Agenda item

To receive a report from the Head of Early Help Services which provides details of the work that has been undertaken since March 2022 to progress the new model of youth work delivery in Leeds.

The Head of Early Help Services presented a report which detailed the work that has been undertaken since March 2022 to progress the new model of youth work delivery in Leeds.

Attending for this item were:

·  Councillor Fiona Venner - Executive Member for Adult and Children’s Social Care and Health Partnerships

·  Councillor Jonathan Pryor Executive Member for Economy, Culture and Education

·  Councillor Jane Dowson - Deputy Executive Member

·  Julie Longworth - Director of Children and Families

·  Ruth Terry, Chief Officer Social Work

·  Farrah Khan - Chief Officer Family Help

·  Paul Money - Chief Officer Safer, Stronger Communities

·  Liz Jarmin – Head of Locality Partnerships

The Deputy Executive Member explained that she was attending on behalf of the Executive Member for Communities (Cllr Harland), who had sent her apologies. The Deputy Executive Member and the Director of Children and Families then gave a brief introduction to the report and highlighted the following:

Ø  There is a plan for Locality Youth Work teams to move from the Children and Families Directorate structure to the Safer, Stronger Communities Services from April 2023 to strengthen locality working, including links with Community Committees. It was noted that there will still be close relationships with the wider Children and Families Partnership including early help, statutory social work and broader youth service projects.  It was highlighted that the following areas of responsibility would also remain within the Children and Families Directorate:

·  Return home interviews after a child has been missing.

·  The Pathways Team, who have a statutory duty to offer support to young people who are not in education, employment or training.

·  Life Coaches – with children on the edge of care, supporting those who are not in education, employment or training and support in relation to adolescent mental health.

Ø  Six out of the eight posts for the Life Coaching Team had been recruited to, with the team expected to be at full capacity around May 2023.  Reference was also made to the investment of Youth Working in Training posts and providing them with an opportunity to complete the Level 3 qualification in youth work as part of their job.

Ø  The progress made since March 2022 linked to the new Life Coaching Service, locality-based youth work delivery, delivery of the enhanced youth work offers through the commissioning of Third Sector organisations and developments in relation to the youth work quality assurance framework.

Ø  It was recognised that youth work is essential for every child growing up in the city to support them to become active citizens in the city. With partnership working this ensures delivery at a local level in the community and helps young people to reach their potential, keeps them safe from harm, and promotes community respect and community resilience.

Responding to questions from Members the Board were provided with the following information:

·  When the posts for Life Coaches were set up it was the aim that they would focus on adolescent mental health as there had been an increase of adolescent mental health issues in the city. There were also increased numbers of adolescents coming into care and it was recognised that there was a need to target specific support to specific areas. The Service had also used the Trauma Informed approach and had secured investment from Health in relation to a trauma informed resource aimed at looking at workforce development through universal services, looking at schools and clusters providing opportunities to upskill staff. The Life Coaches will also work to the Leeds Practice Model which uses the Rethink Formulation. Life Coaches would provide a more intensive support to young people. The roles of Life Coaches can also offer opportunities to Youth workers to progress and take up another role. It was clarified that Life Coaches would have a different role to Youth Workers, although there would be some similarities.

·  It was noted that Life Coaches had been a budget commitment from Baroness Blake when she was Leader of the Council and was in recognition of the increase in adolescent mental health and increased numbers of adolescents going into care. It was about providing an additional and specialist resource to the Youth Service in relation to mental health.

·  It was acknowledged that there was now a degree in youth work which was welcomed and provided parity in relation to social work. It was noted that Leeds has also benefited from having a senior leader role with a youth worker background. Prior to the pandemic there had been an annual event of a youth workers conference and it was the view that this should be revived again.

·  The report had referenced centre-based provision and mobile provision where the van is taken to communities where there is no centre based provision. It was noted there was a need for ongoing conversations with young people to find what provision was required and where required.  It was acknowledged there was a need to engage and educate young people to look at responsibility and respect for greenspaces enabling them to become the citizens of tomorrow.

While acknowledging that elements of the Youth Service would now be transferring to the responsibility of the Communities, Housing and Environment Directorate, the Chair offered his view it would still be beneficial for oversight of the Youth Service to remain within the remit of the Children and Families Scrutiny Board and for this to be taken into consideration when determining governance arrangements.

RESOLVED - To support and endorse the approach being taken to continue developing a joined up and consistent approach to the quality assurance and promotion of the Youth Work Offer in Leeds.