Promoting and Supporting Youth Work in the North East

Commissioning and Market Making

Ivan WintringhamRegional Youth Work Unit – North East

Promoting and Supporting Youth Work in the North East

Some definitions...

Commissioning – the cycle of assessing the needs of people in an area, designing and then securing an appropriate service

Procurement – the specific aspects of the commissioning cycle that focus on the process of buying services, from initial advertising through to appropriate contract arrangements

Decommissioning – reducing service activity or ending contract

Promoting and Supporting Youth Work in the North East

‘Local authorities taking a commissioning perspective to local services and utilising the full capacity of alternative suppliers (from the private, voluntary and community sectors, and from excellent service providers within local government) are key drivers to the reform and performance of our local services’

Department for Communities & Local Government

Promoting and Supporting Youth Work in the North East

Some context ...

Gershon report (2004) – proposed local authorities achieve 2.5% efficiency savings per year, including through better procurement practice

Varney report(2005) – public services should focus on ‘citizens’ rather than ‘customers’

Lyon report (2006) – promoted the role of the local authority in ‘place shaping’ – responsibility for the well-being of a community and its citizens

Local Government White Paper (2006) – local authorities as ‘convenors’ rather than deliverers

Promoting and Supporting Youth Work in the North East

ECM Context

Focus on coordinated multi-agency working to increase efficiency and effectiveness of services

Central role for children, young people and families in planning and design of services

Services built around improving outcomes for children, young people and families

Development of integrated delivery, processes, strategy and governance

Key role of local authority as coordinator, but not necessarily deliverer of services

Promoting and Supporting Youth Work in the North East

Aiming High – themes and principles

Quality – only high quality services are effective in improving young people’s outcomes

Empowerment – involvement of young people in influencing provision

Access – removing barriers to young people’s engagement in positive activities

Progressive universalism – provision for all young people, with more support for those who need it

Prevention – building young people’s resilience Rights and responsibilities – role for young

people, parents and communities in influencing provision

Promoting and Supporting Youth Work in the North East

Some key questions

Quality What mechanisms need to be in place to

ensure the commissioning of quality services for young people? What are likely to be some of the challenges to achieving this?

Empowerment How can young people, parents and the wider

community be genuinely involved in the joint planning and joint commissioning of services? What steps need to be taken to encourage young people who are particularly disadvantaged or marginalised to participate?

Promoting and Supporting Youth Work in the North East

Key questions (contd)

Access What should local authorities be doing to

broaden their range of ‘suppliers’ in order to ensure a wide range of provision is accessible to young people within their area? Who else should they be seeking to influence/build relationships with in order to improve access for young people?