Positive for Youth

Monday 19th December 2011 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Tim Loughton)]

Young people matter. They are important to us now, and to our future, and we need them to flourish. Now more than ever we need to engage young people and support them to face economic challenges and tackle negative stereotypes.

Published today, “Positive for Youth” is a new approach to cross-Government policy for young people aged 13-19 in England. It brings together a range of the Government’s policies for this age group across the interests of at least nine Departments. It has been produced with young people and youth professionals through extensive collaboration and consultation.

“Positive for Youth” sets out a shared vision for how all parts of society—including councils, schools, charities, businesses—can work together in partnership to support families and improve outcomes for young people, particularly those who are most disadvantaged or vulnerable. This means working towards a common goal of all young people having a strong sense of belonging, and the supportive relationships, strong ambitions, and good opportunities they need to realise their potential.

Parents and families have the primary responsibility for helping young people succeed. They need to be supported and any services to young people need to take them into account. Communities, including businesses, also need to take responsibility for helping young people belong and succeed.

Raising young people’s aspirations and educational attainment is crucial to their success in life. The Government have already announced significant reforms and investment to improve education standards and increase young people’s participation in learning and work. Young people’s experiences outside the classroom at home and in their community are also crucial to helping them form and pursue their ambitions. “Positive for Youth” emphasises the importance of young people’s personal and social development to educational, employment, and other long-term outcomes—and the role of services such as youth work in supporting this development. It promotes early intervention to address issues young people may face to prevent them escalating and causing harm.

Councils are accountable primarily to local people for how well young people do, and how well their services support them. Young people must be in the driving seat to inform decisions, shape provision, and inspect quality.

The Government are taking a wide range of actions to facilitate local reform, including:

clarifying their expectations on local authorities through revised statutory guidance to be published shortly for consultation on their duty to secure activities and services for young people;

empowering young people by enabling them to inspect and report on local youth services and setting up a national scrutiny group for them to help “youth proof “ Government policy as part of funding of £850,000 to the British Youth Council in 2011-2013;

funding improved business brokerage with projects for young people through investment of £320,000 to April 2013;

providing capital investment to complete 63 myplace centres by April 2013, and developing a national approach to exploiting their potential to be autonomous hubs led by communities and businesses for transforming local services;

expanding national citizen service to offer 30,000 places to young people In 2012, 60,000 in 2013, and 90,000 in 2014.

The Government will publish annually national measures of young people’s positive outcomes, and an audit at the end of 2012 of overall progress towards creating a society which is more positive for youth.

“Positive for Youth” and an executive summary are available on the Department for Education website at www.education.gov.uk/positiveforyouth. Copies of “Positive for Youth” have also been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.