With the publication of the National Youth Strategy expected this autumn, it feels necessary to take stock of what has already been committed by the Government to children and young people.
It may feel confusing or hard to keep up with the flux of updates, so where are we currently?
The aim of the National Youth Strategy is to promote coordination of youth services, and this needs to be reflected across all Government programmes related to children and young people. With the term ‘hub’ or ‘one-stop-shop' repeated across multiple Government programmes, there is an opportunity for coordination between these initiatives so that the issues children and young people face are not treated in silo.
Young people are facing long waiting lists to receive support, poverty, isolation, and much more. Therefore, a system-wide response must extend beyond treating any single aspect of a young person’s life individually and instead consider their needs as a whole. To make this a reality, government programmes must work together, aligning their approaches and delivery, so that support and services feel seamless, not fragmented.
In addition to these specific youth policies, wider changes are taking place across Government on devolution, NHS reorganisation and much more. But what does this all mean for our members, and the young people you work alongside?
- How might policy changes impact local services?
- In what ways can we work collaboratively and navigate these changes together?
- How can we strengthen our collective voice to influence positive change?
We will explore this and more, together, in a two-part webinar series:
- Understanding the policy landscape: What’s changing and what it means for you on November 5th
- Working together: Responding to the policy landscape as a network on November 13th
A lot might be happening in the policy space, but we will be facing what is on the horizon together - you are not alone.
Useful links
New National Youth Strategy to break down barriers to opportunity for young people - GOV.UK
New support into work and training - GOV.UK
The Local Youth Transformation Pilot - GOV.UK
Young Futures Hubs to launch offering vulnerable young people lifeline - GOV.UK
