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Youth support

Ofsted reports about youth support

• Critical issues in the provision of youth work for young disabled people - 31 January 2013. This survey reports on young disabled people’s access to youth work and its impact on their lives. Inspectors undertook a sample of 18 visits to local authorities, charities and voluntary and community sector organisations, each of which were promoting work of this nature. You can also see related good practice case studies:
  • Good practice resource - People power: Norfolk Coalition of Disabled People
  • Good practice resource - Befriending and buddying for young disabled people: Kent County Council
  • Good practice resource - Helping disabled young people achieve well through effective work-placement schemes: Whizz-Kidz
  • Good practice resource - Responsive youth club work: Rochdale Youth Service
  • Good practice resource - Young Disabled Champions rule: Birmingham City Council
  • Good practice resource - Effective professional development in youth services: Bath and North East Somerset Council
  • Good practice resource - SPLICE night - inclusive youth services: Merseyside Youth Association
• An evaluation of approaches to commissioning young people's services - 9 August 2011. This small-scale survey examines approaches to the commissioning of services for young people in 12 local authority areas and reports on the experience of national organisations involved in this work.
• Choosing to volunteer- 5 December 2011. This survey evaluates volunteering programmes located within a sample of schools, colleges, and youth and community settings. It reports on the experiences of the young people, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, who participate in volunteering programmes. Inspectors collected evidence through visits to six secondary schools, seven colleges and six youth and community organisations. The survey was supported by evidence from online panels of 328 young people.
• Supporting young people: an evaluation of recent reforms to youth support services in 11 local areas - 20 July 2010. This survey examines the progress made in 11 local authority areas in developing new arrangements to integrate the work of various youth support agencies.
• Engaging young people: local authority youth work 2005-08 - 25 March 2009. This report draws upon evidence from local authority youth services inspections which took place as part of Ofsted’s joint area reviews of children’s and young people’s services from 2005 to 2008. It reports on the quality and impact of youth work. The report tracks recent but early developments in the introduction of integrated youth support.

Case studies of good practice in youth support

• Outstanding citizenship enrichment: Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College - 12 December 2012. This example focuses on how a school developed the themes of responsible action, advocacy and representation in and beyond the sixth form. It explains how a responsive citizenship curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 provides a good platform for citizenship in the sixth form. An ‘Interact’ club - part of Rotary International - is featured as an example of a local opportunity for sixth form students which combines business and enterprise with aspects of citizenship.
• Routes to citizenship: Bishop Auckland College - 24 July 2012. Bishop Auckland College provides a rich variety of routes relevant to the development of students’ citizenship skills. Some feature as a discrete element of the taught curriculum, while others are embedded within college life and the enrichment programme.
• A ‘one-stop’ service for young people affected by substance misuse: Platform Young People’s Drugs - 27 March 2012. The Platform project aims to help and support young people whose lives have been affected by substance to help themselves. It provides coherent and focused professional support, operates outreach provision across Leeds and improves the capacity of the diverse city-wide children and young people’s workforce to contribute to drug and alcohol education.
• Motivating young people through music: Sound It Out Community Music - 7 November 2011. Sound It Out’s ‘Initi8’ project demonstrates how music can be a powerful force in inspiring young people, motivating them, building their self-esteem and helping them to progress through involvement in music projects, either as a participant or through working as a volunteer.
• Developing an effective students union - 15 June 2011. How an effective students union can support students, help to improve achievement and contribute to the 'learner voice'.
• Peer Mentoring Scheme: Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College - 2 February 2012. This good practice example details the peer mentoring journey undergone at Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College over a three year period. It records the measures taken by college leaders to establish an effective programme. It focuses on students’ experience and reports on the impact of peer mentoring on success rates and the sustainable benefits of volunteering.

National Adviser

Tony Gallagher is the National Adviser, Youth Support and currently leads thematic surveys and provides policy advice in relation to youth support. He has been an HMI for 12 years prior to which he worked as a senior local authority youth and community officer and teacher. His previous work includes the management of Ofsted’s national programme of inspections of local authority youth services, leadership of Joint Area Reviews (JARS) of Children’s Services, inspections of FE, adult and community education, Connexions, youth work, the voluntary and community sector and 14-19 provision. Tony acts as an observer on the NYA board of trustees.

External links

• National Youth Agency
• Confederation of Heads of Young People's Services
• National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS)
• North West regional youth work unit
• Regional youth work unit. Yorkshire and Humberside
• North East Regional Youth Work Unit
• ‘V’ – youth volunteering charity
• Learning South West