Youth services
Keeping our young people centre stage
Jenny Coles talks to Ann McGauran about her early days as ADCS president and the work being done by councils and schools as they rise to the challenge of COVID-19.
Helping other care leavers in Hull during the coronavirus crisis
Mark Jones outlines how a group of Hull care leavers has set up a walk-by food hub to help others in their position, making more than 20 donations a day.
Local government are the systems thinkers and the time to act is now
Systems thinking - considering the whole, not just the parts, and how those parts interact - brings new rigour to identifying possible actions and their consequences for children's social care, says Tim Hobbs.
'Safe places' needed in Greater Manchester to divert youth from violent crime
Communities in Greater Manchester feel there is an urgent need to create safe places and strong relationships to divert young people from violent crime, new research has found.
‘Ten years or life’
New research aims to understand the drivers of recent hikes in violent crime involving young people in Greater Manchester as perpetrators and victims – and has come up with insights and recommendations. Ann McGauran reports.
Working with young people across Medway to reduce the number of NEET
Medway Council has achieved significant falls in the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET). Ian Sutherland explains how this has been achieved.
70% decrease in youth services funding
Local youth services have been hit by a nearly 70% decrease in funding in a decade, young people's charity YMCA has found.
Tackling youth crime: building the evidence for what really works
The Youth Endowment Fund is a bold attempt to put early intervention at the heart of efforts to keep children and young people away from involvement in crime, says Dr Jane O’Brien.
Putting a public health approach at the heart of the response
Waltham Forest LBC has had a longstanding commitment to tackling youth gang culture. But Heather Flinders says that in 2017, after four more gang-related murders, the council chose to boost its response within a ‘re-imagined public health approach’
Our Ofsted journey: from inadequate to good in two years
Turning round children’s services in Tower Hamlets in two years was a ‘mighty struggle,’ says Will Tuckley. Here he outlines how the council successfully addressed intervention.
Leader lobbies ministers over Youth Zones
Barking & Dagenham LBC’s leader, Cllr Darren Rodwell, has appealed to ministers to help provide a network of Youth Zones up and down the country.
The crisis in violent youth crime: evidence from local government
Trinley Walker says that on violent youth crime, the results of the New Local Government Network’s latest quarterly leadership index survey paint an alarming picture of how the issue is affecting the sector.
Crime-fighting funds in scarce supply - survey
Three out of four UK council chief executives and leaders do not have access to enough funding to tackle rising levels of violent youth crime, a survey has found.
Co-designing the West Midlands’ future democracy with young people
Cllr Brigid Jones says this week - which includes International Youth Day - is a fitting time to reflect on why the West Midlands Combined Authority has launched the Young Combined Authority.
Government response to youth violence ‘inadequate’
The Government has been urged to back councils to tackle the rise in youth violence.
Youth service review launched
A review has been launched into statutory guidance for councils on youth service provision.
Lib Dem leadership hopeful promises devolution revolution
Liberal Democrat leadership hopeful Jo Swinson has said that if she is elected to the top role this summer ‘ we will oversee a devolution revolution’ .
Westminster announces u-turn on cuts to youth services
Westminster City Council leader Nickie Aiken has admitted the council made a mistake when it cut funding to youth services.
LGA decries youth offending budget cut
Government funding to prevent young people entering a life of crime has reduced, sparking disappointment from the Local Government Association (LGA).
Councils left in dark over youth offending budgets
Funding uncertainty is undermining councils’ efforts to tackle knife crime and County Lines drug dealing, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.
