Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance her Department is providing to local authorities implementing Young Futures Hubs on (a) ensuring that they are safe spaces for children, (b) provision for girls and young women to access mixed-gender and gender-specific spaces where appropriate, and (c) appropriate responses to disclosures of violence against women and girls.

Early adopter local authorities were provided with guidance on core requirements for Young Futures Hubs. Local areas co-design their hubs with young people to ensure provision meets their needs, including mixed-gender and gender-specific spaces where appropriate. While facilities may vary, every hub should offer a consistent, safe, inclusive and welcoming experience, with governance structures that support risk and safeguarding management. Learning from the early adopters will inform future guidance.

We are passionate about the safety of girls and young women in all youth provision. We committed in the cross government strategy on Freedom from Violence and abuse that frontline professionals, such as GPs, teachers, youth workers and social workers, will spot the signs of abuse and connect individuals to specialist help.