Youth Work Strategy
Priorities
Following the coproduction of the vision and what the 2021 Youth Work Consultation told us, Cheshire West and Chester Council will focus on the following priorities to ensure that the vision is met in line with the key asks of those that contributed to the consultation.
We will:
- Continue to develop a strong youth senate, enabling the involvement of young people in decision making.
- Working with our stakeholders to explore new and effective ways to improve the engagement and participation of young people, to ensure the voice of all young people are heard, listened too, and consulted with, this will include a robust social media plan.
- Ensure that trained and qualified youth work staff and volunteers (NVQ and JNC equivalent) are supporting all young people accessing provision.
- Provide targeted support locally and flexibly based on evidence of need, while providing preventative support in centralised hubs within each locality.
- Provide buildings that are fit for purpose for young people, with access to sports halls and kitchens.
- Offer varied delivery of youth work which is targeted and enables young people with a range of needs to receive the right service at the right time.
- Extend the age range to include 11-19 year olds (25 years if SEND or a care leaver), with delivery of age appropriate learning and services.
The priorities will be delivered in a variety of ways to ensure that they impact and influence the way that youth work is delivered across the borough.
How we will deliver the priorities
- Young people will have a voice in decision making through an active youth senate.
- Youth workers will encourage greater participation in the youth senate.
- We will continue working with schools, youthforia and the British youth council.
- Stakeholders will engage with young people to ensure the right platforms are used for communication and engagement.
- Youth workers will utilise their social media accounts to enable the service to be effective in communicating with young people and parents/carers.
- A new Youth Strategy Board will be implemented which will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to share views and be involved in reviews of methods of engagement and participation.
- Youth service engagement with the Children's Trust.
- Young people will have access to fully trained and qualified youth workers and be given opportunities to participate in recruitment.
- We will offer qualified, passionate, and informed youth work staff to ensure that the quality of youth work is consistently high, with our youth workers and volunteers providing the most appropriate knowledge and experience to ensure that young people are accurately informed
- Youth workers will use reflective practice to promote a trauma informed approach
- Youth workers will use Outcome Star to demonstrate change and improvement through the support on offer.
- Workforce champions will be identified for a range of thematic service-related youth work needs.
- We will provide appropriate training and support to partners and third sector providers to ensure that safeguarding, is a priority in all settings.
- We will support third sector providers to have a clear service development plans where required.
- The Youth Strategy Board will develop and implement minimum standards for service delivery across the borough.
- Young people will be provided with targeted engagement programmes and activities.
- Youth workers will provide youth clubs and responsive detached youth work based on local need, including one to one work where required.
- We will further develop relationships with stakeholders and partners to promote a targeted service, including sports and leisure.
- Young people will have access to targeted youth work close to where they live.
- Youth Work will be delivered in accommodation or locations that are fit for purpose.
- We will engage in the regeneration of our town centres to seek opportunities for Youth Hubs in accessible central locations.
- We will work with partners and stakeholders to provide opportunities for shared space.
- Varied delivery of youth work.
- Young people will have the opportunity to participate in activities that support their personal and social development.
- Youth workers will deliver effective programmes to promote understanding of risk-taking behaviours to enable young people to make positive healthy choices and provide them with something to do, somewhere to go and someone to talk to.
- Youth workers will initiate, build and maintain appropriate relationships with young people, breaking down barriers, allowing young people to feel safe and ask for support.
- Youth workers will be trained to deliver targeted support to ensure young people receive a service at the right time, based on risk and need.
- We will work with partners and stakeholders to promote public health interventions, such as Smoking Cessation, and will promote Healthy Choices.
- We will signpost young people, and invite stakeholders, to deliver support where needed.
- Young people will be able to engage in youth services at a younger age.
- Youth workers will deliver age-appropriate services based on need and risk.
- We will engage with partners and stakeholders to support delivery to a wider age range.
Next steps
- Develop a detailed action plan to effectively deliver the priorities.
- Develop specific measures to help us see what success looks like for youth work and for our young people.
- Provide a report on progress to Scrutiny in 2022
- Refresh this strategy in 2024.
- Continue to deliver and monitor progress against the recommendations in the Scrutiny report.
