To receive a presentation on the Youth Services Review.

The Committee received a presentation on the Youth Services Review.

The Cabinet Member – Health and Wellbeing emphasised that the proposals would be subject to consultation. 

The Head of 11-19 Integrated Services gave a presentation.

He reported that the Purpose of the Review was to identify ways in which the vision for young people’s services could be achieved; address how youth work could be directed more toward targeted intervention, and to ensure the needs of the most vulnerable were met, utilising youth work skills; establish how communities and the voluntary sector could be better engaged in improving universal provision, making it more locally relevant and available; and identify how reductions to the current youth service budget could be achieved.

The guiding principles were: partnership work to provide universal services; the role of Herefordshire Public Services is to be a community leader and funder of activities, not necessarily a provider; there will be an increased focus on the most vulnerable young people; an increased proportion of the total spend on youth activities to be on targeted support; there will be a mix of providers delivering youth services; contestability will be built into the commissioning and procurement processes; all organisations will engage with the multi-agency group processes in localities; and youth work will be delivered in new and innovative ways which should facilitate the reduction of capital assets in line with the Corporate Asset Plan or ensure that community and corporate use of assets is maximised.

The youth service currently delivered five service functions: Positive Activities; Outdoor Education; Youth Involvement – Unaffected; Student Information Services – Unaffected; and Targeted Youth Support

The proposals envisaged a budget of £766k in 2012/13 a reduction of £191.1k from 2011/12. 

In terms of youth service provision in the County as a whole it was noted that Herefordshire Public Services (HPS) Youth Services were not the only provider (25.3% of 13-19 population access HPS provision) but there was no complete measurement of whole provision

The Current HPS contract was worth £75k for the 3rd Sector.  There was excellent provision in pockets but incomplete coverage and a large range of preparedness for commissioning.

The proposals represented a significant change of approach.  The likely recommendations included: targeted youth support including development of a 1to1 casework service for vulnerable young people with a preventative approach (est £400k); a change to outdoor education provision, which HPS could not continue to fund at the current level, involving further work to explore whether the facilities could be either cost neutral – or deliver a profit; continued funding for positive activities including investing in community engagement and allocating the remainder on a formula basis using the resource allocation tool.  This would mean the Council would spend funding on a community engagement and facilitation route rather than through the direct provision of community youth clubs and the staff to operate them.

Examples were given of a range of approaches being adopted across the Country: West Sussex: Manchester: Warwickshire: Gloucestershire: Worcestershire: whose approach was to transfer the delivery of universal services to the voluntary sector and target resources at the most vulnerable young people (anticipated average savings £2.8m);Oxfordshire: whose approach was to merge youth services with others relating to young people and families and employ a youth hub model ( anticipated savings £4.2m); Devon: whose approach was to reduce the number of geographical teams and managers, and pool resources with other relevant services (anticipated savings £683,500).

It was proposed that subject to approval by Cabinet in December there would be an extensive 12 week consultation period.

In discussion the following principal points were made:

·         It was essential to recognise that the proposals meant a fundamental change to service delivery, effectively ending the Council’s role as a provider of youth services across the County as a whole.

·         The Cabinet Member advised that her priority was the provision of targeted services for those who most needed them.

·         That the Council should seek to retain a leadership and co-ordinating role to influence provision in line with the Council’s agreed strategy. 

·         There were many small service providers across the County.  Members commented on the need to ensure that there was a clear picture of provision.  It was suggested that the localities established by the Council could provide a source of leadership.  The Assistant Director – Children and Young People Provider Services confirmed that it was planned to work closely with Local Members and Parish Councils to establish a clear picture of local need and provision.   Whilst there was not sufficient resource to establish a data base of all activity in the County, knowledge of activities would be shared and one area may well then decide to seek to emulate the approach being adopted in another.

·         The important contribution the youth service made to reducing offending was noted.

·         A concern was expressed about the level of consultation to date.

·         The importance of encouraging provision and youth support so that it was not perceived as further school or training work was noted.

·         There was a need for effective communication of the proposals, seeking views as widely as possible through all the Council’s available outlets including particular effort to seek the views of young people through social media and generally.

·         The Assistant Director confirmed in relation to community asset transfers that, in seeking to rationalise the use of its properties, the Council would take account of local views and consider whether transfer of an asset was feasible.

·         It was suggested that efforts should be made to encourage interaction between young people and older people.

RESOLVED:

That      (a)   the proposals be broadly welcomed, albeit with some caution, in seeking to take action to address the issue of Youth Service provision;

              (b)  the intention to work within the localities established by the Council be supported;

              (c)   it be emphasised that  clear lines of communication between schools, partners, the voluntary sector and the Council were essential and the Council should take a leading role in enabling and encouraging others engaged in the provision of youth services; and

              (d)     it was important that the consultation exercise was as wide as possible and used all Council/NHS Herefordshire facilities and social media to seek to maximise the response.