Youth Provision: Universal and Targeted Support

Stephanie Peacock Excerpts

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Westminster Hall

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship for the first time, Dr Allin-Khan. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield (Harpreet Uppal) on securing this important debate. It is brilliant to see so many Members from across the House, which reflects how important this issue is to Members. Slightly unusually, because this is only a 30-minute debate, not a 90-minute debate, I will respond to some of the points made in interventions. If I cannot respond to them all, or I cannot take all Members’ interventions, I will of course write to hon. Members.

My hon. Friends the Members for Stoke-on-Trent North (David Williams) and for Manchester Rusholme (Afzal Khan) raised important points about regional inequalities. As a constituency MP in South Yorkshire, I have of course seen that in my own area of Barnsley. We are looking at a pilot of a local youth transformation project, which could look at areas where local authority funding has fallen away, and we will of course take regional inequalities into account.

Rightly, the issue of mental health was raised, and I will touch on it in my speech. Evidence shows that youth services of course have a positive impact, and my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield spoke powerfully about that. The hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), who is no longer in his place, spoke about faith groups, and we are working with them in programmes such as Uniformed Youth. The hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion (Siân Berry) had specific questions, and I will touch on them in my speech, but I will also write to her if I do not answer them fully. I want to say from the outset that we want a more co-ordinated cross-Government approach, which, again, is something I would like to touch on.

There were specific questions about the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, and I will write to my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield about that. She also rightly and powerfully referenced the devastating impact of knife crime, and I send my and the Government’s condolences to the family of Harvey, who was tragically killed in Sheffield last week.

I want now to address some of the substantial points, and I will write to hon. Members if I cannot take all their interventions. In the short time I have, I want to start my response by outlining that the Government recognise the transformative role that youth services play in young people’s lives. We know that being part of a supportive community and having access to positive activities can improve a young person’s wellbeing, health and personal development. We also know that youth workers and volunteers are vital to these services, building trusting relationships, creating safe spaces and, where needed, providing life-changing, targeted support. We have strong evidence of the impact of trusted adults in youth clubs, sports clubs, early support hubs, jobcentres and even in A&E.

We also know that the workforce situation is fragile. Local authority spending on youth has reduced by 73% since 2010. That equates to over £1 billion less being spent on young people each year. Sustainable jobs are becoming a rarity, and co-ordination of support has been lost. Now more than ever we need a thriving youth sector staffed by trained professionals and supported by incredible volunteers. Young people today face complex challenges, from navigating social media and new technologies to experiencing at first hand the devastating effects of antisocial behaviour, crime and violence. It is undeniable that those challenges, and therefore the way we tackle them, are constantly changing.

Talent and potential exist in every postcode in this country, but opportunity does not. Fewer than half of all respondents to our youth participation survey agree that there are enough clubs and activities in their area. As the Member of Parliament for Barnsley South, I know about the huge contribution and value of organisations such as the Barnsley Youth Choir, with hundreds of young people taking part and young people across Barnsley being given amazing experiences, opportunities and skills. Since becoming the Minister with responsibility for youth, I have been pleased to visit youth organisations, from the Really NEET project in Rotherham to Sport at the Heart in Brent.

[Tahir Ali]

Recently, it was announced that one of the youth centres that has been saved in my constituency is the Concord youth centre, which serves one of the most deprived wards in the country. I would welcome the Minister visiting it at the earliest opportunity.

[Stephanie Peacock]

I am grateful for that kind invitation, and I will do my best to visit in the near future.

Although the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is the lead Department for out-of-school youth provision, as a former teacher and a constituency MP who visits schools regularly, I know that support for young people is a challenge that can and should be met across Government. That is why the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport announced in November last year the co-production of an ambitious new national youth strategy. That strategy will put young people back in charge of their own destiny, providing them with meaningful choices and chances.

We have now begun our engagement with young people and the sectors that work with them, as part of the co-production process. We kick-started that process back in November, when I had the opportunity to meet a group of #iWill ambassadors. They told me how important it is for local areas to empower their young people, and they also raised concerns about mental health, youth loneliness, education and work opportunities. I have also met other stakeholders in the sector, such as Girlguiding, the Youth Endowment Fund and the National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs, to listen to those who work closely with young people and who provide them with access to trusted adults, safe spaces and new opportunities.

[Ben Maguire (North Cornwall) (LD)]

Will the Minister give way?

[Stephanie Peacock]

I am really sorry, but in the interests of time, I will make some progress.

Those stakeholders experience youth work at first hand, and it is vital we hear from them about the challenges that young people and the sector face, as we build the national youth strategy. A vital part of co-producing the strategy will take place through our youth advisory board and the expert advisory group, both of which will be involved throughout the strategy development process. They will provide expertise, challenge and a diverse range of perspectives. I joined the first meeting of the expert advisory group, and I look forward to dropping into a meeting of the youth advisory group soon. Its members have already provided a wealth of valuable information, which will of course inform our thinking.

In addition to listening to the insights from those groups, we are engaging in a number of other ways to ensure that all young people have the opportunity to have their say—particularly those whose voices are too often excluded. We will work closely with expert organisations, which will lead a range of engagement activities with young people. That includes a wide-reaching national survey asking about young people’s needs, challenges and priorities, which we will launch very soon. The survey is currently being finalised in conjunction with our expert groups. I do not want to pre-empt what it will include, but I would expect it to cover a wide range of issues, such as what young people’s current needs are, whether they have access to safe spaces, what they would like to have access to outside of school, and much more. The expert organisations will also be conducting in-depth focus groups and innovative events with young people to develop solutions.

[John Slinger (Rugby) (Lab)]

Will my hon. Friend give way?

[Stephanie Peacock]

I am really sorry, but in the interests of time, I will make more progress.

We will provide more information to MPs within the next month regarding the development of the national youth strategy. That will include an engagement toolkit so that MPs can run their own workshops and discussions with young people or share this toolkit with organisations in their constituencies that work with young people. We will also share information regarding the national survey once it is live. It is vital that we reach young people from all parts of the country, and we will be asking MPs to help with that.

As I have set out, the national youth strategy is being led by my Department. However, increasing access to universal and targeted youth provision is a shared mission across Government. Therefore, we want the national youth strategy to co-ordinate the work of Government, helping to ensure that all young people from every corner of the country have access to the services they need.

My hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield specifically raised the young futures hubs, which will be placed in local communities to improve the way that young people can access opportunities. My Department is working closely with the Department for Education, the Home Office and others to take that forward. Tomorrow, the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend for Lewisham East (Janet Daby), and I will co-chair the first meeting of the young futures ministerial group, which sits under the safer streets mission board. That will be the first step towards delivering a new cross-Government approach to supporting young people.

Today’s debate has focused on young people’s access to universal and targeted provision. This Government are committed to delivering on our national missions, and young people and their access to the opportunities they deserve form a vital part of that. We have an opportunity, through the national youth strategy, to work collectively, and across Government, to set a new direction for young people, listening to their needs and responding through universal and targeted youth provision.

The debate has been incredibly popular, and I am sorry I have not been able to take all the interventions. This has been a great opportunity to showcase the role of youth provision and the difference it makes to young people, and I look forward to seeing what we do together. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield once again on securing this important debate.

Question put and agreed to.