Agenda item

Youth Service Performance Report 2019 – 2020

To consider the report of the Youth Services Manager.

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report of the Youth Services Manager which was presented to provide Members with the opportunity to scrutinise the work of the Youth Service, demonstrating how the Council meets its statutory requirements of providing a Youth Service for young people aged 11-25 and a Counselling Service for 11-18 year olds.

 

The Youth Services Manager spoke to the report and highlighted the main points contained therein, which included a brief update on how the service has refocussed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

The Chair congratulated the Youth Services Manager and the team on all the work that had been undertaken especially in relation to the qualifications achieved and the reduction of pupils becoming NEET’s.

 

A Member commented that Youth Services were doing an exceptional job in the circumstances and agreed with the Chair’s comments and added that it was pleasing to note the part the Youth Services played in supporting youngsters to achieve qualifications. 

 

The Member raised concerns regarding EU funding coming to an end and enquired if consideration had been given to where to look for future funding.  The Youth Services Manager said that discussions were taking place with various working groups to look at funding coming from Westminster to Wales. Discussions were being held with the Regeneration Directorate and the 10 local authorities across Wales which will look at opportunities to highlight the funding that is needed and that the Youth Services Manager was also involved in these discussions.  There would be funding coming to Wales but at this point in time, how that funding would be prioritised was unclear.  She felt it was important to take part in regional discussions to put forward the argument around how important this area of work was. 

 

The Corporate Director of Education said in relation to the loss of European Social funding and EU funding across the board that was a real risk.  Directors of Environment across the 10 local authority areas in line with the Cardiff Capital Regional City Deal were in dialogue with both the Welsh Government and Central Government and there was a distinct possibility that it would be a priority as part of the Shared Prosperity Fund moving forward. Although this had yet to be confirmed, the Director was aware that there was advocacy at the highest levels taking place.  The loss of EU funding featured on the Education Directorate Register as being high risk because of the implications for the Youth Service, it also featured on the Corporate Risk Register. 

 

A Member commented that as the Youth Service had now absorbed the Leisure Trust within the Section did the Youth Services Manager have capacity to meet the demand of the extra workload.  In relation to capacity within the Youth Services, the Director of Education responded that there had been a restructure, and a new post, Young People and Partnerships was endorsed that encompassed the leisure client function within Education.  There would be a phase 2 restructure that would enable capacity to support the Youth Services Manager in managing her large portfolio of work, with focus on the right people with the right skill sets to be able to manage both the Youth Services and the Leisure client function.

 

Another Member also commented on the excellent report, and felt that the outcomes over the last year with the pandemic were incredible, not only maintaining the success but actually adding to it. 

 

The Committee AGREED to recommend that the report be accepted and endorse Option 1; namely that the Education & Learning Scrutiny Committee considered and accepts the report as presented.

 

Supporting documents: