Making youth services funding fairer and more proportionate

Thank you for contacting my office. I appreciate you getting in touch about youth services.

Youth services and trained youth workers can have a transformational impact, especially for young people facing multiple barriers or disadvantage. It is important that all young people are given the opportunity to develop the skills, networks and resilience that can improve their life chances and support them to avoid negative pathways such as violence and crime.

Therefore, I am delighted that young people in England will be given access to more activities, trips away from home and volunteering opportunities as part of a new National Youth Guarantee backed by £560 million investment.

This investment includes £378 million for the Youth Investment Fund. Under this scheme, youth services across 45 Local Authorities and around 600 district wards in the most deprived parts of England will be eligible to apply for the £378 million Youth Investment Fund. It will pave the way for up to 300 youth facilities to be built or refurbished over the next three years, providing young people with a safe space to engage in positive activities outside of school, and access support from youth workers.

In addition, the National Citizen Service (NCS) will receive £171 million over the next three years to provide thousands more young people from all backgrounds with opportunities to become ‘world ready and work ready’. The NCS is more important than ever following the Covid-19 pandemic, and it will provide a year round offer that supports young people’s mental wellbeing and helps them to develop life skills that improve their confidence and employability.

A further £22 million will go towards The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, non-military uniformed youth groups, including Scouts and Guides, and the #iwill Fund which will continue getting young people involved in social action projects, which is expected to trigger tens of thousands of new volunteering opportunities.

This means that, by 2025, every young person in England will have access to regular out of school activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. This includes all 11-18 year olds, and up to 25 years old for those with special educational needs and disabilities.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, I know my ministerial colleagues also worked hard to stabilise youth charities so that they are in strong position to deliver the outcomes envisaged for young people through the Youth Investment Fund. This included through the £15.6 million Youth Covid Support Fund which provided emergency funding specifically for youth services. This fund was part of a wider package of support for the charity sector which saw £100 million go to organisations supporting children and young people during the pandemic.

Furthermore, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has been reviewing the guidance which accompanies the statutory duty placed on Local Authorities to secure local youth services. Officials held consultations with the youth sector and young people, and ran a public call for evidence, which closed in December 2019. The conclusions of the review were delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and are now being considered as part of a wider review of out of school youth programmes.

Thank you once again for getting in touch, and if I can be of further assistance with any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.