Creating Integrated

Youth Support and

Development
a joint statement from:

The National Youth Agency

The Association of Principal Youth and Community Officers

The National Association of Connexions Partners

 Joint statement from The NYA, NACP and APYCO on Integrated Youth Support and Development

Introduction
We want to create a society in which all young people develop and progress, fulfilling their
potential and making a positive contribution to their communities. To achieve this we need to
advance consistently with the ‘Youth Matters’ strategy based on the five ‘Every Child Matters’
outcomes and building on existing good practice. This requires a step change in how we
support young people, and help them to develop during their teenage years and into young
adulthood, through a comprehensive youth offer.

Effective policies and services for young people are supported by five pillars:
Ready access Involving Early Effective Account-
for all young young people intervention coordination ability to
people to themselves with of imaginative young people
a range of in the design, individuals and provision by and the wider
opportunities delivery and communities statutory, public for better
and services review of to prevent the independent outcomes,
for their programmes to onset of more and leading to
support and tackle specific deep-seated community- continuous
development issues in their problems and based improvement
lives and take to develop organisations, of performance
action human and linking local that aims for
social capital delivery to excellence
well directed
national
policies

What do young people want?

From research with young people we know that they want:

• someone to talk to about their lives and aspirations;
• skilled adults who can both support groups and listen to individuals;
• to be able to make decisions about things that matter to them;
• low – or no-cost safe places to go, where they can belong;
• opportunities to improve their skills and confidence, have fun and make new friends;
• activities provided in their neighbourhood, available after 6pm, at weekends and in holiday
times;
• better and more affordable public transport, particularly in rural areas;
• sound and informed advice about their options and choices;
• access to public spaces – adult-style settings such as cafes, cinemas and education
spaces; and
• facilities that welcome young parents and their children.

Our Vision
During the transition to adulthood, every young person will be entitled to, and be
able to shape:
• personal, social and educational development opportunities;
• independent and impartial information, advice, counselling and guidance; and
• positive leisure-time activities and facilities,
with whatever level of support is needed to enable each of them to achieve and
progress.


 Joint statement from The NYA, NACP and APYCO on Integrated Youth Support and Development

Characteristics
The creation of a locally integrated support and development system will be
underpinned by:

• the delivery of all the five Every Child Matters outcomes;

• fulfilment of statutory objectives – eg for careers advice and for personal and
social development;
• the full participation of young people in identifying needs, planning, providing and
evaluating services; and
• sufficient resources to recruit, retain and develop a skilled workforce, including
relevant management expertise.

The local system will include the following features:

• information, advice, counselling and guidance;

• skilled advocacy which is independent and accountable to the young person;
• opportunities for personal and social development in leisure time;
• intensive (targeted) work with groups and individuals; and
• voluntary action and engagement in civic decision-making.

Targeted services within a universal framework

As they grow up, young people draw on a wide range of universal services including schools,
colleges, health and housing. These form part of the framework within which more targeted
services operate, and should develop a personalised approach to respond to young people’s
individual needs.

Young people’s needs for activities, information and support are individual and change over
time. It is therefore important that the services are flexible enough to offer a personalised
response without stigma or labelling, offering the right level of support as and when needed,
from the extensive range of professional skills and technologies available. Good personal
contact and effective assessment and review are tools to help ensure that each young person
gets the right response for her or him.

For example, the integrated system will provide access to:

• a choice of gateways to services – including multi-disciplinary agency centres, each
offering access to the full range of information, advice, guidance and support that a young
person might need;
• intensive support from multi-agency teams, as and when required;
• personal advocacy on behalf of young people; and
• personalised services such as positive activities for young people and Learning and
Activity Agreements.

At the local level it might resemble the diagram that follows. As the diagram shows, provision
includes basic information for everyone about what is on offer; a broad and balanced stable
foundation of core facilities and activities for anyone who wishes to participate, in locations
and at times that suit them; and more flexible provision shaped by their interests, needs
and aspirations. Activities should be properly planned, resourced and supported, with either
informal recording or accreditation through local or national award schemes.


 Joint statement from The NYA, NACP and APYCO on Integrated Youth Support and Development

BEING INFORMED
All young people informed
about their entitlement: TAKING PART:
• letter at age 13 Open access provision
• phone helpline for those who choose it:
• website • building-based and
• radio ACHIEVING OUTCOMES
mobile
• posters wherever young through:
• street-based youth
people go • young-people-led activity
work in deprived
• active involvement
areas
• accountable advocacy
• extended schools
• programmes of personal and
• sports and arts
social development based on
organisations
a comprehensive assessment
• museums, libraries
of need
and other specialist
• opportunities for volunteering
facilities
• information advice guidance
and counselling
• targeted work for those with
complex needs

RESULTS: Young people in good shape

• Staying safe
• Being healthy
• Enjoying and achieving
• Making a positive contribution
• Achieving economic wellbeing

Ensuring good local provision

The Local Authority has a duty to create Children and Young People’s Trust-like arrangements,
provide community leadership and promote the quality of life for all its citizens, including the
young.

Local arrangements should:

• secure inclusive strategic leadership for local services for young people across its own
departments, public bodies and organisations, ensuring the active participation of young
people in the specification, commissioning, governance, delivery and scrutiny of services;
• plan to meet its ambitions for young people by commissioning appropriate and coherent
youth support and development opportunities through a thorough needs analysis and
robust partnership arrangements that ensure best value;
• take a leading role in representing the interests of its young citizens at local, regional,
national and European government levels;
• directly provide high quality work with young people in settings where it is uniquely placed
to make direct provision, particularly for more disadvantaged and vulnerable youngsters;
and
• give and exert accountability to and for young people.


 Joint statement from The NYA, NACP and APYCO on Integrated Youth Support and Development

Outcomes
The key aim is to measure services against better outcomes for young people. New national
and local targets are required which better reflect outcomes for adolescents and young
adults. These should include targets in respect of increasing the number of young people
in education employment or training (EET) who make successful transitions into adult life;
opportunities for vulnerable groups and action on community issues including offending.

This requires:
• annual published government reports of the ‘condition of our young people’ with trend
data over time;
• similar reports by every Children and Young People’s Service and Government Offices so
that a picture is available locally, regionally and nationally;
• an explicit set of Standards for each element of the youth offer;
• clear arrangements for internal quality assurance complemented by regular external
inspection of the performance of integrated youth support services in each locality,
including young people in the inspection team and reporting to young people and the
wider public;
• rigorous action and support to raise the quality of poorly-performing services; and
• a defined programme of continuing professional development to increase the skills of staff
and promote better multi-disciplinary working.

Conclusion
Youth support and development will be delivered as part of the overall machinery of the local
Children and Young People’s trust arrangements, ensuring that these include a clear strategic
and structural focus on the teenage years within the 0 to 19 age-range.

One useful metaphor is that of a traditional good-quality department store:

• at strategic level, delivery of a single vision is driven by unified management
working through common operational principles and standards, and strong and
consistent performance management;
• on offer is an extensive range of choices and options, each delivered by a team
of appropriately skilled and experienced professionals;
• the distinct ‘departments’ are linked together by clear signposting, with common
systems and processes behind the scenes;
• all staff take responsibility for the ‘whole customer’ and her/his needs, no matter
in which department the customer happens to be; and
• the bottom line in terms of performance for young people is clear for all to see.

In the case of youth support, some of the ‘departments’ will be in separate

locations and may be led by different agencies, and inevitably some locations will
have more activities and opportunities on site. But there will be links between them
all, and from a young person’s perspective they will each be part of a coherent
whole that is easy to navigate.

The experience of each young person and the resulting outcomes will be the
measures of success. Rather than a series of unrelated interventions in their day-to-
day living, young people will experience holistic support, forward movement in their
lives, improved skills and development, excitement and friendship. They will have
someone to talk to about their wishes and aspirations; safe places to go; interesting
and affordable things to do; the right and ability to make decisions about the things
that matter to them. They will know we are interested in them and listen to them, and
that services are relevant to their needs and interests.


 Joint statement from The NYA, NACP and APYCO on Integrated Youth Support and Development

About The NYA

The NYA works in partnership with young people and with organisations and services to
ensure better outcomes for young people. It is an independent, development organisation
located between government and funding bodies on the one hand and service providers and
their users on the other.

We strive to ensure that the work of services and organisations is:

• relevant to the lives of young people;
• responsive to policy;
• effective and of a high standard;
• efficient and provides good value; and
• successful in securing the best outcomes for young people.
www.nya.org.uk

About NACP
NACP is an independent Association – funded through member subscriptions – of
organisations delivering integrated information, advice and guidance (IAG) and support to
13 to 19-year-olds. Our purpose is: to enable young people to maximise their economic
wellbeing and their contribution to the country’s skill base; to champion the involvement of
young people at every level in the development and delivery of services that they utilise; to
work collaboratively with national and local government and other bodies who have a remit
to improve outcomes for young people; to advocate on behalf of young people; to promote
the need for national standards and accountability for the delivery of information, advice,
guidance, support and wider development opportunities; and to develop and disseminate
good practice, seeking continuous improvement of youth support services.
www.nacp.co.uk

About APYCO
APYCO is the primary voice of the leaders of local authority youth services in England. It
employs a Chief Executive and Professional Assistant whose work is  guided by the Executive
Committee of serving Principal Youth Officers, or their equivalent, elected from each of the 9
regions.

It provides an independent network of support  and advice  and advocates on their behalf
through the provision of a professional response to youth work issues regionally, nationally
and internationally. In seeking to ensure the continued delivery of high quality responsive and
effective youth work and other services for young people it asserts the need for a framework
to be  adopted to inform strategic thinking and planning. It works in collaboration with other
organisations to create informed debate on issues affecting young people particularly in
relation to their direct involvement in decisions which impact on their lives.
www.apyco.org.uk

Published by

Eastgate House, 19–23 Humberstone Road, Leicester LE5 3GJ.

Tel: 0116 242 7350. Fax: 0116 242 7444.
E-mail: nya@nya.org.uk
Websites: www.nya.org.uk  www.youthinformation.com