Priorities for Youth Work as part of Education

1. Priorities for Youth Work as part of Education

2. Priorities for Youth as Part of Education • Strengthening position of youth service within education - recognise good practice and commitment within the sector • Need to set the policy context for youth work within DE reform agenda and determine priorities for ESA - It will provide ESA with the policy direction for the future • Opportunity to clarify and reinforce the value and role of youth work as part of the holistic education of children and young people • Demonstrate how the youth service contributes to the core DE objectives for those young people within and outside formal education

3. In April 2009 ‘Every School a Good School' was launched this lies at the heart of a reform agenda which is consistent with not only UN Conventions but also complements the Ten Year Strategy for Children and Young People.Challenge - high performance at the top end – but huge tail of underachievement, esp. FSMEVision - is of schools as vibrant, self-improving, well governed and effectively led communities of good practice focusing not on institutions but on meeting the needs and aspirations of all pupils through high quality learning, recognising the centrality of the teacher. DE Context- Raising Standards and Tackling Under Achievement

4. ESaGS continued… ‘DE needs to be able to reassure parents, tax payers, our social partners in business and trade unions, local communities and most important, young people, that the school that services them is a good school. We also want the same for every youth setting’.

6. Education and Training Inspectorate Through inspections across a range of youth providers, the Chief Inspector’s report for the period 2006-2008 identified the following actions: • a clear definition of the position of the youth sector within the wider education policy; • the further development, and more consistent use, of quality assurance procedures to assess the quality of youth work and the outcomes for the young people; and • more effective links between youth work and formal education to provide greater coherence in the learning opportunities for young people, through the better use of resources and greater sharing of expertise among the staff’.

7. Economic Context • Current Spend on Youth Services in DE – approx £28million resource - over £5million capital • Education Budget of £1.9billion • Constrained public expenditure position • Pressure on all Departmental budgets - both capital and resource for foreseeable future • Emphasis therefore has to be on what is essential

8. Education Priorities • Raising standards overall • Reducing the gap – removing barriers to access • Developing the workforce • Improving infrastructure • Transforming management and administration

9. Youth Policy Code for ESA The Youth Service exists to support and encourage children and young people to mature and reach their potential as valued individuals and responsible citizens. It provides them with opportunities to build self esteem, work as part of a team, make friends, socialise and take part in structured activities in a safe environment. It also encourages the development of mutual understanding and promotes recognition of and respect for cultural diversity. By allowing young people to gain for themselves; knowledge, skills and experience through active participation, they can overcome barriers to learning and achieve positive outcomes which helps them fulfil their potential.

10. Education BillFunctions and general duty of ESA 2.(1) ESA shall have the functions transferred to it by or under this Act or conferred or imposed on it by or under this Act or any other statutory provision. (2) It shall be the duty of ESA (so far as its powers extend) (a) to contribute towards the spiritual, moral, cultural, social, intellectual and physical development of children and young persons in Northern Ireland and thereby of the community at large by ensuring that efficient and effective primary and secondary education and educational services are available to meet the needs of such children and young persons; (b) to ensure the provision of efficient and effective youth services; (c) to promote, and co-ordinate the planning of, the effective provision of schools, educational services and youth services; (d) to promote the effective management of schools, educational services and youth services; (e) to advise the Department on such matters relating to schools, educational services and youth services as the Department may refer to ESA or as ESA may think fit.

11. To inform thinking • DE pre consultation questionnaires • Youthnet – focus groups/individuals • Youth Forum – focus groups/ Street based/ questionnaires • Visit to schools/clubs • Youth Work month ‘Thinking Seriously About … seminars • Workshops • Inspection Reports • Education Priorities

12. DE questionnaires • 3 types of questionnaires issued • 679 questionnaires from 1728 children & young people • 64 from managers • 135 from youth workers

13. C&YP - Issues • Needs of older teenagers to be addressed • Not enough opportunities to be young leaders • More services to support the needs of marginalised groups • Wider range of activities & opening hours • Role in decision making and design • Issues • What’s on offer is too adult led • Image – service for kids • Negative Perception of young people remains • Involvement not indication of needs met • Tokenistic participation

14. Youth service should be seen as part of education family/continuum Needs assessment critical to delivery Issues - youth workers/volunteers and managers • Youth work not valued outside the sector • Need to better support youth workers/volunteers • Inadequate inflexible funding

15. Youthnet • Targeted consultation through focus groups, meeting individuals and distribution of questionnaires • Targeted member organisations & beyond • Specific groups including under 10s, uniformed, rural, LGBT etc • 173 questionnaires from 1294 children & young people • 89 questionnaires from 126 youth workers/ volunteers • 24 questionnaires from 42 managers

16. Youthnet findings • Children and Young People • Something to do and somewhere safe to go • Access to transport • Adults negative perceptions • Accessible information • Youth Workers • Adequate resources & time • Alcohol and drug abuse key issues • Better collaboration with schools • Need for special needs training • Not aware of detail in previous Youth Work Strategy • Managers • Focus on personal and social development with targeted interventions • Targeting age bands • Importance of Compact • Recognition of service contribution to other targets • Previous YWS limited impact but better collaboration • Priorities should be based on assessed need

17. Youth Forum • Targeted 11 to 25 year olds and those who are not currently involved in youth services • 939 young people • A range of methodologies employed including street based, online and focus groups

18. Youth Forum – Issues • Somewhere to go -something to do • Locally accessible information – good quality and relevant • Resentment at adult perceptions of young people • Voice not being heard • Transport issues • Involvement in community and area based planning

19. Quality Assurance Symposium • DE uses inspection findings as an important indicator • Support system needed for organisations to work towards and use Quality Indicators • Need to support workforce to make the connections with ESGS and reform agenda within education • Good work and best practice is available - needs disseminated

20. Youth Work in Schools Seminar • Greater understanding required of the roles of youth workers and teachers • Exploration of mutual dependency in education continuum • Complementarities between the Model for Effective Practice and the revised NI Curriculum • Youth work recognised for its contribution to meeting needs of all young people not just those marginalised or disengaged from learning

21. Summary of issues to be addressed • Educational context - essential to the positioning of youth service in DE /ESA as part of education – needs to be consistent with wider DE policy • It is not formal education – different learning environment but want it to be more visible in terms of its contribution to improved outcomes • Issues impacting on children and young people are dictated by age, locality and personal circumstances – local approaches essential to meet those needs – set within a regional framework • Responses by managers and workers emphasised that the youth service is not generally valued - ‘Diversity of youth provision makes it difficult to define the ‘youth service’, limited understating about the value of it and its impact on young people - working with other sectors – collaboration/integration • Lack of appreciation and understanding of the value of volunteers • Need for targeted services within a context of universal provision – funding implications - responsive and flexible ‘v’ fixed and short term • Support for youth workers - in terms of training (pre and post qualification), administration, assessing and recording outcomes, funding, quality assurance and accountability

22. DE Perspective • Youth is included in the Education RPA legislation under consideration • Position of youth policy within our own new structures. It is part of a broader approach within the Department to Families and Communities. • Repositioned to embed the policy line more closely within the wider educational debate and within a wider social policy context • Challenge will be to define what is truly essential • Articulate clearly the full value of the Youth Service to young people • Demonstrate the leverage that the youth budget represents in social and financial terms • Creation of ESA will present challenges but it will also present opportunities, a clearer relationship between policy and delivery; make easier to deliver greater coherence • Department and the Youth Service have an opportunity to restate and/or re-shape the future strategic direction of the Youth Service

23. What role do we think the Youth Service can play? The question at the heart of Priorities for Youth is therefore how best the Youth Service can play its part within the wider education service to help young people to achieve their full potential. We see that as: • tackling the deficit that many young people face • personal and social development for all young people • helping young people to gain confidence, develop their self-esteem, have high expectations of and aspirations for themselves • Developing additional skills and for many leadership capacities • Role of young people in social and cultural development • Helping them to transition effectively into adulthood • We see outcomes and standards within a wide view of the child

24. Conclusion • We want to recognise more clearly, how the experiences provided by the Youth Service can contribute to helping young people to achieve their full potential and how the Youth Service can be more effectively linked to the wider educational picture.