News
Integrated Youth Support Services Reap Better Rewards for Young People
12 August 2010
Four out of five local authorities said IYSS had improved access to information, advice and guidance and positive activities for young people – resulting in overall improvements in the youth service outcomes.
Over two-thirds of local authority Heads of IYSS (69 per cent) responded to an online survey conducted by the National Youth Agency and funded by CfBT Education Trust in April 2010, which is part of ongoing research into the delivery of IYSS in England
More than half (58 per cent) of the 105 authorities taking part reported an overall improvement in the standard of youth services, resulting in improved outcomes for young people themselves.
Jon Adamson, National Youth Agency Research Coordinator, comments: “This is the most comprehensive research into IYSS to date.
“We wanted to create a clear picture of what stage local authorities across England are at in the delivery of IYSS and have been both surprised and encouraged by the findings.”
The research looks at all aspects of IYSS, from the way in which local authorities organise their structures and workforce, through to their engagement with partners and the impact the development of IYSS is having.
Findings paint a very positive picture, with over a fifth of respondents stating that the impact of developing an IYSS could already be seen (22 per cent) and a further 29 per cent saying that it would be clearly evident in 12 months.
“We were surprised to find that only eight per cent of local authorities described their IYSS as ‘integrated throughout’ and around a third (32 per cent) were still operating within traditional service boundaries, but with overarching plans and strategies to guide them,” adds Jon.
“A broad range of different delivery models have emerged from local interpretation of national government policy, but despite this only three authorities reported facing real difficulties in integrated working.”
“Not surprisingly, we found that resources and budget cuts were considered to be the biggest challenge to IYSS delivery for over a quarter of authorities.”
"CfBT Education Trust funded this piece of research because the effective integration of children’s services under the Every Child Matters agenda is an area which concerns us all. We are delighted that there has been such a good response rate to the survey and that Local Authority managers feel the development of IYSS has improved things for young people,” says CfBT Education Trust’s Assistant Director of Youth Support and Guidance Paul Keenleyside.
Now that the online research has been completed, the National Youth Agency is working with a range of different local authority survey respondents to compile detailed case studies, which explore some of the key issues further.
Complete findings will be launched in the autumn.
For further information on IYSS visit www.nya.org.uk
Ends
Notes for Editors:
About the National Youth Agency
The National Youth Agency (NYA) works in partnership with a wide range of public, private and voluntary sector organisations to support and improve services for young people. Our particular focus is on youth work and we believe strongly that by investing in young people’s personal and social development, young people are better able to live more active and fulfilling lives.
Working with young people, we advocate for more youth-friendly services and policies. We have four themes:
- Developing quality standards in work with young people
- Supporting services for young people
- Developing the youth workforce
- Promoting positive public perceptions of young people
We deliver our work through training and consultancy, campaigning, publishing and on-line communications. Through our activities we want to ensure that young people have a strong voice and positive influence in our society.
About CfBT Education Trust
CfBT Education Trust is a leading education consultancy and service organisation. Our object is to provide education for public benefit both in the UK and internationally. Established 40 years ago CfBT Education Trust now has an annual turnover exceeding £100 million and employs more than 2,650 staff worldwide who support educational reform, teach, advise, research and train.
As a not-for-profit organisation we commit around £1million of our surpluses every year for practice-based educational research.
Visit www.cfbt.com for more information.