Department for Education – Changes in Structure; end of the Youth Taskforce

David Bell announced, on 6^th September, changes to the organisation of the Department for Education to ensure that it is properly organised to meet the Secretary of State's priorities, with sufficient focus and resources dedicated to the structural reforms in the education system and the drive to achieve higher educational standards.  This will be secured through three main policy directorates: 

• one devoted to educational standards, led by Jon Coles; 
• one devoted to the reform of the infrastructure and resources, led by Lesley Longstone; 
• and one devoted to the strategies for children, young people and families, led by Tom Jeffery.

As part of these changes, the responsibilities for youth services, youth empowerment and leadership, and support for young people at risk to prevent teenage pregnancy, substance abuse and crime will be integrated with the Department's work on child health and wellbeing in a newly formed Supporting Children and Young People Group (SCYPG) led by Anne Jackson.  This Group will be a key part of Tom Jeffery's Directorate.  The changes have immediate effect from 6^th September.

Over the last three years much of DfE engagement with practitioners in the field to celebrate and promote best practice, especially in the areas of tackling youth crime and anti-social behaviour, has been secured through the Youth Task Force, led currently by Ian Brady.

The policies of the new Coalition Government have brought about changes in the way in which the DfE implement policies and in our relationship with local authorities, with much less reliance on specialised field forces.  In recognition of those changes the DfE are bringing to an end the work of the Youth Task Force.  There will be a transitional period while the individual projects on which the Youth Task Force were leading are brought to an end or migrated to other policy leads, and Ian Brady will in the coming period be in touch with those organisations and areas affected by those changes.  SCYPG will retain its key relationship with the work of the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office on youth justice and youth crime issues, but that joint work will be led within the Group by Ian Whitehouse. 

All your other key contacts with the teams in the divisions led by Antony Hughes and Ian Whitehouse should remain the same through these changes. Andrew McCully has been asked to lead the Department's drive for new Academies.