Services for young people

Memorandum submitted by the South East Team of North Tyneside Council Youth and Connexions Service

1. Relationship between Universal & Targeted.

Building relationships with young people through universal sessions breaks down initial barriers more quickly with those that are then involved in targeted services. Universal covers so many venues and methods of youth work that we are more likely to have come into contact with these young people. Also works the other way round, if young people have been contacted via targeted work by youth workers (particularly those hard to reach) then they are more likely to access universal sessions.

2. Volunteering

In our South East Team, we begin introducing volunteering in universal sessions quite early on via the Young Civic Award and Duke of Edinburgh – encouraging young people to become involved in volunteering opportunities to achieve accreditation. Volunteering opportunities are also developed in peer education projects and universal project work – where we encourage groups to organise events that other young people will benefit from, or by organising charity fundraising events. These volunteering opportunities can help improve relationships between older and younger people (undertaking projects in residential care homes) and the young people and their local communities. This develops more positive images of young people within local communities and challenges stereotypes.

3. Young People Accessing Services

In our South East Team we have a wide range of young people accessing universal services – from disadvantaged background, low income, those more isolated and vulnerable young people, those experiencing bullying, more popular, outgoing young people who come with large groups of friends. It is wide ranging what they want from the sessions – some just call in ad hoc, uses the facilities (computers), others access every evening session, it’s a place to hang out with friends, other engage in all organised activities with workers, for others it’s a place to feel safe, somewhere comfortable to go to engage with others they wouldn’t otherwise be with. Shape provision – some want to turn up and engage, or not, in what is on offer, others more keen to suggest activities, programmes, be involved in planning events, fundraising for equipment or get involved in more focused project work to plan their own projects and programmes.

4. Roles of Voluntary, Community, Statutory & Private Sectors.

In our South East area we have a Locality Youth Action Group where representatives from the Statutory Youth Service, Youth Participation Team, Extended Schools Co-ordinator, Voluntary Youth projects, Sports Development Team and the Police meet on a regular basis to co-ordinate programmes of activities for young people and assess funding opportunities. This ensures that we are all working together to reduce duplication and maximise opportunity.

5. Impact of cuts

Our current lack of available spend has a negative impact on session programming, finance for resources, cooking ingredients, craft resources etc. Less able to respond to expressed needs of young people, unable to reward regular commitment of young people. Uncertain future for young people accessing services – less able to long term plan and creating anxiety.

Loss of staffing – reduction in sessions, services available for young people and more limited choice for young people. Effect on premises for young people to access, less choice, less localised services. Uncertain future of the profession, not as attractive for students coming through training.

Negative impact on local communities – localised services build up relationship within their communities whom they trust and who rely on the very good service provided. Negative impact on local crime statistics if young people are positively engaged in youths services rather than being out on the streets.

If services were more dependent on payment by results, could have a positive effect on services, however it would depend on what the measurable outcomes and results were, need to be meaningful and realistic.

6. Assessing Value and Effectiveness

A mix of qualitative and quantitative data – number of sessions, variety of sessions, number of young people worked with in relation to population, participants engaging in more in-depth work, recorded and accredited outcomes, individual case studies, referrals on to other opportunities, relationships with other community organisations and local people.

December 2010