Breakfast with the Minister
Tim Loughton held a breakfast meeting on 22nd July to discuss the “changing face of youth services and they might evolve within the context of the Big Society”. I attended on behalf of CHYPS alongside 20 others from across the Youth Sector and what follows is my account of the meeting.
Tim Loughton recognised that to date the new Government had appeared to be light on Youth Policy. Although, its emphasis to date has been on schools and safeguarding, he stressed that youth policy remains a priority as does the work in support of children and families. He pointed to the National Citizen Service and School Olympics as tangible initiatives from across Government to promote positive images of young people.
Looked forward to the Comprehensive Spending Review, he acknowledged that this was going to be “pretty bloody” and that inevitably some projects will go. He is looking for concrete examples of the impact youth services - not numbers but where the intervention has had “life changing experiences” for the young people involved. He believes there will be a focus on those young people who are most at risk, and in doing so preventing them becoming more vulnerable and needing more acute specialist services.
The Big Society Bank will have a prime focus on young people but that there needs to be evidence of maximising the return on the moneys invested. He also highlighted that he believes that vetting and barring etc. has driven a “wedge has been driven between those wanting to volunteer and young people” and is looking at ways to redress the balance.
He ended by focussing on Local Authority Youth Services, saying that some were good and others not (and accepted that this was also the case with voluntary sector services). He wanted Local Authorities to be imaginative and open to new ideas and ways of working. He gave an example where he saw the creation of a local federation of youth organisations (statutory and voluntary sectors) in an area to which the whole responsibility for youth services could be transferred. There wouldn’t be legislation on this, but would see it being an organic process.
He does see that it is his and the Department’s role to flag up differences in delivery – why are things happening in one area and not another. He, however, wasn’t going to “force” things on the sector other than he did want to force “smart thinking”
In response to the questions that followed he highlighted the value of youth participation and the need to respond to the issues facing young people created by the recession. He also revealed that John Hayes has been appointed as joint minister at the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), he will working on apprenticeships for 16- to 18-year-olds and careers advice.
He also talked a little about the role of extended schools. The Department’s focus is on improving standards of learning in school and he talked about “de-cluttering the curriculum” so for example the healthy living agenda may be something that young people engage in beyond the school day.
The session finished with him wanting to continue to engage with the sector and him expressing a desire to be invited to see projects and examples of good work.
National Citizen Service
The National Citizen Service was launched on July 22nd; this will be piloted, initially focusing on 10,000 young people in the first year with a view to it being rolled out nationally. Those young people who sign up to the scheme will have access to activities that include structured training and work on a community social action plan. They will also spend at least 10 days and nights away from home on a residential activity. Nick Hurd and the Office for the Civil Society are now leading on this.
The Big Society
The Prime Minister visited Liverpool on Monday 19th July to kick start the Big Society. He announced a new Big Society Bank, and four vanguard communities which will get Government help to be frontrunners in building the Big Society.
The four areas selected are Liverpool, Windsor and Maidenhead, Sutton, and Eden Valley in Cumbria, who will receive support from the Department for Communities and Local Government to take more responsibility for decisions which affect their local areas.
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