Facing the Challenge - Youth services

Transformation of Youth Service in Warwickshire October 2011 (pdf, 803Kb)

Progress report following public consultation and looking at how the local authority will work closely with community and voluntary groups to continue to ensure youth opportunities are available in Warwickshire. The report provides an update on plans for service delivery and the future of the county's youth services - the majority of which will transfer to the community

The consultation into the future of youth services ended on May 16, all responses are currently being reviewed and findings will be presented to Warwickshire County Council's cabinet on 16 June. More information will be available after this date.

The pace and magnitude of the financial challenge requires large scale reform and this means we will have to make difficult decisions across the whole organisation, including Youth Services. However, with change comes a time for review, and our 'Transformation of Youth Service' proposals will offer us opportunities to meet the needs of Warwickshire's young people. It is essential that we continue to engage with young people and that they continue to have opportunities to take part in activities and have a voice in our communities.

Youth work has a huge impact on the lives of young people, their families and the community as a whole, and this will not be abandoned. Enhanced support for more vulnerable youngsters must also be ensured, so a key part of our work now will focus on Early Intervention, working in targeted areas of greatest disadvantage with 'at risk' groups.

As part of this we will look at how best to reach these groups and what their needs are. A consultation was launched on 28 March to review our premises to provide a focus for both partnership work and for dedicated young people services in the communities of greatest need. We have identified three strands to our commitment to transform youth services:

continuing to ensure that young people have a voice (such as VOX, UKMYPs, and area and locality forums)
enabling and developing capacity within the voluntary sector
developing a flexible youth worker work-force that can meet some of the needs of young people in areas where there is no other provision