Need to Improve Youth Services

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Published: 16 February 2007

Need to Improve Youth Services

There is a stark contrast between the strongest and weakest youth services with a significant minority of local authorities failing to ensure that such services are properly integrated into the new children’s services delivery structure, according to a new report published by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted).

Building on the best: overview of local authority youth services 2005-06, states that the quality of youth work is gradually improving with a greater proportion judged good or better than in previous years.

Of the 33 youth services inspected:

· 15 youth were judged good or better

· 11 adequate, and

· 7 inadequate

There is a need for considerable improvement in one in five of the services inspected.

The strongest youth service inspected was Doncaster which received the grade of outstanding, while Coventry, Devon, Enfield, Hounslow, Isle of Wight, Milton Keynes, North Somerset, Rotherham, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Wakefield, Windsor and Maidenhead and the Wirral, were all judged as being good.

Inspectors found that strong leadership is a key factor in bringing about improvement and the most successful services have a clear vision and match resources to needs effectively.

Flo Hadley, Divisional Manager for Ofsted’s Children’s Services Inspection Division, said:

“Youth services have a vital role to play in the community.

The best services recognise that youth workers are essential to engage young people, including those with more challenging attitudes and behaviour.

Not all local areas recognise this.”

Inspectors found that resources and quality are closely linked.

Some councils have increased their youth service budget and tangible benefits can be seen, but some local authorities continue to expect too much of youth services without backing this expectation with funding.

Ofsted recommends that local authorities ensure that processes are in place to enable elected members, senior officers and other decision makers, including children’s trusts, to:

· understand the educational role of youth work in general

· the quality of the youth work provision, and

· its potential contribution to young people’s lives

They should also seek to build upon the managerial & relevant experience of youth service officers and engage them in key strategic developments.

Further information

Building on the best: overview of local authority youth services 2005-06

National Council for Voluntary Youth Services

DfES Youth Green Paper

Transforming Youth Work

Global Youth

CYWU Online

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