Written evidence submitted by Philip Moore,
CYWU Luton Branch Secretary
1. We assert that the relationships between universal
youth services and targeted support are crucial to the success
of youth work as whole for young people. Whilst there are many
young people who would benefit from targeted youth services, all
young people benefit from universal youth services. A local example
of the relationship between universal and targeted services can
be found in the joint projects aimed at reducing young people
in the NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) category.
In Luton, youth workers and Connexions PA's have delivered projects
aimed at encouraging young people back into work, youth workers
have used their core skills of engagement, rapport and empowerment
to develop positive and professional relationships with young
people in difficult circumstances to encourage them to seek new
ways to make better lives for themselves and play an active role
within their communities. Our Connexions colleagues have used
these skills also and imparted their expert knowledge in terms
of creating CV's, job searches and exploring educational options.
These projects have reduced the figures labelled NEET in both
North and West Luton. In youth centres and provisions across Luton,
youth workers develop relationships with young people in universal
settings, they identify the issues that young people need "targeted"
support with and provide that through group work, residential
experiences and reward progress and development. They have often
worked with generations from the same families within their communities
and are aware of the challenges faced by the young people coming
through; they can prevent rather than cure.
2. Young people are the group who volunteer the
most. Much of this volunteering has been encouraged and supported
by Youth Workers—in both local and voluntary sectors. It
is reasonable to deduce that a cut in Youth Workers will lead
to a reduction in the number of young people who volunteer. Youth
Services provided by local authorities can support, provide and
deliver voluntary opportunities in partnership with a range of
voluntary and private sector organisations and meet the aims of
the National Citizen Service as devised by Government. They can
already do this and with correct funding can do more. Not only
can they achieve this temporarily but on an ongoing, generation
to generation basis. For example, take the 365 day a year provision
Youth Services provide and compare that with the temporary, summer
season National Citizens Service. A local example of volunteering
schemes for young people is the work happening between local author
and voluntary Youth Services in Luton and vinvolved organisation.
In Luton, we work together to provide opportunities for young
people to volunteer within youth provisions, we encourage young
people to seek out volunteering opportunities. As a service, we
also deliver the Duke of Edinburgh Award of which there is volunteering
section. The Youth Service provides opportunities and youth workers
work with private and voluntary organisations to help young people
achieve their volunteering aims.
3. Luton is a multi-cultural town and therefore
all types of young people access the provisions provided by the
local authority and voluntary organisations irrespective of ethnicity,
gender, ability. In order to maintain the acceptance of other
cultures, beliefs and attitudes, youth workers work hard to ensure
that this is possible. We already monitor who uses what provisions
and when, we strive to ensure that we are "open to all"
and work with our local communities to tackle issues that are
important to young people and their parents. All young people
have needs that the Youth Service meets. It is used by young people
from most social classes but is especially used by young people
who suffer social disadvantage and those from minority ethnic
communities. In Luton, we consult young people on the services
we deliver and we are able to drill this down to a local level.
The young people tell us what they want and when they want it.
Most, if not all, youth provisions have a young person led management
committee supported by trained and skilled youth workers who engage
the young people to make decisions about their lives rather than
have someone else "do" something to them. A local example
is an area youth forum named Young Voice which operates in North
Luton, the members attend the local Area Committees, engage in
the political processes and provide and deliver a report to residents,
stakeholders and partners to update them on what they have been
campaigning and fighting for on behalf of their peers within the
localities. This encourages and demands them to shape the provision
they receive and challenges the stereotypes that are all too prevalent,
about young people.
4. The local authority and voluntary youth sectors
have been working together for the last 70 years in a co-dependent
partnership. The current cutbacks to local authority funding will
result in major damage to all youth work and significant reductions
in the voluntary sector capacity and ability to deliver services.
With reductions in funding for these voluntary organisations,
how is the big society plan to work? If there are no voluntary
organisations to provide voluntary opportunities, how can this
progress? A local example is that of LAMP, who support homeless
or without accommodation young people to develop life skills and
move into permanent accommodation, they have recently experienced
a knee jerk reactionary cut to their local authority funding,
plunging them and the young people who they work with into uncertainty
and frantic scrambling to survive.
5. Training for youth workers is generally good,
effective and appropriate. The training for professional qualification
is under severe threat from the proposed removal of Band C Higher
Education funding. Youth and Community work students are generally
non-traditional entrants and our courses have made higher education
accessible for people who volunteered in their communities and
worked with young people for years. Our courses depend upon 50%
placement practice so theory can be applied in practical situations.
Youth Work is a skilled occupation depending upon sufficient numbers
of professionally qualified youth workers working to specialist
JNC terms and conditions. Youth Work as a profession needs to
be subject to a full workforce development programme as outlined
in the Lifelong Learning UK Youth Work Work Force Manifesto. A
local example is a scheme supported by the local authority, whereby
Youth Workers in Training are funded to access the Youth and Community
Work Honours degree at the local University and are able to put
the theory they have studied into their practical work environments
and therefore benefiting the young people in their communities
and Luton as a whole. There is a need for Youth Workers to continue
their commitment to learning. Whilst the issues young people face
may not change rapidly, there are developments in how they face
these challenges. As a GP would be expected to be on top of medical
developments, so should a professional youth worker be entitled
to develop and improve their practice through research led learning
and development opportunities.
6. Youth Work generates £8 for every £1
invested in it (Audit Commission figures). The current cutbacks
and indeed closure of the Youth Service will result in significant
decline in support for young people and could lead to huge additional
costs for central and local government in interventions which
would not have been necessary had youth work funding continued.
As is generally accepted in business terms, once you invest or
give someone money, you expect a return. This needs careful consideration
when applying it to services for young people. Whose needs are
going to be satisfied? Value for money is a well used term but
is relative to what and who defines value. If we listen to young
people, they usually tell us what services they want and when,
this needs to be considered when local authorities turn commissioner.
Who will be on hand to support them decide, accountants or people
who work with young people? It is fair to reason that innovation
and creativity can be stifled by outdated operating procedures
and bureaucracy, a full and comprehensive review of local government
structures and statutory frameworks in relation to young people's
services needs to happen. Every Child Matters helped to focus
young people's services and the workers in that sector and had
youth work elements at its core, but young people need the flexibility
and easy access to have their say on the services they want and
when they want them. It is they, with support from skilled and
qualified Youth Workers, who should shape their local services
not academics and think tank policy makers in Westminster. In
order to ensure that these localised and young person led services
are up to scratch, Youth Work needs to be funded to levels proposed
in "Resourcing Excellent Youth Services"
and inspected by Ofsted and immediate
intervention should take place by the Minister to stop the cuts
and the many proposals to end local authority youth service provision.
7. In summary, Youth Work benefits urban towns
like Luton in a massive way. Qualified and skilled Youth Workers
are providing positive activities outside of school hours for
young people to engage in, somewhere safe and warm to be with
their friends and develop themselves personally and socially,
helping them to avoid being caught up in negative behaviours and
avoid becoming a burden, rather than an asset, to their communities.
To remove these services and rely on untrained community members
is unfair and detrimental to our young people and their communities.
No one wants to see hordes of young people on the streets and
multiplying the risk of them engaging in criminal or anti-social
activities. We also assert that Youth Services need to be funded
properly and measured for effectiveness and value by local young
people in partnership with Ofsted. We assert that Youth Work is
a skilled occupation and excellent Youth Work and the results
it can achieve is dependent upon professionally qualified Youth
Workers and Youth Support Workers working to specialist JNC terms
and conditions. We assert the need for ongoing personal and professional
development as outlined in the Lifelong Learning UK Youth Work
Workforce Manifesto. We assert Youth Work has a long, well proven
and effective history of delivering high quality work with young
people. It is part of education. Learning outside of the classroom
is vital and personal and social education can transform lives.
The best example of this is outdoor education, where activities
take place where young people gain a real sense of achievement
and conquer their fears. We assert that youth work is effective,
can meet the needs of young people and is extremely good value
for money. Finally, we express grave reservations about the lack
of skill, safeguarding, infrastructure, health and safety capacity
and professionalism of some of the newly formed organisations
that have received cost ineffective funding to run the National
Citizen Service summer schemes. The National Citizen Service gets
£370 million, while at the moment; the Youth Service looks
likely to lose most of its £300 million. If the Government
can direct funding for a particular project, it should direct
funding to a permanent Youth Service. The modern Youth Service
was created over fifty years ago when the national debt was double
what it is now.
December 2010
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