Quality and improvement programme Q&A

• Community-based youth advice and counselling services i.e. existing “hubs”
• Community-based services supporting young people that are not “hubs”
• Commissioners, funders, and policymakers  

• Historic increases in the cost of living and the aftermath of a global pandemic have created difficult terrain on the journey to adulthood. Entrenched inequalities also mean that for some the climb is even steeper
• At the same time, long waiting lists for mental health support and cuts to youth services have left young people without the resources needed to find their footing
• Young people tell us that they want easy to access wrap-around support in their local community that equips them along the way
• Local services want to offer a cohesive range of support for young people in their communities
• Evidence shows that the Youth Access model of advice and counselling support is effective, with good reach to underserved groups. But these services struggle to get the recognition they deserve or the funding they need
• Creating a national quality standard for the model will promote excellent work and provide services with a clear route to expand their offer to better meet young people's needs. It will also strengthen the case for investment

We will work with young people, practitioners and experts to create the quality framework and improvement resources from the bottom up, so that they are meaningful, practical, and supportive.

• Quality standards framework for youth advice and counselling services
• Self-assessment and benchmarking tool
• External validation process and quality mark
• National data set to map assets and gaps
• Improvement support offer to help services deepen and broaden their provision 

The quality standards framework and self-assessment will be co-produced throughout 2025 and launched in early 2026.