An update on the NYA’s Routes to Success Tailored Support programme

November 2012

Sue Quinn, National Programme Manager

The National Youth Agency

The context

• By the end of 2012-2013 NYA will have worked with 65 Local Authorities

• Tailored Support is a free bespoke 10 day consultancy• The main issues have been: reconfiguration; service

review; commissioning; demonstrating impact and outcomes; workforce development; peer review and development

• Around half have been restructured during 2011-2012, some previously and some expecting to within the current year

• Almost all authorities have reported budget cuts between 2010 – 2013 with many required to make further cuts in this next financial year

No ‘one size fits all’ but there are some commonalities:•The drivers for change are generally; budget cuts; the localism agenda; positive for youth; more effective and targeted services•Most popular delivery is integrated services present in over 60% of authorities•2 authorities have abandoned integrated services•20% have moved from centralised service to area/locality based provision often based around hubs•25% are expected to reach a much broader age range with 5 authorities providing for 0-19•At least 4 areas have commissioned out with other authorities commissioning open access provision

Structures

Service delivery

• A number of authorities are working in locality or area based services with a specific focus on prevention and early intervention

• Examples of hub-based services delivering across a number of themes including: early years and parenting: health and wellbeing; community development; youth justice; integrated assessment

• Open access on the decline in many authorities with voluntary, community and faith sectors taking over with many different models

• Some authorities embracing the troubled families agenda working alongside social workers

• A return to the language of “youth and community”

Commissioning and Partnerships

• Many examples of commissioning with a mixed economy of voluntary and in-house provision

• Greater focus on in-house targeted work, moving delivery of open access work out of the authority

• Supporting capacity building within the voluntary and community sectors

• Managing multiple contracts• Supporting local consortia• Establishment of neighborhood, locality, district, hub-based

groups to assess needs and co-ordinate delivery• Quality assurance and outcomes based commissioning and

accountability

Monitoring and Quality

• Over half of authorities have recognised the need for developing an outcomes framework and developing consistent approaches to recording impact and the effectiveness of youth work

• Collect, record and analysis of the appropriate data and better evidence of the contribution to the authority’s broader priorities

• Internal understanding of the strengths of youth work alongside the “right to challenge” under the Localism Act 2011

• Some authorities have developed a Quality Mark/set of delivery standards for all their voluntary and community sector providers

Summary

• Need for flexibility of delivery and embracing current developments

• Multiple contracts and support for consortia• Need for services to identify how they contribute to overall

outcomes and make more effective use of data collection and analysis

• Generic staff roles across services for young people and the need for workforce support and induction

• Secure the “voice of young people” • Development of commissioning processes aligned with

quality assurance and outcomes based delivery