Services for young people

Memorandum submitted by Community and Youth Workers in Unite, Surrey branch no. 56

Services for young people enquiry

1. This report briefly outlines the experiences, working knowledge and professional opinion of a body of highly skilled and qualified youth workers currently working for Surrey Youth Development Service. This distinct Youth Service, while remaining intact during the past ten years of cuts to youth services nationally under the guise of ‘Integrated Youth Support Services’, is currently facing drastic cuts and a potential reorganisation which will completely eradicate it leaving behind a smattering of disparate and largely unsupported voluntary sector organisations providing patchy and inconsistent youth work across Surrey. Following a 90% cut to Surrey Connexions, the Youth Development service is not only facing a 30% cut to its budget, but is also being commissioned out to the private and voluntary sector.

2. Through talking to our colleagues nationally it has become apparent that Surrey Youth Development is not alone in facing these drastic cuts. This wholesale destruction of structures and systems is a major crisis for youth services, their partners and colleagues in the statutory and third sector, and most critically for the young people of our country.

3. The ‘Big Society’ localism and volunteerism agenda of the current coalition Government should promise a boom time for youth services, as youth services embody this agenda in a fundamental way. Youth services have grown out of volunteering and the voluntary sector, they are at the heart of local community action. Youth services actively promote and engage in volunteering and participation in local democracy. Youth Services operate the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and other similar awards which reward volunteering and citizenship. Youth workers are social entrepreneurs, empowering individuals to make a positive difference to their local communities. Youth work presents excellent value for money in this time of austerity generating £8 for every £1 invested in it (Audit Commission figures). It is apparent that the Government has not given enough thought to youth services, and does not have a full appreciation of what youth work is, or what youth work does. We sincerely hope that the Government will reappraise their current oversight, as there is an opportunity for this Government to further their ‘Big Society’ agenda by engaging and learning from youth services, but first they need to make sure that they don’t lose them!

4. It is essential that this committee reads the following key documents to help form an understanding of what youth work is and what the direction of travel for the development of youth work should be.

- The Benefits of Youth Work, published by the Community and Youth Workers Union and Lifelong Learning, http://www.cywu.org.uk/assets/content_pages/187799973_Benefits_Of_Youth_Work.pdf

- Resourcing Excellent Youth Services, published by the National Youth Agency, http://www.nya.org.uk/catalogue/archive/reys-dec-2002

Universal and targeted youth work

5. Universal youth work, often referred to as ‘generic’ youth work, has a crucial role to play in engaging vulnerable and disaffected young people in the first steps towards gaining support in addressing their needs. Universal youth provision has at its core a curriculum of personal, social and values based education. Young people access universal youth provision on their own terms, and it is the interventions of highly skilled youth workers who turn the experiences of those young people into learning opportunities. Young people are encouraged to reflect on their attitudes, values, beliefs and experiences; and to think critically about them in order to make more informed life choices. Youth workers are trained to high level of competency in delivering education on drugs, sexual health and relationships education.

6. Due to its own nature of being rooted in local communities, youth work by default tends toward work with the most deprived members of our society. Because of youth work’s unique ability to engage these ‘hard to reach’ young people, statutory youth services have been pushed toward a more targeted approach, working with smaller groups or individuals. However, universal provision provides a vital part and one end of the spectrum of youth work provision. It is the open door through which young people self-refer to the youth service.

7. P W – "I work three hours a week in universal youth services. I help run an open club night, where any young person can turn up and join in. Not a week goes by when I don't speak to a club member about a situation where they are potentially at risk or excluded, or having known high-risk young people coming through the doors and engaging with us at a relatively high level. I think this goes to show that what may be considered 'universal' is never so cut and dried. Removing this resource is likely to leave young people only being helped at a stage where their case becomes critical."

8. Targeted youth work attempts to address the needs of young people who have been identified as being disadvantaged in any of a number of ways, for example; young people from ethnic minority groups, minority groups distinguished by sexuality or gender identity, or disability, or economic hardship. Young people who are at risk of negative outcomes or diminished life opportunities are also targeted, for example; those at risk of exclusion from education or at risk of entering the criminal justice system. Working with specific groups of young people has its advantages in providing safe environments for vulnerable groups as well as addressing social issues caused by young people who are disaffected in some way. Conversely the labelling young people suffer from being targeted as belong to group outside of the social norm, can have negative implications and these young people might be seen, or see themselves as a social problem, rather than as individuals with problems that need addressing. Youth workers always work from a young person centred perspective, gradually gaining young people’s trust, building and reinforcing positive behaviours and challenging negative behaviour in constructive ways. Though the young people may have been referred to this youth provision by a statutory body like the police, social services or a school, the youth still use the same approach as with the universal service. Befriending and empowering the young person, working alongside them, rather than on them.

9. L N – "I currently work with young people at risk of exclusion from mainstream education or those who have been permanently excluded from mainstream education. This work has been crucial in supporting vulnerable young people who have become disengaged from learning and their school. Through this work we are able to support young people discover success and to re-engage with services. Often this will include signposting to other services, such as education, counseling, substance misuse, social work and mental health support. Most often the young people need a holding hand through accessing these services and to know someone cares and will help them. Often they are suspicious, skeptical and disillusioned with statutory services and it requires professional skill, time and patience to encourage these young people to accept this type of support. Throughout all of these processes a youth worker will also help the young person to develop their social and personal skills, empowering them to become much more likely to find work, employment or training .

10. Often the only professionals these vulnerable young people will engage with are youth workers! Currently, however, my service is looking at commissioning the youth service and as part of this not only will this project be lost but also many front line youth workers. Under the current proposal none of these young people will receive any support from youth workers, which undoubtedly will cause a rise in the number of NEET young people. Prevention is far better than cure, so please consider the long term cost and implications of commissioning and cutting youth services."

The Statutory and Voluntary sectors

11. The voluntary and statutory sectors of youth work are intrinsically linked. They have historically worked together in mutually beneficial and complimentary ways since the Albermarle report in 1960. Local government (‘statutory’) youth services play a key role in supporting the voluntary sector in many ways. The statutory sector provides strategic leadership, support in developing management structures, constitutions, policies and procedures for voluntary organisations, training and professional development support, robust child protection/ safeguarding infrastructure, distribution, monitoring and support in accessing grants.

12. The voluntary sector relies on the statutory sector to provide these support functions; also to provide a benchmark for quality youth provision, to provide or make available resources to support the work of the voluntary sector and very often to work with them in partnership in the face-to-face delivery of frontline services. In many cases the work of the voluntary sector is dependent on the continuing support of the statutory sector.

13. Surrey Youth Development Service has a strong record in supporting its voluntary sector partners including giving grants, service level agreements and producing a starter pack containing guidelines and templates for prospective youth work organisations.

13. G P – "The Bourne Children and Youth Initiative is a small voluntary sector organisation I worked for before I came to work for Surrey Youth Development Service. The Bourne CYI is based in the Southern part of Farnham, Surrey and is managed by a committee made up of members of the local CoE Parish. In addition to a Service Level Agreement grant from the Youth Service, The Bourne CYI has benefitted from consultancy in managing the organisation, professional supervision of its full time Youth Worker and training of its staff by Surrey Youth Development Service workers. Much of the youth work the Bourne CYI undertakes is in partnership with the SYDS local neighbourhood youth team, therefore the relationship between the organisations is mutually beneficial in enabling the youth work to continue. If either partner ceases to operate, this has a significant impact on the ability to deliver of the other partner. I worry for the future of the Bourne CYI and other small organisations like it. They do not have the ability or desire to enter into large commissions without the back-up of a professional body like the Youth Development Service. The commissioning arrangements that have been proposed also would dissuade many small organisations from taking on the work, as the funding is short term and can be withdrawn very rapidly if an organisation fails to meet its targets."

14. Youth workers also link in with other professions for example; schools, colleges, police, Youth Justice to provide unique, valuable and effective services, such as schools work or tackling antisocial behaviour in the community. Youth work is preventative and focuses on soft outcomes. Youth work is a process or continuum through which a young person makes a journey and is changed as a result. When measuring the effects of youth work, it is now always possible to see immediate or easily quantifiable outcomes. We rely on the professional judgement of youth workers and feedback from young people to let us know whether a programme has been successful or not. The measurement of youth work outcomes is not straight forward or easy, however ‘The Benefits of Youth Work’ (http://www.cywu.org.uk/assets/content_pages/187799973_Benefits_Of_Youth_Work.pdf) published by CYWU and Lifelong Learning has compiled a substantial amount of research describing very real and concrete benefits.

15. KS – Schools Youth Work

The Youth Service can help to support young people both in and out of school. Youth workers might, for example, carry out intensive work with an identified group of non-attendees or young people reintegrating back into school.

16. Youth Work is pro-active, reactive and interventionist in style. It starts from where young people are and offers unique experiential opportunities to young people by enabling and empowering them to make and manage decisions about themselves and their lives as they move from childhood into adulthood.

17. We are one of a range of agencies that can help with advice and support for schools when developing work on social and emotional skills. All Staff, Full Time, Part Time or Volunteers have enhanced CRB’s. Full Time Staff have National Qualifications at Degree Level, Part Time staffs are locally qualified, and Volunteers are offered In House Training.

18. Sometimes a young person’s poor behaviour is as a result of problems they are experiencing. If the causes of the behaviour are identified and appropriate support is provided, the behaviour can be turned around.

19. Youth workers will review social, emotional or behavioural needs that may be affecting behaviour and provide a intensive programme of focused group work to develop these skills as appropriate; and can seek the support of other outside agencies to plan targeted interventions that are effective in meeting the additional needs, for example emotional management, anxiety management, assertiveness, and friendship skills of more challenging and Vulnerable young people.

20. Young people who might benefit from additional support are not just those with ‘visible’ behavioural and attendance problems, but also those who might ‘internalise’ problems such as depression or anxiety.

21. Schools Youth Work Aims to:

· Improve young people’s behaviour in schools and classrooms, their attitudes to school, and their attitudes to themselves as learners, and result in a wide range of educational gains, including improved school attendance, higher motivation, and higher morale.

· Help young people at risk of exclusion in Key Stage 3 & 4 to become more engaged with their schools and their learning, help them to become more determined and flexible learners through teaching problem-solving strategies.

· Raise young peoples communication skills, conflict resolution, listening, assertiveness, negotiation, problem-solving and peer meditation skills.

· The same basic processes that help the majority can also help those with specific difficulties, they may just need a more intensive version of the same.

22. These processes include:

· focused delivery of social and emotional skills;

· giving personal support, guidance and;

· building warm relationships;

· setting clear rules and boundaries;

· involving young people in decision making about their support;

· encouraging independence;

· involving peers and parents/ carers;

· creating positive climates

· encouraging cooperation,

· develop young people’s attachment to their school,

· develop sense of right and wrong,

· establish the importance of social behaviour,

· improve connections between parents, schools and community.

23. The delivery methods used include;

· direct instruction,

· role-play, modelling by staff and young people

· group discussion,

· giving rewards and feedback for positive behaviour,

· clear consequences

· individual work, group work

· through using a variety of environments, including both in and out of school settings.

24. What impact can Intensive Youth Work Programmes have?

· Promotes positive behaviour, and understanding of the consequences of behaviour

· Promotes better school attendance through improving motivation and the enjoyment of school, improved attitudes to school and fewer absences and exclusions

· Helps overcome social and emotional barriers to learning and helps all young people to be more effective learners.

· Improve young peoples’ ability to discuss, understand, express and manage their emotions and ability to cope more effectively with school stress

· Helps build positive relationships in the community and be responsible citizens,

· Improve thinking skills, such as non-verbal reasoning, problem-solving and planning

· Helps young people to recognise the benefits of making a great effort to achieve, and have higher aspirations

· Help identify other opportunities for young people outside the school environment

· Reduces NEET young people, through early intervention

· Contributes to all the ECM outcomes.

Professional development

25. Youth work is a highly skilled profession which takes a lot of investment in both time and resource. Youth workers come from non-traditional backgrounds relative to most undergraduates. Youth workers are not academics and often need study support. Youth work qualifications are at least 50% based in practice, therefore there is a large need for funded work placements, and for host organisations to release their workers from normal duties to study.

26. In order to provide our young people with something approaching the excellent youth services described in Resourcing Excellent Youth Services, published by the National Youth Agency (http://www.nya.org.uk/catalogue/archive/reys-dec-2002), we call on this government to properly fund our youth services and to make sure we do not lose this incredibly important but always overlooked profession.

December 2010