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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of youth work on (a) helping young people stay safe and (b) building relationships in communities.

This Government recognises the important role that youth work plays in young people’s lives. We know that youth workers are vital to youth services, building trusted relationships and creating safe spaces for young people. We also acknowledge the challenges facing the sector and the changing needs of the young people it supports.

That is why this government launched the co-production of an ambitious new National Youth Strategy, which has been developed together with the youth sector. As part of the National Youth Strategy, we are exploring what young people’s current needs are, looking at access to safe spaces, role models, communities and much more. We will be publishing an interim report shortly, and the Strategy will be published in the autumn.