Young People 14-19

The key aim is to ensure young people have the opportunities to make the most of their lives and to identify as early as possible those at risk of not achieving any one of the every child matters outcomes and put support in place. Early intervention is needed to avoid costly and less effective intervention when the issues reach crisis stage. More and more agencies such as Local Authorities, police, schools and the voluntary sector are reporting that the most effective approach is to work with the family as a whole when providing support.

The 4 elements being put in place to achieve integrated youth support are as follows:

1. Information, advice & guidance – supporting choices for all young people - Connexions services are being transformed with Local Authorities being responsible for providing universal information, advice & guidance. Minimum standards were published in October 07 setting out what must be made available for all young people & their parents. These quality standards are available at: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/iag/ . GOSE is working with partners to ensure that high quality information, advice & guidance is available for all young people in the SE.

2. Targeted youth support – intervention to support vulnerable young people - Targeted Youth Support aims to provide swift & easy access to support services for young people identified as vulnerable to not achieving the every child matters outcomes. Agencies including both statutory & voluntary sector must work together to provide a support package co-ordinated by a trusted Lead Professional. All Local Authorities will have targeted youth support in place in at least one locality by March 08 and clear plans will be in place to have it in all areas by December 08. The guidance is at: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/IG00206/ . GOSE is supporting the delivery of TYS through a series of workshops, events & progress reviews with Local Authorities and their partners.

3. Positive Activities – things to do, places to go - Young people often report they are involved in anti social behaviour and substance misuse because there is nothing to do where they live. The Education and Inspection Act 2006 set out a duty that all Local Authorities must provide a range of recreational and education activities for young people in their area. Young people must be consulted to ensure the activities are what they want and the Local Authority must publish the offer of activities. More detail is set out at: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/youthmatters/thingstodo/ . GOSE is supporting delivery by working with the South East Youth Partnership.  Together we will be organising a regional event & supporting the sharing of good practice and case studies.

4. Volunteering in the community - making a contribution - We need to have more opportunities for young people to volunteer and encourage them to be more involved in their communities. In November 07 ‘Vinvolved’ was unveiled which will builds on the success of millennium volunteers. They will engage volunteering champions, support networks, sponsor projects and provide rewards to encourage volunteering. More information is available on their website: http://www.wearev.com/ . GOSE supports volunteering through the work of the South East Youth Partnership which includes representatives from the voluntary sector working with young people.

With these 4 elements in place it is expected that young people in the South East will be equipped with social skills to be valued and engaged as citizens & capable of making effective choices and seizing increasing opportunities.

Empowering young people to influence services

Involving young people in the design and delivery of services is a fundamental cross-cutting theme in Every Child Matters. Young people must be empowered to influence services if those services are to be accessible, attractive and effective. Local Authorities are required to engage fully with young people including young people who do not easily engage with services. Expectations for empowering young people are set out in legislation, guidance and Local Authority inspection standards. GOSE is working in partnership with the South East Participation Works network to raise the participation of young people in services across the South East. We are also working with Authorities in a peer review using the ‘Hear by Right’ standards framework and through workshop events to share good practice across Authorities. More information on the SE network is at: http://www.participationworks.org.uk/RegionalNetworks/SouthEast/tabid/96/Default.aspx

More information on the Hear by Right standards framework is at: http://hbr.nya.org.uk/what_hear_right

In July 2007 DCSF published Aiming High 10 year strategy for Positive Activities setting out their aspiration that by 2018 young people could actively shape decisions on at least 25% of local authorities’ budgets on youth activities and facilities. To support this aspiration funding is available for young people through the Youth Opportunity and Youth Capital Funds. Young people decide how the funding should be used to provide positive activities in their area. Local Authorities in the South East have been allocated £8.3 million for spending in the financial year 08/09. GOSE monitors & supports the spending of these funds in each Local Authority area.

Youth Opportunity Fund and Youth Capital Fund (YOF/YCF)
 
On 3 June in collaboration with South East Youth Partnership (SEYP), GOSE hosted a Good Practice sharing event at Guildford YMCA, for the benefit of YOF/YCF leaders in local authorities across the region.

GOSE used the event to launch a South East Compendium of Good Practice for YOF/YCF.  The Compendium, accessed via the link below, pulls together a variety of good practice examples, in the first 2 years of the funds, from all parts of the region. It is an ideas generating document allowing local authorities to learn from one another's experiences with a view to maximising the benefits of the funds for young people in the region, between now and the end of 2010-11.