Youth work in Wales: delivering for young people

Introduction

Youth work is a key component of the education system in Wales, delivered by a wide range of organisations. As a core service for young people, youth work forms part of wider youth support services but uses a distinct educational approach based on the voluntary engagement of young people as equal partners in their own development. 

This guidance should be read alongside the Youth Support Services (Provision of Youth Work) (Wales) Directions 2026 (‘the Directions’). Together, these make up the new statutory framework (“the framework”) for youth work - a framework for the planning, delivery and monitoring of youth work on a local level across Wales. 

The framework sets out how each local authority, working with voluntary organisations, and partners that provide services for young persons in the local authority’s area (‘partners’), must plan and provide a distinct youth work service as part of the wider youth support services they provide to young people. The framework also prescribes new national standards for youth work. 

The framework is built around the requirement for a local authority to produce a youth work strategic plan (‘strategic plan’) at five-year intervals. Each strategic plan must set out the local authority’s objectives for youth work, against which they will report on progress annually.

A rich and varied local youth work offer cannot be delivered by local authorities alone, and a collaborative, multi-agency approach is fundamental to achieving this.

Within the guidance document, the use of the term ‘must’ denotes a legal obligation, as set out in the Directions. Where the term ‘should’ is used, this indicates that the guidance must be considered and should be followed unless there is a good reason for departure.

Audience

Local authorities must have regard to this guidance. When making arrangements with voluntary organisations and partners for the provision of services a local authority must also ensure that they have regard to this guidance. The guidance will be of interest to a wider audience, including: young people aged 11 to 25, voluntary youth work organisations and wider stakeholders with an interest in improving outcomes for young people.

Our vision for youth work in Wales

As set out in the Youth Work Strategy for Wales, the Welsh Government wants Wales to be a country where:

• young people are thriving
• youth work is accessible and inclusive
• those delivering youth work are supported throughout their careers to improve their practice
• youth work is valued and understood
• there is a sustainable model for youth work delivery

The introduction of this framework aims to help achieve this vision by setting out mandatory planning, delivery and accountability arrangements for the provision of youth work.

What is youth work

The Interim Youth Work Board’s final report identified the need for a clearer definition of the meaning of good quality youth work and for that definition to be owned and applied consistently across the sector. Estyn’s report, ‘Youth Support Services in Wales: The Value of Youth Work’, similarly concluded that:

there is a lack of clarity among service providers and policy makers about the terminology used when discussing services to support young people. The term ‘youth work’ is often confused with ‘work with young people’

The Directions, for the first time within a Welsh legislative framework, defines youth work as:

services provided within youth support services using a distinct educational approach based on the voluntary engagement of young persons

(a) led by a youth worker or a youth support worker employed or otherwise engaged (including on a voluntary basis) by a local authority, partner or voluntary organisation, and

(b) delivered by one or more of the following —

(i) a local authority,

(ii) a partner, or

(iii) a voluntary organisation

In so doing, this definition positions youth work as a key component of wider youth support services, but fundamentally ensures its distinctiveness is better understood and protected.

A youth worker must possess at least one of the youth worker qualifications set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Education Workforce Council (Registration of Youth Workers, Youth Support Workers and Youth Based Learning Practitioners) Order 2016 (“the 2016 Order”) or otherwise meet the alternative requirements set out in Part 2 of Schedule 1. A youth support worker must possess at least one of the youth support worker qualifications set out in Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the 2016 Order or otherwise meet the alternative requirements set out in Part 2 of Schedule 2.

Where services are ‘led by’ a youth worker or youth support worker, they are expected to be providing advice, leadership and guidance to others. This helps ensure the delivery of a high-quality youth work service.

Legislative context

The Directions, and this guidance, are made using the powers within Sections 123(1), (4)(b) and (c) and (5)(c) of the Learning and Skills Act 2000. 

National standards for youth work

A local authority must provide or secure youth support services and participate in the provision of those services. The provision of youth support services must include the operation and strategic management of youth work. Local authorities must ensure that they have appropriate arrangements in place both to deliver youth work provision and to manage it strategically. The strategic management of youth work means:

• assessing the needs of young persons in the local authority’s area
• establishing the extent and nature of the resources required to meet the prioritised needs of young persons 
• securing, providing and co-ordinating the delivery of resources required to respond to the prioritised needs of young persons

Each local authority must ensure that its youth work offer provides youth work that complies with the national standards for youth work. These national standards means youth work which:

• is formed through engagement with young persons
• aims to introduce, protect and strengthen activities delivered in Welsh and English and is based on what young persons need or want in their area
• provides opportunities for young persons to learn and develop in different educational and community settings, including digital settings
• facilitates both universal and targeted opportunities for young persons to participate in a range of activities for the improvement of their physical, emotional and mental well-being
• is easily accessible by young persons
• is delivered in a way that supports improved outcomes for young persons through collaborative working between local authorities, partners and voluntary organisations at a local, regional, and national level

The youth work offer

As set out in the Youth Work Strategy for Wales, youth work provides opportunities for learning that are educative, expressive, participative, inclusive and empowering. Further detail on this approach is set out in ‘Youth Work in Wales: Principles and Purposes’ – a sector-produced document which set out the key principles which underpin youth work.

The youth work offer is the range of provision determined by a local authority to meet the national standards for youth work for young persons in its area. The youth work offer will vary from one area to another, dependent on the area’s characteristics. This offer will also vary over time in response to the evolving needs and interests of young people. 

In forming their youth work offer, a local authority should focus on creating opportunities and positive pathways for young people as they transition into adulthood. This aims to move away from a perception of youth work as a service that solves problems after they have occurred towards a focus on creating safe spaces in which young people can be supported to fulfil their potential.

A partnership approach

A collaborative approach is integral to the success of this framework and to the delivery of youth work more generally. A local authority must appoint a designated lead officer with suitable seniority and experience to co-ordinate engagement with young people in its area, voluntary organisations and other partners, as well as other local authorities.

The designated lead officer would typically be an existing employee within the local authority with knowledge and understanding of the youth work approach and experience of engaging with partners to achieve shared aims. They will be expected to establish collaborative local governance and accountability structures to underpin the realisation of this framework. These structures should be jointly developed with voluntary organisations and partners. Consideration should be given to a rotating chair model to promote shared leadership.

Meeting the needs of young people will require close partnership working with voluntary organisations in particular. Those voluntary organisations often referred to as ‘grassroots’ voluntary organisations are often uniquely placed to understand the needs of young people within local communities. Specialist voluntary organisations can contribute intelligence about marginalised or underrepresented groups. Similarly, national voluntary organisations can help build a consistent approach across local authority boundaries and scalability in terms of the support and opportunities they offer and enable. 

Established multi-agency partnerships and networks may already exist in many local authorities. These partnerships are instrumental in helping local authorities to:

• address gaps in youth work provision
• respond to emerging needs
• identify opportunities to add value to existing provision
• ensure young people benefit from joined-up services

Where pre-existing structures do not exist, each local authority should establish a local governance and accountability structure to achieve this. 

A local authority must set out in its strategic plan how it will work with voluntary organisations and other partners to plan and deliver youth work provision. The strategic plan must include a summary of the consultation carried out by the local authority to inform the development of the plan as well as a summary of the responses received. 

Young people’s participation

Under the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010, a local authority has a duty to make arrangements to promote and facilitate children’s participation in decisions that affect them. Similarly, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 makes ‘involvement’ one of the 5 ways of working that public bodies are required to apply when making decisions aimed at achieving the well-being goals. This means that public bodies must take account of the importance of involving people with an interest in achieving the well-being goals and of ensuring those people reflect the diversity of the area which the body serves. Potential participation models can vary significantly but local authorities should ensure that the Children and Young People’s National Participation Standards underpin the structures that are put in place to meet this requirement.

A local authority exercising functions under the Directions must have due regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Article 12 of the UNCRC states that every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously. Local authorities and their partners should draw on the intelligence from existing participation structures as well as consider how best to enhance participation structures to improve their understanding of what young people need and want. Participation structures should be predicated on the principle that children and young people themselves are best placed to articulate what they consider to be priorities.

Local authorities should raise awareness of participation pathways so that young people can take up these opportunities in line with their rights, using a range of methods including digital channels, and accessible language and formats. Proactive action should be taken to reach a wide range of young people. This helps ensure that young people, regardless of background, ability or any personal circumstance, can be heard in an accessible environment. This should include engagement with young people who are not currently accessing youth work and who may also be disengaged from other settings, including schools. 

Frequent engagement should take place in an efficient and meaningful way, ensuring that it places a particular focus on underrepresented groups. Arrangements should be in place to ensure young people receive regular feedback on the results of their input and likewise have an opportunity to comment on progress.

Effective participation structures rely on the skills and expertise of youth work practitioners as well as a commitment to invest in the resources required to enable young people to contribute effectively. This includes ensuring all young people involved in participation structures receive ongoing training and support.

Strategic plans should include details of participation structures that have been used to inform the development of the strategic plan. Strategic plans should also set out how young people will be engaged throughout the period of the plan’s implementation.

Producing the strategic plan

Each local authority is required to produce a five-year strategic plan for its area. The primary purpose of the strategic plan is to set out the objectives for youth work for that period. Objectives must be rooted in evidence of need and represent the key areas of focus for the development of youth work over the period of the plan. 

Whilst each plan will differ, based on local population, priorities and partners, these objectives must include:

• how the local authority, working with partners and voluntary organisations where appropriate, will meet the prioritised needs of young persons in the local authority’s area
• identify whether there are any inequalities in the provision of youth work and if so, how they will be addressed
• assessing what provision will be made for future demands upon youth work during the period of the plan

Prioritised needs are those that are considered to be most critical to address during the period of the plan. 

To achieve this, local authorities should:

• include an assessment of the strengths of the current youth work offer and what action will be taken to expand these successful interventions
• include an assessment of where there are gaps in the existing youth work offer, and what action will be taken within the period of the plan to tackle these gaps 
• identify any barriers to accessing existing youth work provision within the local authority area and what action will be taken to help address these barriers during the period of the plan

The local authority should work with voluntary organisations and partners to jointly develop the plan’s objectives, focusing on action to improve outcomes for young people as a guiding principle. The plan should focus on how resources can be leveraged to best meet the needs of young people in the local area. 

The strategic plan must set out the evidence base for setting the objectives. The plan must also set out how the local authority will work with voluntary organisations and partners, to plan and deliver provision within its area.

The plan must also explain how the local authority will work with other local authorities, voluntary organisations and partners to plan and deliver provision across local authority borders. This may be in order to develop provision for communities of interest that transcend local authority borders, to achieve economies of scale in the provision of services or to share innovative practice. In planning and delivering provision across local authority borders, local authorities should align with existing regional structures focusing on partnership and collaboration including, but not limited to, Regional Partnership Boards.

In recognition of the role of youth work as a preventative service, the breadth of opportunities it offers to all young people and its wide-ranging links to other policy areas, the plan should also set out how its objectives contribute to the seven well-being goals for Wales as set out in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, which set out our ambitions for:

• a prosperous Wales
• a resilient Wales
• a healthier Wales
• a more equal Wales
• a Wales of cohesive communities
• a Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language 
• a globally responsible Wales

Building an evidence base

Youth work must be formed through engagement with young people to ensure it is shaped by, and tailored to, what they need and want. This includes views shared by young people. It also draws on the ability of practitioners to identify the opportunities young people need to develop holistically, but that young people themselves may not have identified or anticipated.

Each local authority should work with voluntary organisations and partners to analyse existing evidence of need, as well as to gather additional evidence, where required, to help inform the objectives within the strategic plan. 

Potential evidence may include:

• direct testimony from young people 
• qualitative research on the lived experience of young people and how they may experience discrimination, including racism and gender inequality 
• data on population and migration, community safety and inclusion, education and skills, equality and diversity, poverty and experience of poverty, housing, health and social care, transport, wellbeing, cultural wellbeing, and the Welsh language
• data on cultural, artistic and sports participation
• police and crime statistics
• public health data
• socio-economic data
• equality monitoring data disaggregated by all protected characteristics
• evidence from organisations with strong connections to, and a knowledge of the needs of, specific groups or communities, such as young people at risk of becoming homeless, disabled young people and anti-racist organisations

In building an evidence base, local authorities should consider utilising evidence from other plans and frameworks, including, but not limited to:

• Play Sufficiency Assessments and Action Plans.
• Youth Justice Plans.
• Evidence gathered as part of the planning and delivery of the NEST framework through Regional Partnership Boards.
• Evidence gathered as part of the planning and delivery of the Youth Engagement and Progression Framework.
• Welsh in Education Strategic Plans.
• Strategic Equality Plans.
• Public Service Board local well-being plans.

Approving the strategic plan

A local authority, in accordance with its statutory duty to consult under section 125 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000, must put effective arrangements in place to consult with voluntary organisations and partners, as well as young people themselves, on the contents of the strategic plan. Arrangements should also be put in place to enable these stakeholders to scrutinise the strategic plan before it is submitted to the Welsh Ministers. 

The strategic plan must be submitted to the Welsh Ministers for approval no later than 30 September in the year before the plan will take effect.

The following criteria will form part of the evaluation of plans:

• the extent to which the youth work offer is aligned with the national standards for youth work
• the extent to which the youth work offer will meet the prioritised needs of young people in the local authority’s area 
• the extent to which identified inequalities within provision will be addressed
• the extent to which action will be taken during the period of the plan to address future demands on youth work provision 
• the quality and breadth of evidence used to inform the plan’s objectives
• the extent to which the local authority will work with voluntary organisations and partners to plan and deliver provision

Local authorities should consider establishing arrangements for peer evaluation of the plans as part of its wider arrangements for continuous improvement.

The Welsh Minsters may approve a strategic plan as submitted, require the plan to be modified, approve the plan with modifications, or reject the plan. If the Welsh Ministers require the plan to be modified or reject the plan, then a local authority must revise it and resubmit it for approval.

A copy of the approved strategic plan must be sent to the local authority’s overview and scrutiny committee to support wider accountability arrangements.

The approved strategic plan must be published by the local authority. The local authority should also consider how the strategic plan is communicated to young people in an effective way to support their participation and to empower them to hold partners to account in the delivery of youth work services in line with Article 12 of the UNCRC. A ‘you said, we did’ model is suggested as a helpful approach to ensure a clear link is made between young people’s views, how those views have informed decision-making and how young people can hold those who made those decisions to account.

An approved strategic plan may be revised during its five-year period as a result of an assessed need. An assessed need is a need that was unforeseen at the time of submitting the plan and may include an emerging issue caused by a significant event or trend experienced by young people. A local authority should discuss the need for revising its strategic plan with Welsh Government at the earliest opportunity. A revised strategic plan must also be submitted to the Welsh Minsters for approval. Welsh Minsters can approve the revised plan, require it to be modified, approve it with modifications or reject it as above.

Reporting on progress

A local authority must put arrangements in place for monitoring progress against the objectives set out in the strategic plan. This must include consulting with young people in its area at least once each financial year on the extent to which they consider the local authority is meeting its objectives and meeting their needs.

Having consulted as above, a local authority must publish a report at least once in each financial year following the publication of the plan, to explain the progress made against the objectives in its plan.

As with the strategic plan, the local authority should also consider how this progress report is communicated to young people.

Supporting practitioners

A local authority should consider workforce development needs in setting the objectives for its strategic plan. This should include the continuous development of existing practitioners as well as how to support the future generation of youth workers, drawing on the well-established tradition of ‘grow your own’ that is often seen across the youth work sector. 

This could include a focus on developing specialist skills, their ability and confidence to work through the medium of Welsh, as well as leadership and management capability. It may also include ensuring practitioners remain attuned to the lived experiences of young people and their ever-evolving needs.

Volunteers

Volunteers play a pivotal role in shaping and realising the youth work offer. However, volunteers should not be viewed as a free resource. Local authorities, voluntary organisations and partners should ensure they offer volunteering opportunities that are contemporary and relevant, and take action to fully recognise the value of volunteering and the needs of volunteers. 

Success depends on volunteering being – and being recognised to be – safe, supported and inclusive. This means volunteering opportunities that better reflect the diversity of Welsh society, culture and language, and drive equality and inclusion. For advice and support, local authority, voluntary organisations and partners should contact their local County Voluntary Council or the Wales Council for Voluntary Action.

Championing equality and diversity in youth work provision

Youth work has an important role in reducing inequalities by creating safe spaces in which young people can learn and grow and be empowered to fulfil their potential. In line with the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty, a local authority, must have due regard to the need to remove or minimise barriers to engagement and participation, including those experienced by young people with protected characteristics.

Youth work empowers young people through developing their understanding of their rights and the rights of others. It has a powerful role in challenging discriminatory attitudes and behaviours. As such, it is a vital tool in contributing to the aims and ambitions of a range of cross-cutting policies including the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan, the LGBTQ+ Action Plan for Wales and the Disabled People’s Rights Plan for Wales. 

In planning youth work provision, all those involved should consider the impact of intersectionality on the life chances of young people and to take action to identify, understand and address inequity.

Safeguarding

Local authorities have clear statutory duties to safeguard children and adults at risk, primarily under the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014. The Act requires local authorities to promote wellbeing, prevent needs from escalating, and protect individuals from abuse, harm, or neglect. It also sets out overarching duties around assessment, meeting needs, prevention, and partnership working. 

Individuals employed by the local authority have a organisational duty to report suspected abuse and (or) neglect of children and adults at risk and should be supported to access safeguarding training and advice to support this duty. In addition, local authorities should ensure that the requirement for robust safeguarding systems is included in commissioning specifications. Local authorities should also ensure people working in a voluntary capacity understand the safeguarding processes of the local authority and that volunteers are provided with oversight and support to ensure they carry out safeguarding actions.

Under Part 7 of the 2014 Act, local authorities must report and enquire into concerns about both adults and children at risk (sections 126, 128 and 130) as set out in working together to safeguard people guidance.

Children’s safeguarding duties are reinforced by the Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004, parts of which continue to apply in Wales. 

Though there are no statutory requirements placed on voluntary and private organisations to safeguard children and adults at risk, the Code of Safeguarding Practice sets out Welsh Government expectations for how safeguarding duties should be carried out, emphasising that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and that all organisations must have appropriate arrangements in place. 

The Code sets out the component parts of a robust safeguarding system that includes supporting and training the workforce, identifying a lead safeguarding person within the organisation and includes DBS checks.

Welsh language and youth work

One of the main objectives of Cymraeg 2050, the Welsh Government’s long-term strategy to achieving a million Welsh speakers by 2050, is to ensure that fewer young people lose their Welsh skills when moving onwards from statutory education, and that more of them reach their mid-twenties with a command of the language.

This is reinforced by the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025 which aims to ensure, by 2050, that all pupils are independent and confident Welsh language users, at least, by the time they reach the end of compulsory school age.

Youth work is distinct from formal education. However, the breadth of opportunities and experiences it offers means youth work has a vital role to play in enabling all young people, whatever their Welsh language ability or background, to use their Welsh with their peers in the community and online. This helps build young people’s confidence in using more of their Welsh. The Welsh language is also integral in developing a young person’s voice, influence and place in society and helping them realise their full potential.

Supporting and expanding a community of practitioners who are confident to use their Welsh as part of youth work provision is a key part of the planning and delivery of services, and a local authority should work to embed this into the objectives of the strategic plan. 

When developing its youth work offer, a local authority should consider the linguistic profile of the population as well as young people’s needs and interests in relation to Welsh-medium and bilingual provision. They should also consider creating new opportunities for those who are not currently engaging with Welsh-medium and bilingual youth work as a way of encouraging more young people to use and enjoy the language and its cultural offering.

Opportunities should be explored to align the objectives in the strategic plan with those in other relevant plans, for example local authority Welsh in Education Strategic Plans (Outcome 5).

Digital youth work

The use of digital technology is central to the way young people live their lives and can provide an additional community for young people to connect with their peers. Within youth work, this could include:

• helping young people to understand how to navigate their online lives in a safe, respectful way
• using technology to connect young people with their peers and create content 
• using technology as a method to enable young people to develop their voice, influence and place in society
• providing trusted information to young people 
• helping young people to access and exchange reliable and comprehensive information and think critically about online content 
• projects focused on developing their digital skills

A local authority should consider how digital technology can enrich its youth work offer whilst considering inequity of digital access and how such barriers can be mitigated. 

A local authority should consider how it can work with partners to support and develop the skills and capacity of the workforce to deliver impactful provision that makes full use of the opportunities offered by technology.

Playwork and youth work

As noted elsewhere in this framework, collaboration between local authorities, voluntary organisations and partners is vital. This includes considering opportunities to collaborate on the planning and delivery of both playwork and youth work. Both sectors share an emphasis on participation, relational practice and community‑based delivery. When aligned, these two sectors can enhance each other’s impact and improve experiences and outcomes. It can also lead to the development of longer-term trusted relationships with individuals as they transition between childhood, adolescence and young adulthood.

In developing their youth work strategic plan, local authorities should draw on work in relation to the requirements set out in ‘Wales: A Play Friendly Country’ and the information included in Play Sufficiency Assessments.

International youth work

Youth work provides a unique platform for young people to reflect on personal experiences, better understand other perspectives as well as explore what unites them and their peers. The experiences offered by international youth work are particularly valuable in developing young people’s self-confidence, independence and establishing links and networks with other young people across the world.

A local authority, working with voluntary organisations and partners should consider how international youth work can complement its youth work offer, whilst actively addressing barriers to participation.

Innovation

A local authority should work with voluntary organisations and partners to identify best practice, share findings with others, learn from academic studies and evaluations undertaken by others both in Wales and beyond, to consider how these can all inform and improve the youth work offer for young people. As noted in the Youth Work Strategy for Wales, it is vital that youth work organisations are also supported to develop and implement innovative and collaborative ventures with a wide range of partners, to ensure that youth work is always valued and understood. 

Innovation can help identify different ways of working, share ideas to strengthen existing provision and build its sustainability, support transformation as well as drive the creation of new opportunities for young people. A local authority should ensure innovation is embedded in the development, delivery and monitoring of the strategic plan as well as the realisation of its youth work offer.

Partners

A person or body, other than a voluntary organisation, that provides services for young persons in the local authority’s area.

Targeted opportunities

Targeted opportunities is provision for vulnerable young people, including neighbourhood and street work outreach teams, youth advice and guidance services, youth justice teams, drug and alcohol misuse services, sexual health services and homelessness support.

Universal opportunities

Universal, or open-access opportunities , is youth work provision that is open to all young people to attend voluntarily. It can include a range of leisure, cultural, sporting and enrichment activities, often based around youth centres and generally provided in partnership with local communities.

Voluntary organisation

Voluntary organisations are bodies (other than bodies that exercise functions of a public nature) whose activities are carried out otherwise for profit and directly or indirectly benefit the whole or any part of the local authority area.

This definition includes voluntary youth work organisations – those specialising in youth work – as well as voluntary organisations who provide youth work as part of a wider remit.

Volunteer

A person whose activities are carried out otherwise for profit and directly or indirectly benefit the whole or any part of the local authority area. Volunteering is an activity which is undertaken freely, by choice, is undertaken to be of public or community benefit, and is not undertaken for financial gain.

Young person

For the context of this guidance, a young person is a person who has attained the age of 11 but not the age of 26 years. Young people means the same as young persons wherever that term is used in this guidance.

Youth support services

Services which encourage, enable or assist young persons (directly or indirectly) to participate effectively in education or training, to take advantage of opportunities for employment or to participate effectively and responsibly in the life of their communities.

Youth support worker

A person falling within the category of youth support worker in Table 1 in paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 to the Education (Wales) Act 2014.

Youth work

Services provided within youth support services using a distinct educational approach based on the voluntary engagement of young persons:

(a) led by a youth worker or a youth support worker employed or otherwise engaged (including on a voluntary basis) by a local authority, partner or voluntary organisation and

(b) delivered by one or more of the following — 

(i) a local authority
(ii) a partner or
(iii) a voluntary organisation

Youth work offer

The provision of youth work determined by a local authority to meet the national standards for youth work for young persons in its area.

Youth work strategic plan

A plan that sets out how youth work will be delivered and developed in a local authority area over a five-year period.

Youth worker

A person falling within the category of youth worker in Table 1 in paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 to the Education (Wales) Act 2014.