Objective 2 - Partnership & Collaboration
What our young people said....
We need a strategy to make sure professionals do what they say they will do and do it properly. If there wasn't a strategy, there would just be more problems and these problems would grow. The hope is that young people feel like their voices have been heard, which will only happen when they see change.
Why is this important?
Since 2010 there has been a steady decline in a number of resources such as youth centres, youth workers, funding for the voluntary and public sectors and the current economic climate suggests that this is not going to change dramatically any time soon.
It is important that we recognise the value of youth work and how this differs from services for young people delivered by the public sector and wider commissioned services (see appendix 4).
Closer partnership and collaboration within and between the sectors are vital if we are going to maximise the resources, we have available to us to support young people.
Whilst this strategy does not claim to be the solution for all problems affecting young people, it is hoped that it will contribute to better co-ordination and joint working that in turn will improve the use of resources and young people's life chances It is also important that where possible we increase the skills and confidence of communities to support young people so that in addition to their families, they have a wide network of trusted adults to help them navigate life.
What is already happening?
The Youth Forum network is well established and is going from strength to strength, involving 69 youth related organisations.
The development of this strategy has already led to improved relationships with key stakeholders, many of whom now work together on projects.
The Family Hub structure is now in place with Lancashire County Council working with partner organisations to support young people and their families.
4 Hubs exist across the city including Moor Nook, Preston West, Ribbleton and Riverbank.
The Team Around the Schools and Settings (TASS) network is now in place, bringing schools together with community stakeholders to discuss and address issues affecting school communities.
The Community Safety Partnership (CSP) is well established, bringing together stakeholders to address crime and disorder issues within the city.
The Lancashire Violence Reduction Partnership (LVRN) is well established and is working to share best practice and connect services to tackle violent crime and its underlying causes.
What are we going to do?
Create a strategic governance structure which will adopt, monitor and revise this strategy.
We will engage senior leaders in the Voluntary, Community, Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector, public sector and private sector to formally endorse this strategy and find ways to embed the contents in core delivery.
Continue to develop the Youth Forum to ensure that youth providers maximise use of existing services, reduce duplication, identify gaps and enable partners to deliver on the issues raised by young people both independently and collaboratively.
Develop an Independent Incorporated Charitable Organisation that can attract additional funding and resources both internal and external to the city and disseminate investment within the sector to support a mixed economy of neighbourhood youth provision with national charities and public / private services.
Develop the youth sector workforce with a training programme that provides strategic leaders and staff with the skills and knowledge they need to best support young people.