Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru | National Assembly for Wales

Y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg | Children, Young People and Education Committee

Gwaith Ieuenctid – gwaith dilynol | Youth Work - Follow up

YW(2) 06

Ymateb gan: Cyngor y Gweithlu Addysg

Response from: Education Workforce Council (EWC)

Committee Recommendation 1:

The Minister should review the National Strategy and refresh the statutory guidance in consultation with stakeholders and young people. A detailed action plan for implementation, including timescales, must be developed alongside a new strategy.

Accepted by Welsh Government

Welsh Government Response

We have:

– Commissioned Wrexham Glyndwr University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, and Susanne Rauprich OBE, to review the impact of the National Youth Work Strategy. A final report has been received and is being prepared for publication. This work was informed by stakeholders and young people.

– Commissioned Margaret Jervis, MBE DL, to review Extending Entitlement. A final report has been submitted and is being prepared for publication. This work was informed by stakeholders and young people.

– Commissioned the Youth Work Reference Group (YWRG), who represent the youth work sector, providing advice to Welsh Government, to review Margaret’s recommendations and propose a way forward.

We will:

– Immediately begin development of a new, aspirational Youth Work Strategy.

– Ensure a long term vision is built into the strategy, with detailed annual planning, self-evaluation, and review.

– Co-construct the strategy with young people and stakeholders at all levels in the system.

– Publish Margaret’s Review, the ‘Review of the Impact of the Youth Work Strategy’, and associated reviews of grant funding Embed lessons learned, including from the Committee’s Inquiry, alongside wider evidence in Wales, the UK and beyond.

– Firmly ground our approaches in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Wellbeing for Future Generations Act.

– Re-establish a Youth Work Offer/Charter at the centre of the new strategy.

– Include consideration of ‘sufficiency of provision’, and the role of other bodies such as service providers, regulators, local authorities, and Welsh Government in ensuring rigorous accountability.

– Develop our approaches in the context and ethos of Extending Entitlement, with a view toward considering the status of existing statutory guidance, once the strategic approach for securing youth work has been developed in partnership with stakeholders.

– Establish an Interim Youth Work Board to support the development of the strategy, evaluate approaches for deploying resources, represent the voice of the sector, and provide advice to Welsh Government.

– Publish a timeline setting out how/when this will be delivered.

Stakeholder Response to Recommendation 1:

The Education Workforce Council (EWC) is the independent regulator in Wales for teachers in maintained schools, Further Education teachers and learning support staff in both school and FE settings, as well as youth / youth support workers and people involved in work-based learning. The Education Workforce Council was established by the Education (Wales) Act 2014.

Youth workers and youth support workers registered with the EWC for the first time in April 2017. We are building a picture of practitioners in the sector from the data on our Register of education practitioners. As at March 2018 there were 362 registered youth workers and 631 registered youth support workers.

We very much welcome our recent inclusion on the Youth Work Reference Group. As members, we can confirm that work has begun on the development of a strategy. We would also like to note and commend the collegiate and collaborative approach of Welsh Government officials when working with the Reference Group (in the time we have been a member). 

Council would like to see a strategy which is long term and which successfully balances aspiration with achievability. The Youth work sector has undergone and continues to undergo considerable change, and this needs to be reflected in both the strategy and the charter. We would also like to see a clear commitment to workforce development in the strategy and feel we would be well placed to assist Welsh Government and the sector in this work. For example, the EWC has detailed data (from its Register) about youth and youth support workers and it already has a remit to accredit initial teacher training courses.

We also think that alongside the work on strategy development, it would be timely to review the legislation which stipulates which youth work personnel are required to register with the EWC. In particular, youth work stakeholders have questioned whether registration might be extended to unqualified staff, staff in other settings (such as housing associations, faith organisations, health) or volunteers.

We welcome the review of Extending Entitlement and consider its findings and recommendations to be reasoned and well balanced.

We note the intention to establish an interim Youth Work Board and await further details of membership and specific remit. The Council considers this a key development that needs to be right if it is to effectively support the strategy.

Any other relevant issues arising since the publication of the Committee’s report:

The EWC is the regulatory and professional body for seven groups of education practitioners, bringing together practitioners from the Foundation phase through to adult education and training, including formal and informal educational settings. Registration has, on the whole, been welcomed by the practitioners in further education, work-based learning and youth work, seeing in it the potential for greater parity of esteem, entitlement, and holistic policy development and implementation.

We and our registrants and stakeholders are now looking to policy makers to build on this initiative with us, to deliver the tangible benefits to education in Wales, inherent and nascent in the formation of the EWC. We are pleased, for example that Welsh Government has recently consulted on the mechanism to provide for Youth Work organisations to nominate candidates for membership of the EWC’s Council.

Committee Recommendation 2:

The Minister should hold urgent discussions with the Ministerial Youth Work Reference Group to address the concerns from within the sector about a lack of engagement from Welsh Government.

Accepted by Welsh Government

Welsh Government Response

We have:

– Held urgent discussions at Ministerial level with the Youth Work Reference Group.

– Refreshed the remit of the group and begun extending their membership.

– Recognised the key role they play in supporting both the sector and Welsh Government in delivering and implementing policy.

– Tasked them with considering the draft report produced by Margaret Jervis, MBE DL.

– Drawn on their expertise and knowledge to inform the development of the new curriculum for Wales.

– Received positive feedback from the Youth Work Reference Group on this new approach.

We will:

– Continue to use the Youth Work Reference Group strategically, with regular engagement from Welsh Government to inform developing approaches.

– Commission them to begin work in supporting Welsh Government to develop a new Youth Work Strategy for Wales.

– Ensure alignment with the proposed Interim Youth Work Board, both in its development and when operational.

Stakeholder Response to Recommendation 2:

As we mentioned under Recommendation 1, the EWC is a new member of the YWRG, a role we were pleased to accept. Since becoming a group member, we have seen the group work effectively with Welsh Government officials as reflected in the Welsh Government response. As new members, we cannot comment on how the YWRG and Welsh Government interacted previously, however we are aware from the sector of some past concerns.

Any other relevant issues arising since the publication of the Committee’s report:

Committee Recommendation 3:

There should be a clear and meaningful route for young people to be equal partners in developing youth services in Wales. This should be developed by the Minister, stakeholders and young people.

Accepted by Welsh Government

Welsh Government Response

We have:

– Ensured young people were engaged with and consulted as part of the ‘Review of the Impact of the Youth Work Strategy’.

– Ensured young people were engaged with and consulted as part of Margaret Jervis’ review of Extending Entitlement.

– Commissioned Children in Wales to undertake a focused piece of work with young people to inform Margaret’s work.

– Undertaken discussions with the Youth Work Reference Group to explore how young people can inform the development of a new, aspirational Youth Work Strategy for Wales.

We will:

– Involve young people in the co-construction of the new Youth Work Strategy for Wales.

– Consider and articulate the role they will play in the design, delivery and monitoring of youth services within the new Strategy.

– Develop an engagement plan, in partnership with young people and stakeholders, to ensure this recommendation continues to be fully met going forward.

Stakeholder Response to Recommendation 3:

We would endorse the meaningful involvement of young people. The strategy and implementation can only benefit from engagement with all stakeholders. The youth work service, by its very nature is well accustomed to working in partnership with young people, therefore this should be entirely achievable.

Any other relevant issues arising since the publication of the Committee’s report:

Committee Recommendation 4:

The Minister should introduce a national model for Youth Work, encompassing statutory and voluntary provision. The Minister should report to this Committee on progress within 6 months of the publication of this report.

Accepted by Welsh Government

Welsh Government Response

We have:

– Commissioned Margaret Jervis to undertake a review of Extending Entitlement, which included giving consideration to a ‘national model’ encompassing statutory and voluntary provision.

– Commissioned a Review of the Impact of the National Youth Work Strategy which makes recommendations on a way forward.

– Reflected on these findings, which propose potential ‘models’ for delivery in the future.

We will:

– Immediately begin development of a new, aspirational Youth Work Strategy, including consideration of an appropriate delivery model.

– Appoint an Interim Youth Work Board, whose remit will include supporting the development and implementation of a new strategy, and providing advice on appropriate delivery mechanisms.

– Expand the remit and membership of the Youth Work Reference Group, extending an invitation to strategic, local authority representatives, ensuring the new strategy balances aspirations and ability to deliver in the current context.

– Ensure the views of both statutory and voluntary provision are heard as part of its development.

Stakeholder Response to Recommendation 4:

We support the development of a national model although it is important that this offers sufficient flexibility for each local authority youth work service and voluntary organisation to deliver services that meet local and specific needs as well as addressing any national intentions.

We welcome the proposal to include the voluntary youth work sector within the strategy. Indeed, qualified youth and youth support workers in both statutory and voluntary settings are required to register with the EWC under the Act. However there is a need to clearly define “voluntary” as there has been some confusion in this area in introducing EWC registration within youth work.

We would reiterate that an aspirational strategy should also be underpinned by achievable short term targets.

Any other relevant issues arising since the publication of the Committee’s report:

Committee Recommendation 5:

The Minister should report back to the Committee within 6 months of the publication of this report on how he intends to assess the extent to which his commitment to universal, open access provision, in English and Welsh, is being delivered.

Accepted in Principle by Welsh Government

Welsh Government Response

We have:

– Reported back to the Committee and acknowledged that the youth work landscape is changing in the context of a challenging financial climate.

– Accepted the role that ‘Sufficiency Assessments’ could play in assessing the extent to which universal, open access provision, in English and Welsh, is being delivered.

– Begun exploring the role that ‘Sufficiency Assessments’ will play going forward.

We will:

– Incorporate the notion of ‘sufficiency of provision’ and its assessment into the new Youth Work Strategy for Wales.

– Restate our commitment to the role youth work can play in supporting young people to use and develop their Welsh language skills.

– Engage with young people in the development of the new strategy to develop a current understanding of their needs in relation to the type of youth services they wish to access, in the language of their choice.

Stakeholder Response to Recommendation 5:

The EWC considers it important that if sufficient assessments are to be introduced that their purpose, value and appropriateness is clearly established and understood by both the statutory and voluntary sectors.

If the Welsh Government introduce ‘sufficiency assessments’, the EWC will be pleased to assist, perhaps by making use of our unique data on the workforce, which includes, information on age, gender, qualifications, Welsh language skills and more.

Any other relevant issues arising since the publication of the Committee’s report:

Committee Recommendation 6:

Within 6 months of the publication of this report, the Minister should commission an exercise to map voluntary Youth Work provision across Wales. The exercise should be refreshed periodically.

Accepted in Principle by Welsh Government

Welsh Government Response

We have:

– Reflected on the mapping of voluntary youth work provision undertaken by CWVYS (2015) in relation to the Youth Engagement and Progression Framework, and Cordis Bright (2016).

– Reported back to Committee that a national mapping exercise may not be appropriate given the rapidly changing context on the ground as services change and adapt.

– Stated our commitment to the concept of ‘sufficiency of provision’ and its assessment, in planning, delivering, and monitoring youth services.

We will:

– Incorporate the notion of ‘sufficiency of provision’ and its assessment into the new Youth Work Strategy for Wales. To ensure agility in an evolving landscape, any assessment should give consideration to both statutory and voluntary provision at a local, rather than national level.

Stakeholder Response to Recommendation 6:

We consider that work to map voluntary youth work provision would be of value, although we appreciate that the service is undergoing significant change. The Council also reiterates its comment under recommendation 1, that there are other settings such as housing associations, faith groups and health where youth and youth support services are being provided – we consider that such provision should be mapped and consideration given as to whether such persons should be required to register.

We note the high emphasis on “sufficiency” in the Welsh Government response and reiterate our comments under recommendation 5 about their purpose, value and appropriateness needing to be clearly established and understood by both the statutory and voluntary sectors.

Any other relevant issues arising since the publication of the Committee’s report:

Committee Recommendation 7:

The Minister should ensure that Youth Work Sufficiency Assessments are undertaken by local authorities as part of their population needs assessments and report back to the Committee on progress within 6 months of the publication of this report.

Accepted in Principle by Welsh Government

Welsh Government Response

We have:

– Accepted the potential role of ‘Sufficiency Assessments’ in the planning, delivery and monitoring of youth service provision.

– Set up a working group in November 2017 to ascertain how these might work in Wales, learning from approaches taken forward in the Play sector.

– Determined that there is a requirement for an assessment to ensure services being provided within a local authority area are needed, of the required quality, and delivered by the most relevant organisation.

– Explored what an assessment might look like and concluded that, in the absence of a new, long term Youth Work Strategy and vision, that takes us beyond 2018, it is not possible to finalise an approach for immediate implementation.

We will:

– Incorporate the notion of ‘sufficiency of provision’ and its assessment into the new Youth Work Strategy for Wales.

– Co-construct its design in partnership with young people and stakeholders.

– Secure agreement across the sector to the use of Sufficiency Assessments in the planning, delivery, and monitoring of youth service provision as part of the new strategy.

Stakeholder Response to Recommendation 7:

The Council reiterates its comments on recommendations 5 and 6. We are also aware that sufficiency assessments have been implemented elsewhere, for example in play work and suggest that some lessons may be shared.

Any other relevant issues arising since the publication of the Committee’s report:

Committee Recommendation 8:

The Minister should develop an accountability framework for local authorities’ use of funds for Youth Work via the revenue support grant. The framework should include sanctions if outcomes are not delivered.

Accepted in Principle by Welsh Government

Welsh Government Response

We have:

– Confirmed that the Revenue Support Grant is an un-hypothecated funding stream and can be spent at local authorities’ discretion according to their locally identified needs and priorities.

– Confirmed that it is not currently possible to identify how much is spent on youth work, due to the pooling of budgets across services at a local level, nor to prescribe an amount.

– Reviewed our existing grant funding streams to consider how they might better support the desired outcomes of youth work and youth support services.

– Begun implementing changes to grant funding mechanisms, ensuring a greater focus on impact, rather than output.

– Explored an outcomes framework for youth work in the context of the current strategy.

We will:

– Publish the reviews of the Youth Work Grants.

– Continue to learn from them by keeping them under regular review.

– Establish an Interim Youth Work Board to support the development of a new Youth Work Strategy, and advise on approaches for deploying resources appropriately, including any unintended consequences.

– Secure agreement across the sector to the use of ‘Sufficiency Assessments’ in the planning, delivery, and monitoring of youth service provision as part of a new strategy. This will include consideration of their role in a new accountability framework for youth services across local authority and voluntary provision.

Stakeholder Response to Recommendation 8:

No comments.

Any other relevant issues arising since the publication of the Committee’s report:

Committee Recommendation 9:

The Minister should explore the potential continuation of Erasmus+ funding, should the UK Government decide not to do so.

Accepted in Principle by Welsh Government

Welsh Government Response

We have:

– Confirmed our commitment towards a credible, evidenced based approach towards withdrawal from the EU.

We will:

– Continue to advocate for an approach that places Wales’ priorities centre stage, while responding to the UK’s priorities as a whole.

– Continue dialogue with UK Government counterparts, addressing the role of Erasmus+ funding in the UK context.

–

Stakeholder Response to Recommendation 9:

We support the Committee’s recommendation to explore the potential continuation of this funding should the UK government decide not to do so. We therefore welcome the Welsh Government’s response that it will continue dialogue with the UK government about this funding.

Any other relevant issues arising since the publication of the Committee’s report:

Committee Recommendation 10:

The Minister should ensure that the statutory and voluntary Youth Work sector play a central role in the process of curriculum reform.

Accepted by Welsh Government

Welsh Government Response

We have:

– Confirmed statutory and voluntary representation on the Education Reform Strategic Stakeholder Group.

– Engaged the Youth Work Reference Group (with representatives from both statutory and voluntary sectors) with the process of Curriculum Reform.

We will:

– Continue to ensure appropriate mechanisms for ensuring the statutory and voluntary youth work sector play a central role in the process of curriculum reform.

– Consider and articulate the links and alignment between formal education and youth work in the new Youth Work Strategy for Wales.

Stakeholder Response to Recommendation 10:

We endorse the Committee recommendation and actions of the Welsh Government in increasing the involvement of the youth work sector in curriculum reform. The EWC has repeatedly called for more and better involvement in the process from both the FE and youth work sectors.

By using the regional education consortia and pioneer schools as the main mechanism driving the development of the curriculum, matters are restricted to the maintained school sector. In light of this, and despite representation on the Education Reform Strategic Stakeholder Group, actual involvement in the development of the AOLEs from the youth work sector and further education has been minimal to date.

Any other relevant issues arising since the publication of the Committee’s report: