Youth services at one in five local authorities need considerable improvement, according to a new report by Ofsted. Inspectors judged 33 youth services for a new report, Building on the best: Overview of local authority services, and while 15 of those were deemed to be good or better, seven were inadequate. The strongest youth service inspected was Doncaster MBC, which was given an outstanding grade. ‘Youth services have a vital role to play in the community,' said divisional manager for Ofsted's children's services division, Flo Hadley. ‘The best services recognise that youth workers are essential to engage young people, including those with more challenging attitudes and behaviour. Not all areas recognise this.' Doncaster MBC's elected mayor, Martin Winter, said: ‘It is fantastic that our youth services have come out tops in the country and are classed as outstanding. This is not only down to the hard work of staff but also a crdit to our young people.' Inspectors found that strong leadership and increased budgets were vital if youth services were to improve. The inspectors also found that youth services were increasingly taking the lead in getting young people involved in local forums and other events. Cllr Les Lawrence, chairman of the Local Government Association's children and young people board, said: ‘This report should not turn into a name, shame and blame game but act as a way of identifying those authorities which need extra support to make sure the needs of all young people are met. Councils strive to create a culture of high expectation and effective care for young people, but there needs to be a full-scale effort from everyone who works with these children.'
