Department for Education and Skills, July 2005
This is a consultation paper on how to reform services
for young people to produce a coherent system of support.
- Engaging more young people in positive activities and
empowering them to shape the services they receive
- Encouraging more young people to volunteer and become
involved in their communities
- Providing better information, advice and guidance (IAG)
to young people, to help them make informed choices, including
regarding education, employment and training
- Providing better intensive support for young people
with serious problems
- Making services more integrated, more effective and
more responsive to what young people and their parents
want
- Balancing greater opportunities and support with promoting
young people's responsibilities
- Improving outcomes for all young people, while providing
greater targeted support for those who need it most
- Involving a wide range of organisations from the voluntary,
community and private sectors
- Building on the best of what is currently provided
The Green Paper recognises that parents are the strongest
influence in young people's lives, and states that schools
should view them as co-educators. Where families are experiencing
difficulties, schools and children's trusts should work
with parents to support them, and parenting support programmes
should be available through mainstream community settings,
possibly delivered by the voluntary sector. Children's trusts,
schools and other professionals need to be aware of the
specific needs of some parents, including those who have
literacy or language needs.
The paper recognises that extended schools will have an
important part to play in delivering local services to young
people. It proposes making schools and colleges accountable
for ensuring the wellbeing and maximum progression of all
their students. The commissioning of IAG, and the funding
that goes with it, will be devolved from Connexions to local
authorities, working through children's trusts, schools
and colleges. High-performing Connexions IAG services will
be preserved. Connexions itself will be integrated with
a wider range of services at local level, while local authorities
will be encouraged to retain the Connexions brand.
Local authorities should ensure that young people who are
not in education, employment or training (NEET) also have
access to IAG that includes broader support, perhaps via
a lead professional. Pilot schemes costing £140 million
over the two years from 2006 will aim to engage young people
who are NEET by offering incentives for them to take steps
into training and employment. These will be coordinated
by Connexions, working through children's trusts and in
partnership with Jobcentre Plus.
Each young person who has serious problems or gets into
trouble should receive an integrated package of support
that meets their needs, via a professional who will be their
single point of contact. Services will be made easier to
access by bringing them together in schools, voluntary drop-in
and health centres, youth facilities and advice shops. The
paper also states the intention to promote peer mentoring,
civic service and a stronger culture of volunteering, as
well as more positive activities for young people to get
involved in.
Some examples of existing targeted support
programmes:
Young People's Development Programme
- a three-year initiative funded by the Department of Health
in partnership with the Department for Education and Skills.
The aim is to address risk behaviour, including in relation
to educational attainment. Visit
http://ypdp2005.live.poptech.coop/
Positive Futures - a sports-based
programme aimed at socially excluded young people, helping
them develop non-cognitive skills through sports coaching
and volunteering, and to identify routes into education,
employment and training. Visit http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/young-people/positive-futures/
Positive Activities for Young People
- a programme providing support, guidance and opportunities
to take part in positive activities, including during school
holidays, for young people at risk of involvement in crime,
anti-social behaviour, truancy and exclusion. More
on PAYP - or visit www.connexions.gov.uk
The paper proposes merging a range of funding programmes
so that children's trusts can meet teenagers' and their
parents' needs in a holistic way, and ensure the Every
Child Matters outcomes. This means that local authorities,
working with local partners, will take the lead on tackling
such issues as young people who are NEET, as well as teenage
pregnancy and drug abuse. The expectation is that this will
lead to the establishment of frontline youth support teams
focused on prevention and early intervention.
Over 19,000 young people - believed to be a Government record
- responded to the 'Youth Matters' Green Paper consultation,
with about 1,000 responses from professionals, parents and
organisations.
'Youth Matters: Next Steps' is the Government's response
following the consultation, published in March 2006.
Department for Education and Skills (2005) Youth Matters,
London: The Stationery Office.
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