Council Set to Tap into Local Expertise on Youth Services
Community and voluntary organisations are set to work more closely with Brighton & Hove City Council's youth service in shaping youth work in the city.
A new commissioning strategy for services for young people will be considered by the council's cabinet member for children and young people, Councillor Sue Shanks, at a meeting on 20 January. It would see the council and local agencies and groups working together more closely to deliver youth work.
This is seen as the best way of ensuring that both specialised youth work and more general drop-in facilities and groups can continue to help as many young people as possible.
The strategy, which is the result of extensive local consultation, will also see the council working in partnership with other organisations to commission a range of services from sports and leisure activities, arts and cultural opportunities to specialist support for vulnerable young people.
Councillor Shanks said: "Youth work offers young people things to do, places to go and people to talk to. We consider this should be a core offer for our city which the youth review and the preservation of our budget ensures.
"Tackling inequality is a priority for us and youth services are a key part of achieving this. Unlike many other local authorities we will hold our youth services budget at current levels for the next year.
"Our youth workers have a good track record in working with workers in the community and voluntary sector, and we're now looking to take this to another level.
"I believe the way to make best use of available resources is to tap into the expertise, creativity and goodwill of our staff and staff in local organisations as much as we can."
The proposals have been welcomed by Jess Woods MBE, Director of the Allsorts Youth Project and Chair of the Children and Young People's Network.
She said: "The council has made great efforts to consult with young people and the providers of youth services in the statutory and community and voluntary sector in the city to ensure that their new youth services strategy is robust and inclusive, especially of young people struggling on the margins of our communities.
"Unlike so many local authorities and councils in other regions, councillors here across the political divide have been determined to protect and enhance youth services in our city.
"They should be congratulated for having the vision and determination to protect our young people who are vulnerable and enable youth services to continue to enhance the lives of all our youth.
"Young people are full of creativity, compassion and fun. We celebrate them and will harness their great energy for the good of our vibrant city.
Gordon McCullough, Interim Chief Executive Officer for the city's Community and Voluntary Sector Forum, has also welcomed the proposals. He said: "We hope that over the next year we can develop truly collaborative solutions to providing the best services for young people and build on the considerable work delivered by voluntary and community providers in the city."
The forum is the city's umbrella body with over 500 charities and voluntary groups in its membership.
Posted: 19th of January 2012