Agenda item

Members were provided with a report that outlined the new approach taken to refresh the Youth Strategy.   Members were informed of the learning from the past four years and the direction for the next three years that included the role of a newly formed Youth Advisory Board, which will hold officers and the partnership to account for its delivery.  A presentation was provided by a Young Advisers on the following areas alongside a short promotional video;

·         The Current Picture

·         Participation Principles and Self-Assessment Framework

·         Voice Groups

·         Future Plans

There was a discussion held that addressed the following areas;

Recruitmentand Representation – It was explained that during the pandemic, the recruitment of Youth Advisors had been opened out to those schools that were in operation prior to the summer holidays, which identified some young people who were interested.   Members were assured that those appointed to the Youth Advisory Board represented all 4 areas of Doncaster Borough and included individuals from uniformed and community groups as well as representation from the Youth Council.  It was commented that as many number of schools as possible had been targeted although the Covid-19 pandemic which in itself had created certain challenges reaching a wider number of young people. 

Members were informed that there was a Youth Councillor in place in every secondary school and it was recognised that there was always a need for a new cohort coming through.  It was continued that there were a great deal of Youth Forums across Doncaster with particular remits.  Reference was made to Youth Surgeries and a move to establish something similar with Young Commissioners which would be more locality driven (as part of the locality model).  It was hoped that this would bring Ward Members back into those meetings and produce opportunities for more joined up work.

Expect Youthand VolCom Sector - Members raised concern around the previous involvement and varying experiences of what Expect Youth had achieved in the past across the Borough.  Members were of the opinion that further information was required around their performance, what they had achieved and what had changed.  Assurances were provided at the meeting that lessons had been learnt from the past and that their involvement in taking the Doncaster Offer forward was to help build capacity.  It was commented that Expect Youth had undertaken some positive work and engagement but not necessarily in a consistent way across the Borough.

Concern was raised at how the VolCom sector had been adversely impacted as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and concern was raised about its sustainability.  It was recognised that work needed to be undertaken to understand what was currently in place and what it needed to look like going forward. 

A key element of the new Offer was to use Expect Youth as a middle tier organisation to attract external funding into Doncaster, through a mixed economy of grant funds and fundraising, totalling £300k.

Quality Mark - Members expressed concern that the quality mark had not been previously been achieved.  It was explained by Officers that the UK Ambition Mark had been too comprehensive and involved too much resource.  Members were told that by implementing the 5 participation principles on a local level should make this more achievable.

Engagement with Young People – Members were pleased to hear about the extent of engagement that had been undertaken with children and young people across the Borough, particularly in light of the ongoing pandemic. 

Members were assured that there was a wide representation from across the borough.  Members commented that it was important that avenues to engage with were accessible and made available to those who were not normally involved. 

Some Members considered that there were now reduced opportunities for Councillors to engage directly with young people.  This was based on an example used by a Panel Member, that when Councillor Youth Surgeries were held in youth clubs, they had been well attended and well utilised by young people who were passionate about local issues.    The Young Adviser in attendance assured Members that their own involvement was mainly around having a local interest, that there was a broad coverage of young people.  Finally, it was noted that the voices and opinions of others were fed back and represented at the meetings they attended. 

Members were advised that through detached work undertaken in several communities by Youth Workers and Young Advisers, they had engaged with 1,000 young people and had been able to take back information around the Doncaster Offer work.  It was continued that further work would be done with voluntary community sector groups for them to identify what young people want.  Finally, Members were informed that Officers would be returning back when possible to those young people who wanted to be involved, in order to engage with them and shape services accordingly. 

It was explained that in addition to previous learning from past years, that during the 12 weeks as part of the Doncaster Offer work, the established Youth Advisory Board had reached into an existing network of forums and contacts.  Members were also reminded about the success of the ‘Make Your Mark’ survey 2019 (and how in Doncaster more children and young people voted than other areas).

In terms of developing the framework, Members were informed that the Youth Council and Young Advisors (as our representation of young people across the Borough) had been considerably involved.

It was recognised by a Member that a great deal of work had gone into the document.

Funding  – In terms of funding outlined in the report, it was explained that seed funding of £150,000 over 3 years provided to Expect Youth would expect to return around £300,000 investment back into the Borough.  This money would be spent and used on youth activities and supporting the voluntary community sector and youth groups in localities to access funding and provide what young people wanted in that forum.  Members were assured that it was about bringing in new monies to help provide activities through existing or new community and voluntary groups.  A Member stressed the importance of spending the money wisely across the Borough.

The Panel resolved that they:

·         Support the approach detailed in the report, based around seven principles and five strands to deliver a sustainable Doncaster Offer over the next three years.

·         Receive an annual report detailing progress as part of the Panel’s workplan for 2021/2022. 

·         Would like to provide further opportunity for Councillors engagement in this work through Expect Youth attending and providing information at Overview and Scrutiny and also for a wider discussion to take place around the approach and delivery of the strategy at Council.