Agenda item

9.1

The Executive Director, Children, Young People and Families, submitted a report providing an update on youth services in Sheffield.  The report set out information in terms of the current provision of youth services, as commissioned and organised by the Local Authority, and set out the changes that have taken place since 2010, with the start of the Coalition Government’s austerity programme.  The report also set out the future challenges facing youth services, and included details of a proposal that the Council was developing with partners for the creation of a Youth Trust for Sheffield, from 2017.

9.2

In attendance for this item were Sam Martin, Assistant Director, Lifelong Learning, Skills and Communities, and Gail Gibbons, Chief Executive, Sheffield Futures.

9.3

Members of the Committee raised questions and the following responses were provided:-

·                There were no firm proposals at the present time in terms of the Youth Trust, other than it was envisaged that the Trust would sit outside the Council, with the Council having a role in its organisation.  There were plans to speak to commissioners in the NHS and the Police and Crime Commissioner, in connection with proposals to potentially pool resources and create a jointly-commissioned provision, if possible.

·                It was difficult to demonstrate the impact open access youth work makes, and youth services nationally have struggled with this issue.  It had been identified that, with regard to the proposed Youth Trust, there was a need to do something different, particularly with regard to the procurement process, and officers were currently working with colleagues in Legal Services to look at different ways of how this could be done.  Whilst Sheffield Futures received funding other than that received from the Council, there would be a considerable impact if Sheffield Futures were to close down, namely with regard to staff, pensions and service continuity.  However, the Council also needed to ensure it was spending public money effectively and ensuring adequate competition for contracts. There was a need for an options appraisals process, and having Sheffield Futures as the Youth Trust was one possible option to be considered, along with a range of other possibilities.  The youth services contract between the Council and Sheffield Futures was not only about youth work, but also involved casework, one to one support and family support for people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs).  It was, and always had been, very difficult to track the impact of youth club provision on young people.  It had however, been possible for Sheffield Futures to track casework and group work.

·                The reason for the proposed changes was due to a combination of factors, with the Government’s austerity measures being the major driver.  The Council was trying to improve its youth services, whilst being mindful of the budget position. 

·                Gail Gibbons agreed to raise the issue regarding the way other providers’ services were promoted via the careers information services or Sheffield Futures with the Communications Manager at Sheffield Futures.

·                The Service welcomed any suggestions in terms of the wording in the Youth Pledge, accepting that there was a need to have some reference to vulnerability.

·                The Council would look at a number of different possible funding models, one of which would include a social investor putting up the money for delivery, with the Council then paying out according to an outcomes-based tariff model which, if successful, would ultimately repay the original investors.  Whilst any new proposed model would not entirely replace what the Council was putting in in terms of funding, it would hopefully result in a system which was favourable to the Council over time.  Most schemes of this nature work over a three to five year basis, with outcome payments being set up in a number of different ways, such as payments to investors being triggered when certain milestones were met.

·                The Youth Trust should be used as a vehicle to enable discussions with other groups/organisations in the City, with regard to service provision.  There needs to be some kind of financial model, which was not just about commissioning a service, but also a wider partnership approach to meeting the needs of the young people of Sheffield.

·                Universal careers guidance was now the responsibility of individual schools, and it was acknowledged that careers officers, based in, or employed by schools, should always give impartial advice at all times and should always focus on the needs of the young person.  When Connexions ended, schools then had the responsibility of providing their own careers advice.  Sheffield Futures now provided a bought-in service for around 75% of secondary schools, with the rest buying in their own service.  The Council continued to support a network of lead teachers responsible for careers education and advice, and held a forum to discuss issues, maintain standards for the City and encourage best practice.

·                The youth clubs operated by Sheffield Futures at the present time had very high attendance.

9.4

RESOLVED: That the Committee:-

(a)       notes the contents of the report now submitted, together with the responses to the questions raised; and

(b)       requests the Executive Director, Children, Young People and Families, (i) in liaison with a Working Group, including Members of this Committee, to investigate the proposal to develop a Youth Trust and Youth Pledge, feeding in the comments and questions raised at this meeting, and to report back on progress to this Committee by November 2016, and (ii) to submit a report back to this Committee in early 2017, on the final findings and recommendations.