This paper, prepared by a UK-wide alliance of representative youth work bodies, sets out the basis for a fully developed and properly resourced youth policy which the country needs now.

       

 

Issue 12 Winter 2003 

CONTENTS

4 News
9 Good practice in photographing young people
10 Social inclusion, partnerships and learning – the role of the Youth Service in Extending Entitlement - John Holmes
14 Llanrumney generation project bridges the age gap 
16 Overview of the European YOUTH funding programme, plus connecting futures in Azerbaijan 
18 Veronica Wilson discusses the concept of young people’s participation
21 Courtney Taylor poses the question, is youth work training in Wales standing still or moving forward?
24 Bert Jones talks about sustainable youth work at the Youth Cymru conference
28 The Handy Guide to Self Assessment and YWSPP Toolkit 
30 Janice Roberts of Denbighshire Youth Service 

 

This document is focused on reducing the number of young people aged 11 to 25 who are not engaged in education, employment or training (NEET). All parts of the system from Welsh Government, National Partners, local authorities and providers will need to work together to successfully implement this plan. The plan sets out the different roles and responsibilities of key players and expectations for how each partner will deliver. Partners include senior leaders in local authorities, Careers Wales, the Youth Service and providers (schools, further education (FE) colleges, work-based learning (WBL)). 

The Youth engagement and progression framework – Implementation plan has six key elements:

1. Identifying young people most at risk of disengagement.
2. Better brokerage and coordination of support.
3. Stronger tracking and transitions of young people through the system.
4. Ensuring provision meets the needs of young people.
5. Strengthening employability skills and opportunities for employment.
6. Greater accountability for better outcomes for young people.

There are two new offers to young people through the framework.

• The first is the allocation of single point of contact (a lead worker) to the most at-risk young people to help ensure that support is delivered in a joined up and coordinated way and that works to meet their needs.
• The second is the development of a proactive and positive Youth Guarantee that will help to ensure that every young person has access to a suitable place in learning post-16. 

The Youth Engagement and Progression Framework (YEPF) aims to reduce the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). The Framework has six components, proven to be effective at increasing youth engagement and progression when implemented together as part of a strategy. These are: early identification, better brokerage and coordination of support; stronger tracking and transition of young people; ensuring provision meets the needs of young people; a focus on employability skills and opportunities for employment among young people; and greater accountability. Local authorities (LAs) have been charged with the role of leading implementation of the Framework, working closely with Careers Wales, youth services, schools, training providers to those aged 16 and over and other partners.  

The evaluation aimed to assess progress made to implement the Framework and the effectiveness of implementation processes with a view to considering whether the non-statutory guidance is sufficient to achieve the Welsh Government’s ambitions and targets and identifying learning to improve guidance and implementation. 

This document is in support of the Youth engagement and progression framework. This document provides initial guidance to local authorities and key partners regarding the Youth Guarantee and the key processes that need to be put in place to ensure young people remain engaged in education, employment or training. The document will be informed by pilot activity and will be finalised in autumn 2014 before the Youth Guarantee is implemented across Wales.

In the Youth Engagement and Progression Framework Implementation Plan we commit to introducing a guarantee to a place in education or training for young people leaving compulsory education for the first time. Our Youth Guarantee is the “offer, acceptance and commencement of a suitable place in education or training for a young person making the first time transition from compulsory education at age 16.”

The Youth Guarantee is being piloted in the North and West regions of Wales from November 2013 to October 2014. It is planned that the Youth Guarantee will be rolled out across Wales from November 2014 to October 2015. This means that the first young people will take up their offers under the Guarantee in September and October 2015.

Background to the youth work career pack produced for the Welsh Assembly Government by the Council for Wales of Voluntary Services (CWVYS) and Promo Cymru as part of the 'Thanks Sam' campaign.

Includes details of contributors and list of contents.

 

Youth work career pack produced for the Welsh Assembly Government by the Council for Wales of Voluntary Services (CWVYS) and Promo Cymru. 

Part 3 contains more detailed background information for youth workers and other professionals, and for young people. This includes information on volunteering, training routes, accreditation, careers, organisations that can help and additional information that a young person might need to help make a decision about whether or not to take up youth work and which career path to take.

Youth work career pack produced for the Welsh Assembly Government by the Council for Wales of Voluntary Services (CWVYS) and Promo Cymru. 

The Appendices provide summary versions of the Youth Work Curriculum Statement for Wales, and the Youth Work National Occupational Standards, useful contacts and more information on training, pay scales and organisations engaged in training and workforce development. Information on awards for young people and references are also contained in the appendices.

This paper seeks specifically to identify the broader Welsh Government (WG) policies and demonstrate where and how youth work does/can make a significant contribution to the achievement of those policies by improving the life chances of young people aged 11-25. It is not the purpose of this paper to identify new areas or scope of operation for youth work, but to highlight the role it currently undertakes, as a specific form of work with young people, in contributing to and complementing WG policy.

The strands that make up Programme for Government consist of the following:

• Growth and Sustainable Jobs
• Public Services
• 21st Century Healthcare
• Education
• Supporting People
• Welsh Homes
• Safer Communities
• Equality
• Tackling Poverty
• Rural Communities
• Environment & Sustainability
• Culture & Heritage of Wales