Lynne Neagle MS, Cabinet Secretary for Education
As we once again reach the annual celebration of youth work week, there is no better time to highlight how youth work offers vital support for young people, broadening their horizons and empowering them to fulfil their potential.
Responding to the recommendations made by the Interim Youth Work Board in their final report, ‘Time to deliver for young people in Wales’, we have taken action to help strengthen youth work in Wales and ensure that its vital contribution is better valued and understood. Key developments include:
- the conclusion of a review to build a better understanding of the sources of funding for youth work in Wales and identify opportunities to help build more sustainable support
- the establishment of a cross-sector workforce development programme to develop a skilled workforce that can support the evolving needs of young people
- the development of a draft statutory framework for youth work.
Another of the Interim Youth Work Board’s recommendations focused on the potential establishment of a national body for youth work. This body would, in the Interim Board’s opinion, help develop a more joined-up approach to the design and delivery of youth work, support innovation and collaboration as well as raise the profile of youth work and build a better understanding of its impact. Evidence has been gathered from a wide range of sources in recent months to look in detail at how a body of this kind could help achieve these aims. Having carefully considered this evidence, I can confirm that work will now progress to establish a national body for youth work in Wales.
To inform the next phase of this work, an advisory group, including young people as well as representatives from across the youth work sector and beyond, will be established to look in detail at the role and remit a national body, its governance structures and its alignment to other organisations. The group will be tasked with helping us ensure we develop an organisation that represents the sector as a whole, advocates on behalf of youth work and ultimately enhances the youth work offer for young people across Wales.
Our draft statutory framework for youth work set out proposals aimed at strengthening the legislative basis for youth work in Wales, introducing a structured approach to planning and reporting. This framework will help build better accountability and sustainability for youth work. Careful work has been undertaken in recent months in partnership with representatives across the sector as well as the Youth Work Strategy Implementation Board to consider the issues raised during the formal consultation phase and identify opportunities to strengthen our proposals.
This work will continue over the months ahead as we look in details at the role and remit of a national body to ensure these key developments are fully aligned and support a unified vision for the future of youth work. Further details will be shared in due course regarding the timeline for the finalisation and introduction of this framework to ensure all partners can plan accordingly.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has engaged so positively in this work to date. I would also like to acknowledge the invaluable advice of the Youth Work Strategy Implementation Board as we reach this important milestone. The collaborative approach adopted throughout this work will continue as we take our next steps to strengthen youth work in Wales.