Critical issues in the provision of youth work for young disabled people

1. Critical issues in the provision of youth work for young disabled people Discussion materials Issue 1: Enjoyment and learning – curriculum structure and design

2. About this resource • This resource is based on a thematic survey of the provision of youth work for young disabled people carried out in 2012.* It contains summary findings of each of the four critical issues identified in the survey. • Each of the four packs suggests specific questions for discussion. These are of course not exhaustive, but it is hoped that youth work commissioners and their partners will use the questions as prompts to evaluate the services they currently provide for young disabled people. This may lead to identifying and sharing good practice, as well as priorities for improvement. • You can take the issues in any order and spend as long as you like on each one. However, we suggest that at some stage you find time to look at all four. • Link to the key findings of the survey: www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/130018. Ofsted’s discussion materials: Youth work

3. Overview of the discussion materials These materials look at the scope, reach and nature of the provision and the four issues considered in the survey: Issue 1:Enjoyment and learning – curriculum structure and design Issue 2:The benefits of youth work Issue 3: Managing disabled young people’s engagement and achievement Issue 4: Youth workers and other practitioners – professional matters Link for the materials on the other three issues: www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/130018. Ofsted’s discussion materials: Youth work

4. Scope of the survey • HMI carried out visits to 18 providers of youth work that were specifically selected because they worked with young disabled people. • Providers included: local authorities; charities; voluntary and community sector organisations. • These comprised: • projects with a specialist focus working primarily with • young people with a particular disability • clubs that targeted a broader non-specific range of • disabled young people • integrated provision where disabled and non-disabled • young people met together. Ofsted’s discussion materials: Youth work

5. Survey findings

6. Survey findings (1) • Inspectors identified some very effective youth work for disabled young people. However, the quality of this work varied too much across the sample of local authorities visited. • Inspectors found that the youth work offer for disabled young people was inconsistent across the sample of local authorities visited. • The pattern of provision seen was largely historical, often including a portfolio of inherited clubs, centres and programmes originally founded by parents, support groups or youth workers. • Overall participation rates were low and those young people not known to services, and who would benefit from the opportunities and support that youth work affords, were clearly less well served. Ofsted’s discussion materials: Youth work

7. Survey findings (2) • There are no national data to show the extent to which disabled young people participate in youth work. A lack of regional or national comparative data inhibits planning. • Disabled minority ethnic young people and their families accessed youth work provision less frequently than White British groups. Ofsted’s discussion materials: Youth work

8. Raising the challenge: issues for consideration by practitioners and managersEnjoyment and learning – curriculum structure and design Issue 1

9. Enjoyment and learning – curriculum structure and design: Survey findings (1) Inspectors identified that where youth work for young people with disabilities was particularly successful, organisations converted their ‘empowering’ philosophy into practical projects that: • developed young people’s resilience and drive • moved them beyond the highly supportive and unchallenging environment to which they were often accustomed. Ofsted’s discussion materials: Youth work

10. Enjoyment and learning – curriculum structure and design: Survey findings (2) • Programmes that allowed young people to have a say in what they did, so that they enjoyed taking part in activities which were new, different and which stretched them. • Informal/unplanned curricula were not unplanned but premised on young people exercising choice in what they did, for example deciding to spend time alone or with others. • Formal/structured curricula successfully fostered young people’s specific vocational and work-related skills and effectively developed their independence and greater confidence in decision-making. Ofsted’s discussion materials: Youth work

11. Enjoyment and learning – curriculum structure and design: Survey findings (3) • Weaker aspects of the provision visited included: • programmes that were repetitive and not challenging enough • activities that were largely social in nature and failed to promote and develop young people’s autonomy and independence • programmes that changed little over time and took insufficient account of young people’s experiences beyond the club or project. Ofsted’s discussion materials: Youth work

12. Enjoyment and learning – curriculum structure and design: Overview In whichever setting, young disabled people’s learning was best served where sufficient and comprehensive consideration had been given to the interlinked issues of what they needed; what they were already capable of; extending learning; learning styles; and useful and useable accreditation. They took on positions of responsibility, produced and promoted events or films on relevant youth issues and worked with others away from the familiarity of home. Ofsted’s discussion materials: Youth work

13. Enjoyment and learning – curriculum structure and design: Discussion points (1) • What evidence do you have that programmes for young disabled people are not repetitive, adult led and largely social in nature ? • Is there an underpinning curriculum, shared with partners, which takes a broad view of young people’s social, work-related, developmental and political understanding? Ofsted’s discussion materials: Youth work

14. Enjoyment and learning – curriculum structure and design: Discussion points (2) • Do programme planning and youth work practice accommodate different learning styles? • The report highlights the impact of informal and opportunistic practice and the value to young people’s learning of exercising ‘choice’. How is the impact of this methodology measured in your organisation? Ofsted’s discussion materials: Youth work

15. Conclusion

16. Conclusion We hope you have found this resource helpful in promoting improvement in youth work for young disabled people. Good practice case studies We welcome comments on this training resource. Please write to enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk and ensure that you put ‘Ofsted’s discussion materials: Youth work’ in the subject box of your email. Ofsted’s discussion materials: Youth work