organisations working with them.