Talking to a young person about death must be one of the hardest jobs, but for youth worker Darren Meade, helping young people manage their complex or life limiting condition whilst also helping them to navigate all the usual challenges of being a teenager is all part of the role.  Darren qualified as a youth worker after studying Dip HE Youth Work and Community Development (JNC) at Leeds Beckett University. He then started his career as a youth worker for the local council, before moving into the voluntary sector and delivering detached youth work across Leeds, where he honed his skills ..read more

Whilst youth services have been cut by 77% over more than a decade, violent offences among young people remain at unacceptably high levels warn the National Youth Agency (NYA), in its latest report, The social cost of youth work cuts: Preventing youth offending through youth work, published at the start of Youth Work Week, from 6 -12 November. Despite these startling figures, it costs four times more for a young person to enter the criminal justice system (£200,000 by the age of 16), than it does for them to avoid it through youth work provision (less than £50,000). (1) The social cost of yout ..read more

Over 500 young people received praise from youth campaigner Marcus Rashford for their commitment to NatWest Thrive, the life skills and money management programme he initiated. The graduates, who took part in NatWest Thrive at 15 youth clubs across the country this summer, came together virtually for their graduation ceremony, hosted by TikTok influencer Luke Vernon, and listened to words of praise from Marcus Rashford broadcast into their youth clubs.  Each of the clubs nominated one young person who had made particular progress on their NatWest Thrive journey to receive a special award ..read more

Twenty leading youth sector organisations, including the National Youth Agency, OnSide, Groundwork, UK Youth, Scouts, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and the Network of Regional Youth Work Units, are calling upon the government to recognise the professional value of youth work and the positive impact it has on young people’s outcomes through the publication of a Roadmap to a National Youth Strategy. The Roadmap, which has been developed by youth sector experts within the National Youth Sector Advisory Board (NYSAB), aims to ensure all young people can access quality youth work to promote their m ..read more

The NYA welcomes the publication of the government’s new guidance for Tier 1 local authorities on their statutory duty to provide young people with access to youth work activities to support their wellbeing and to promote their personal and social development, in line with section 507B of the Education Act 1996. The new guidance makes it much clearer for Councils to ensure that their provision is effectively meeting the needs of young people in their localities.   Youth workers achieved key worker status during the pandemic and their role within society is increasingly being recognis ..read more

We are thrilled that our NatWest Thrive programme developed in partnership with Marcus Rashford, and young people has been recognised at this year’s Charity Times Awards. The programme was successfully piloted last year and has helped hundreds of young people across the UK to develop a positive money mindset – gaining the skills and confidence to take control of their futures. NatWest Thrive comprises a range of activities, games and discussions under three module headings: Owning Your Vision, Money Mindset and Money Talk designed to broaden young people’s horizons, build their confidence and ..read more

New guidance entitled, Youth Work in Private Dwellings: Safety first – no compromises, published by the National Youth Agency (NYA) on 21 September, advises against delivering youth work in private dwellings such as homes, garages and gardens. Exceptions include where there is no alternative location locally, or where the young person is facing particular challenges, which means that unless the youth worker visits them in their home, they may be unable to access the support. The Guidance responds to a recognition by the NYA that safeguarding in private dwellings was inconsistent across the sec ..read more

The latest report from the National Youth Sector Census, managed by the National Youth Agency, shows that a fifth of youth work organisations have a waiting list of between three and six months and are struggling to meet demand. Despite undeniable need for these services, a quarter of voluntary sector organisations delivering youth work have less than six months’ of reserves.   The National Youth Agency has been tasked by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to manage the Census and create a reliable dataset to help demonstrate the impact of youth work and improve the knowledge ..read more

As the Professional Statutory Regulatory Body (PSRB) for youth work in England the NYA sets the occupational standards for youth work, as well as supporting the sector to build its skills and capacity to enable more young people to access the personal, social, and educational development opportunities provided by youth work. In line with its ambition to raise professional standards the NYA has published a number of new resources to support those responsible for commissioning or delivering youth work to meet their legal requirements and which reflects best practice.  Raising the bar – You ..read more

The BeYou Project for LGBTQ+ young people under the age of 25 across Kent and Medway, was awarded an Advanced Level NYA Quality Mark in July 2023 – during the height of the country’s Pride celebrations. The service is part of the housing and mental health charity Porchlight (Kent’s largest charity supporting homeless and vulnerable people). The Quality Mark, awarded for three years, recognises high quality youth work through an organisational reflective tool based on the National Occupational Standards, to create and embed a culture of learning and growth. The BeYou Project provides safe spa ..read more