Devolution and funding roundtable takes place in Stoke-on-Trent

The APPG on Youth Affairs was delighted to hold the second of three roundtables on Friday 17 April at YMCA North Staffordshire in Stoke-on-Trent. The first roundtable covered digital and AI, and this roundtable looked at devolution and funding in youth work and forms part of the ongoing report development process on the topic of Youth Work in 2035. 

Officer of the APPG David Williams MP opened the roundtable by discussing the APPG’s plan and report process for the coming months, as well as the issue at large of devolution and funding and how this might affect youth work in the future. Panellists included: Georgia Power, Regional Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Children’s Society; Matthew Peacham, Youth Worker at YMCA North Staffordshire; Daniel Boon, Digital Communications and Marketing Officer at YMCA North Staffordshire; Daniel McAllister, Director of Fundraising and Comms at Marine Society & Sea Cadets; Sally Ashworth, Head of Service at Cheshire East Council; Julie Auger, Youth Services Manager at Essex County Council Youth Service; Leanne Macpherson, Head of Programmes at Community Foundation for Staffordshire & Shropshire; Dominique Williams, Founder and CEO at Reach and Unite Outreach and Empowerment; Nicky Twemlow, CEO of YMCA North Staffordshire.

The panel generally welcomed devolution and how it could result in more decisions being made locally, with local circumstances in mind. However, it was pointed out that sufficient funding would have to accompany it, otherwise regional disparities would become starker. The prospect of devolution creating more adminstration when bidding for funding instead of helping young people was also raised, and it was deemed essential that devolution should be delivered in a way that strengthens youth services. A benefit of devolution was seen as giving opportunities to collaborate regionally to provide services, however the need for Government departments to better align was also raised, so that local authorities, organisations and charities aren’t competing with each other.

On funding, the panel highlighted the short-term nature of a lot of funding, meaning that it is difficult to keep staff on long-term, and young people can suffer when the programme they use ends. Rushed processes due to late funding decisions made too close to the delivery date were also mentioned as causing problems for organisations. Delays in receiving funding were also shown to be a growing problem, creating issues for charities and organisations trying to put on programmes. More time and help for organisations applying for funding was seen as key to making the whole system work better.

Solutions proposed by the panel included standardised applications across local authorities, making it easier for organisations to apply for funding and meaning that smaller organisations are not as disadvantaged as they have less capacity overall. Additionally, more consistency in commissioning services, as well as a requirement for commissioners to have relevant experience, was considered useful. The importance of including young people in service design and provision was raised. Further measures advocated for included bolstering the statutory duty on local authorities to deliver youth services, and a way for young people to see what services are in their area and for organisations to identify the gaps in provision.

All contributions from this roundtable will be collated as part of our evidence collection for the upcoming report on youth work, to inform the recommendations to Government. We will be holding a final roundtable soon, and also plan to open up submissions for written evidence imminently to inform the report.