Firstly our thanks to Gill Archer from UNISON for forwarding this response from Tim Loughton to one of six parliamentary questions tabled by the union.

Youth Services

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of variations in the extent to which local authorities have made reductions in services for young people; and if he will take steps in respect of local authorities that have significantly reduced their youth service provision. [75350]

Tim Loughton: According to the figures provided by local authorities the average planned reduction in gross spend on services for young people for 2011-12 is 25%, compared with plans for 2010-11. Figures for individual local authorities should be treated with caution because there is some evidence that local authorities have interpreted and used categories of planned expenditure in different ways. For example, 28 authorities did not include any expenditure plans for youth work and discrepancies are apparent for other youth areas such as substance misuse.

The Government believes that the assessment of local priorities and decisions on levels of spend on services for young people are best left to local people. The Department has no current plans to intervene in respect of any local authority’s services for young people. Nevertheless the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend/the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has a broad power to issue directions to local authorities if they are failing to perform any of their functions to an adequate standard under Section 497Aof the Education Act 1996 (as applied to children’s social care by the Children Act 2004). The Department will act to secure improvement where there is evidence of significant, long standing failure, or where there is evidence that a local authority has been unable to do so.

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what role he expects local authorities to play in the delivery of youth work and a youth service. [75429]

Tim Loughton [holding answer 18 October 2011]: This Government expect local authorities to act as strategic commissioners of services to young people. They should commission effective services which promote the personal and social development of young people who most need additional support, including services based on youth work approaches. Local authorities may provide an in-house youth service themselves, but are not obliged to do so.

Amongst other things the notion of services based on youth work approaches is highly significant.

The Minister’s predictable answer coincides with the appearance of a discussion paper, An education for the 21st century: A narrative for youth work today, commissioned by the very man himself/

The press release goes as follows:

Youth work is widely recognised as having an important role to play in
helping young people develop the personal and social skills they need to
succeed

Tim Loughton MP has commissioned a number of leaders in the youth sector to
write a discussion paper on the role of youth work. The aim of this paper is
to help policy makers and local commissioners to better understand the
impact of youth work, and to offer a basis on which providers of youth work
services can begin to develop a common language to describe their role and
impact.

Our thanks go to the authors, including:

*       Doug Strycharczyk – AQR
*       Damien Allen – Knowsley MBC
*       Nick Wilkie – London Youth
*       Susanne Rauprich and Gethyn Williams – NCVYS
*       Fiona Blacke – National Youth Agency
*       Bethia McNeil – The Young Foundation
*       John Bateman
*       Dr Richard Davies – Leicester De Montford University

The purpose of the paper, which is available in the associated resources
section on this page, is to stimulate discussion. It does not necessarily
reflect the view of the Department.

All responses will be shared with the authors of the paper. Those made by
Friday 11 November 2011 will help inform the development of the Positive for
Youth statement.

We will not be able to respond personally to every contribution received but
will read each one and ensure your views feed in to discussions to develop
the new vision.

Please note: This discussion paper is for comment and not a final statement
of government policy.

An education for the 21st century

The document is to be found via the above link. We are in the process of preparing a critical response to what in essence is a rationale for the commissioning and privatisation of youth services and the continuing attack on youth work as critical pedagogy, as a form of informal education committed to social change not social conformity. Watch this space. In the meantime your reactions welcomed.