MS, Cabinet Secretary for
Education: As we once again reach the annual celebration of youth
work week, there is no better time to highlight how youth work
offers vital support for young people, broadening their horizons
and empowering them to fulfil their potential.
Responding to the recommendations made by the Interim Youth Work
Board in their final report, ‘Time to deliver for young
people in Wales', we have taken action to help strengthen
youth work in Wales and ensure that its vital contribution
is better valued and understood. Key developments include:
Another of the Interim Youth Work Board's recommendations focused
on the potential establishment of a national body for youth work.
This body would, in the Interim Board's opinion, help develop a
more joined-up approach to the design and delivery of youth work,
support innovation and collaboration as well as raise the profile
of youth work and build a better understanding of its impact.
Evidence has been gathered from a wide range of sources in recent
months to look in detail at how a body of this kind could help
achieve these aims. Having carefully considered this evidence, I
can confirm that work will now progress to establish a national
body for youth work in Wales.
To inform the next phase of this work, an advisory group,
including young people as well as representatives from across the
youth work sector and beyond, will be established to look in
detail at the role and remit a national body, its governance
structures and its alignment to other organisations. The group
will be tasked with helping us ensure we develop an organisation
that represents the sector as a whole, advocates on behalf of
youth work and ultimately enhances the youth work offer for young
people across Wales.
Our draft statutory framework
for youth work set out proposals aimed at strengthening the
legislative basis for youth work in Wales, introducing a
structured approach to planning and reporting. This framework
will help build better accountability and sustainability for
youth work. Careful work has been undertaken in recent months in
partnership with representatives across the sector as well as the
Youth Work Strategy Implementation Board to consider the issues
raised during the formal consultation phase and identify
opportunities to strengthen our proposals.
This work will continue over the months ahead as we look in
details at the role and remit of a national body to ensure these
key developments are fully aligned and support a unified vision
for the future of youth work. Further details will be shared in
due course regarding the timeline for the finalisation and
introduction of this framework to ensure all partners can plan
accordingly.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has
engaged so positively in this work to date. I would also like to
acknowledge the invaluable advice of the Youth Work Strategy
Implementation Board as we reach this important milestone. The
collaborative approach adopted throughout this work will continue
as we take our next steps to strengthen youth work in Wales.
