Kings Norton New Deal for Communities (NDC) Youth Strategy

BASIC INFORMATION

Case study date: January 2007

Local authority in which project based: Birmingham

Date started: May 2006

End date if not ongoing: March 2007 (on production of a forward strategy document)

Type of organisation: Statutory Youth Service

Brief description, including aims and objectives

Kings Norton New Deal for Communities (NDC) Youth Strategy, operating on the 3 Estates in the Kings Norton area of Birmingham, has been developed under the leadership of Birmingham Youth Service. The strategy aims to ensure that young people’s involvement in local regeneration is ‘built in, not bolted on’, with young people working for change in partnership with mainstream service providers and policy makers. The Youth Strategy Team, supported by three Peer Liaison Officers, is developing a strategy for delivering the five core Every Child Matters outcomes in consultation with local young people. The 3 Estates Youth Forum has been established to provide a mechanism for the coordinated involvement of children and young people in decision making processes, including formal links to the NDC board and the Extended Schools Cluster. Forum members take part in consultation activity and are promoting the use of Hear by Right participation standards to local organisations. To date they have developed a manifesto outlining their priorities, begun contributing to plans for local facilities and services, and taken part in recruitment processes. Once the forward strategy document is produced, they will play a more active role in taking forward recommendations arising from the ECM research.

Collaboration

Kings Norton Community Development Trust is the lead organisation responsible for delivering the NDC programme and overseeing the development of the youth strategy, managed by Birmingham Youth Service.

Funding

Funding of £150,000 provided through NDC to cover staffing, activities and conversion of a storeroom as the project base. The youth service has provided match funding.

Staffing

The Youth Affairs Team employs a full-time assistant youth officer who manages three peer liaison officers (PLOs).

NATURE OF PROVISION

Which groups of young people does the project work with ?

The project is aimed at young people aged 11 to 25 years, with a target age range of 13 to 19. The youth forum consists of 19 young people with a core group of 14 regular attendees, drawn from various youth and community groups including uniformed groups, local youth councils and schools. Members reflect the population of the 3 Estates in terms of gender and ethnicity.

How was the need for the project identified?

The Community Development Trust’s 2004-2007 business plan highlighted the lack of coordinated involvement of children and young people in decision making processes. As a result, local services and activities did not meet the needs of local young people and their families. The plan also found that there was not enough support for young people ‘lost to the system’, and a general lack of educational, social and diversionary activities on offer.

The Trust approached Birmingham Youth Service to lead on developing a youth strategy to address these gaps.

How do young people become involved? What, if any, commitment do you ask for?

The liaison officers encouraged local young people to join the youth forum and take part in consultation around the ECM outcomes, through visits to eight youth groups and working with the 3 Estates Youth Work Project to publicise the initiative.

The forum meets formally for two hours every fortnight, as well as organising activities and securing its own funding.

What are the main approaches used and activities offered?

A bespoke Youth Strategy Team is responsible for delivering a tailor-made solution to the project brief in consultation with young people. The employment of three local young people as peer liaison officers provides the team with extensive personal knowledge of the geographic area, its cultural norms and the issues facing young people. This meant that the research into the ECM outcomes was framed in a way that was relevant to local young people, and has allowed the team to engage effectively with those involved in the consultations.

The PLOs have used a wide range of consultation methods including events and activities, focus groups, touch screen responses, mapping exercises and young people’s surveys. So far, over 200 young people have taken part.

The 3 Estates Youth Forum provides a mechanism for young people to help take forward the youth strategy recommendations and promote young people’s participation. Direct links to Kings Norton Community Development Trust and other local service providers allow them to give their views on priorities and processes for their continuing involvement. The group has produced a young person’s manifesto, using the strapline ‘We are here! No longer invisible’, which provides a basis for its work and promotes young people’s participation to stakeholders, using the Hear by Right standards framework. The forum will also develop an evaluation framework for NDC to assess existing and future funding developments.

To date, the youth forum has worked with several local services to draw up action plans for improving young people’s participation in and use of these services. These include Kings Norton Library, Saracen’s Head restoration project, work with Extended Provision Cluster and police to develop monthly social activities, and Whitall Street Clinic on improving young people’s sexual health services. Several forum members were also involved in the appointment of the Extended Provision Cluster co-ordinator for Kings Norton.

The forum made a successful application to the Youth Opportunities Fund for money for team building activities, including a residential training weekend to support members in their roles. Following training in film production, the group is producing a short film and 90 second video text promoting the work of the forum and outlining the research findings.

Other components of the youth strategy include diversionary activities for local young people, and Activestart educational group work programmes aimed at re-engaging young people who do not attend school.

How are young people involved in shaping the project/programme?

The peer liaison officers have consulted with young people locally to develop and deliver a ‘tailor-made’ youth strategy for the 3 Estates area. The New Deal board’s decision to adopt Hear by Right standards allows for young people’s ongoing participation in its organisational structures and evaluation and monitoring of future funding developments. Likewise, the promotion of Hear by Right to local service providers provides a basis for young people’s future involvement in service delivery.

How does the project respond to the needs of different young people particularly the most marginalised?

Research on the five outcomes targeted socially excluded groups to ensure that recommendations reflected their views. These include young people disengaged from learning, unemployed young people, young parents and others at risk of social exclusion.

OUTCOMES OF WORK

Does the project contribute to the five Every Child Matters outcomes for young people?

Research into young people’s needs has been framed around the five outcomes, and will form the basis of a forward strategy document detailing arrangements for delivery. One of the key recommendations arising out of the consultation is the development of a young people’s volunteering programme and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.

Other recommendations include improving young people’s sexual health services, support for young parents, a youth interim labour market project, a coordinated programme of holiday activities, arts and new media project and community sports programmes. The project is also piloting a 12 week ‘Beat Racism’ programme in response to the ‘Stay Safe’ research findings. Other recommendations include developing community cooking facilities, a floodlit multi-sports pitch, and discrete youth facilities to rehouse the current youth provision as part of the redevelopment of the Primrose Estate.

What skills do young people gain through their involvement in the project?

Members of the youth forum develop skills relating to the operation of formal meetings including presentation skills, negioting with adults and service providers and organising activities. Residential training has focused on developing team building skills and training in film making has promoted activity related skills. Forum members have also gained experience in writing funding bids as part of their commitment to raise their own funds.

How are young people's progress and achievements measured and recorded?

The three Peer Liaison Officers are the first Youth Support Workers employed by Birmingham Youth Service to have completed the NVQ level 2 in Youth Work.

The Activestart programme provides opportunities for 14-16 year olds not currently attending school to achieve accredited qualifications, helping their progression back into mainstream education or alternative provision.

There are currently no arrangements in place for accrediting young people’s achievements. However, forum members have indicated an interest in pursuing accreditation and there are plans to use ASDAN in future.

What has changed for other young people, organisations or the wider community as a result of the project?

Forum members have already begun improving services for other young people, including advising on choice of books at Kings Norton Library and assisting in the design of signage for the restoration project and negotiations about the use of the building, so that it is young people friendly. Once the youth strategy becomes fully operational, the coordinated involvement of children and young people should result in a range of improvements to service delivery and an increase in opportunities designed to meet the needs of local young people and their families.

MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS

How is the project evaluated?

The project uses ‘Prince 2 Project Management System’ to monitor progress. The project timeline has been split into six stages, five of which relate to research on the ECM outcomes. It submits an assessment report to the Youth Strategy Board at the end of each stage, in advance of the forward strategy document to be submitted in March 2007.

What has worked well and why?

The peer liaison posts have provided the young people appointed with life-changing experiences and have acted as an inspiration to other young people. In addition, their knowledge of the local area and the issues facing young people has helped break down barriers and encourage others to get involved in consultation activities.
Consultation events have been accessible and enjoyable and have created the right environment for young people to give their views. Health provided the focus for one event and young people were particularly keen to try out activities such as a spa, acupuncture, reiki and Indian head massage, as well as ‘cook and taste’ food sessions, an interactive sports arena, and alcohol, drug and sexual health workshops.

What has been difficult and why?

Keeping young people motivated while the project is in its early stages. Opportunities to take a more active role are limited until research is complete and recommendations implemented. Meanwhile, the project is supporting young people to meet with local service providers to make small, informal changes.

PARTNERSHIP AND STRATEGIC IMPACT

What specific experience and expertise do you bring to partnership work?

Lots of organisations are willing to involve young people in their decision making process but are not sure how to make this happen. The project is able to offer its experience and expertise to make the necessary links and help realise young people’s potential.

Has this partnership resulted in greater collaboration or increased understanding between partners?

Once a forward strategy document has been agreed, the project will increase its work with partners to develop and deliver its recommendations.

Do you consider this project to be innovative?

Employing young people as full time workers has been an innovative feature of the work.

How do you disseminate the learning from the project?

Specialist press – e.g. Young People Now magazine
Local community press, 3 Estates Life magazine, has helped keep local people informed of progress. This has included articles about the research activities and youth forum written by young people, and a centrefold of the youth manifesto.
Regular meetings and feedback through the Youth Strategy board.

Has the learning from this work influenced wider organisational/service strategies?

The New Deal board has agreed to adopt the Hear by Right standards, and will develop (with young people) an action plan for young people’s participation in its structures and evaluation and monitoring of future funding developments.

What plans do you have to sustain/develop this work?

Development and delivery of recommendations will begin following approval of the strategy document.

CONTACT:

Jill Nathan, 3 Estates Youth Work Project, 18 Teviot Grove, Kings Norton, Birmingham B38 9JX. Tel: 0121 459 9395. E-mail: jill_nathan@birmingham. gov.uk