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Press release: Youth services are improving but one in five need considerable improvement

There is a stark contrast between the strongest and weakest youth services with a significant minority of local authorities failing to ensure that such services are properly integrated into the new children's services delivery structure, according to a new report published by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) today.

Building on the best: overview of local authority youth services 2005-06, states that the quality of youth work is gradually improving with a greater proportion judged good or better than in previous years.

Of the 33 youth services inspected, 15 youth were judged good or better, 11 adequate and 7 inadequate. There is a need for considerable improvement in one in five of the services inspected.

The strongest youth service inspected was Doncaster which received the grade of outstanding. Coventry, Devon, Enfield, Hounslow, Isle of Wight, Milton Keynes, North Somerset, Rotherham, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Wakefield, Windsor and Maidenhead and the Wirral, were all judged as being good. Inspectors found that strong leadership is a key factor in bringing about improvement. The most successful services have a clear vision and match resources to needs effectively.

Flo Hadley, Divisional Manager for Ofsted's Children's Services Inspection Division, said:

"Youth services have a vital role to play in the community. The best services recognise that youth workers are essential to engage young people, including those with more challenging attitudes and behaviour. Not all local areas recognise this."

Inspectors found that resources and quality are closely linked. Some councils have increased their youth service budget and tangible benefits can be seen, but some local authorities continue to expect too much of youth services without backing this expectation with funding.

Ofsted recommends that local authorities ensure that processes are in place to enable elected members, senior officers and other decision makers, including children's trusts, to understand the educational role of youth work in general; the quality of the youth work provision; and its potential contribution to young people's lives. They should also seek to build upon the managerial and relevant experience of youth service officers and engage them in key strategic developments.

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Notes For Editors

1. Building on the best: overview of local authority youth services 2005-06 will be published on the Ofsted website on Wednesday 14 February 2007.

2. Ofsted is a non-ministerial government department established under the Education (Schools) Act 1992 to take responsibility for the inspection of all schools in England. Its role also includes the inspection of further education, local authority children's services, teacher training institutions and some independent schools. During 2001, Ofsted became responsible for inspecting all 16-19 education and for the regulation of early years childcare, including childminders.

3. On 1 April 2007, the new Ofsted will take responsibility for inspecting children's social care from the Commission for Social Care Inspection, inspecting adult learning from the Adult Learning Inspectorate, and inspecting the Children and Family Courts Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Court Administration, in addition to Ofsted's current responsibilities.

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