Lib Dem Council creates new service for young people (York Liberal Democrats)

York Liberal Democrats <info@yorklibdems.org.uk>

Lib Dem Council creates new service for young people

January 22, 2008 4:52 PM

From April the Council's Youth Service will be joining forces with Connexions - the service which provides information, guidance and support for young people aged 13-19. This move will create a new integrated service for young people, with local youth teams which young people can access more easily. It will be better equipped with joint resources, staff and funding, bringing over £1,000,000 per year of Connexions funding to the Council's service.

A programme of building work is also due to be undertaken at the existing youth centres to enable them to operate as hub centres. The staff of the new service for young people will be based in locality teams at the Kingswater Centre, Clifton Green, Fulford Youth Centre and Moor Lane Youth Centre, where the building work will see over £150,000 of improvements, including new interview rooms for young people.

The service for young people will now be in charge of delivering services such as positive activities and outreach work, as well as information, advice and guidance, and services to promote post-16 training for all young people. The name of the new integrated youth service will be decided by young people at a later stage.

Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Youth and Social Inclusion, Cllr Keith Aspden, took the decision at the Children's Services Committee on 21 January to recommend the new service to the Council's Executive. The final confirmation will be made on 29 January.

Cllr Keith Aspden said, "I hope that the new integrated service will develop new and innovative ways of delivering services to young people, and the Liberal Democrats believe it will empower young people by giving them more choice and influence over the services and facilities available to them. It is important that we continue to invest in young people, centres and staff, through the capital improvements with the new service."

Liberal Executive Executive Member for Children's Services, Cllr Carol Runciman, added,

"We made the decision last year to join resources from the Connexions service with the Council's Youth Service, rather than to find new contractors to provide this service. I am very pleased that we will now have a more integrated youth service, with advice and guidance services coming under our youth service provision, and I am sure a locality-based approach will deliver a more flexible and accessible youth service."