Our Lifting young people up through youth work paper calls on national and local government to embed youth work in core policy and funding decisions. The report highlights the impact of youth work on strategies to protect those at risk of engaging in, or being affected by, youth violence. It also calls upon policy makers to recognise the skills of the profession as a vital lever to enhance the outcomes of all young people across the UK.
The NYA’s recommendations draw upon the rich evidence-base shared at the Youth Endowment Fund and NYA’s Annual Youth Work Conference, in March, which brought together a host of national and local youth sector leaders, policymakers, funders, public bodies, young people and others working in the prevention space.
Youth work plays a vital role in both prevention and early intervention around many issues facing young people. Yet despite this, the profession remains under-recognised and underfunded. Over the past 15 years, local authority spending on youth services in England has been slashed by £1.2 billion, resulting in the loss of over 4,500 youth workers and the closure of hundreds of youth clubs.
”The insights gathered from the Annual Youth Work Conference clearly show that youth work is not just a service, it is a profession, a practice, and a powerful tool for prevention and change. But it is also under pressure. Years of underinvestment and short-term thinking have left too many young people without the support they need. We must change that. Youth work deserves recognition and a central place in national policy. It must be understood not only for what it prevents, but for the transformative opportunities it creates for young people."
Leigh Middleton OBECEO of the National Youth Agency
The paper outlines seven key recommendations, including:
- long-term and accessible funding models
- essential investment to strengthen the youth work workforce
- embedding youth work in national strategies such as the Government’s Safer Streets mission and the forthcoming National Youth Strategy
- empowering young people in policymaking
It also calls for a Statutory Youth Services Act – to underpin with legislation – local authority duties to provide local youth provision that is responsive to young people’s needs, alongside recommendations for clearer mapping of funding opportunities and stronger frameworks for partnership working. Fragmented and short-term funding, the paper warns, continues to undermine the sustainability and reach of youth work, particularly among grassroots providers.
”Youth work doesn’t exist to reduce violence. Its aim and its approach is so much broader and relational than this… ...This work often happens quietly, without headlines or fanfare. But its impact is profound. And it must be recognised.
Jon YatesCEO, Youth Endowment Fund
The paper also calls for greater visibility and recognition of youth workers in health settings. In the Government’s 10-Year Health Strategy, youth work has a role to play and while youth workers are already contributing to public health efforts – from mental wellbeing, sexual health, tackling obesity through to critical emergency care in A&E, their role in clinical and multi-agency spaces remains undervalued.
Further, it highlights the need for a cultural shift: away from treating young people as problems to be solved and towards recognising their strengths, lived experiences and potential. Youth work, the paper outlines, acts as a bridge between young people and their communities – offering trauma-informed, relational support that builds trust and resilience.
Delivering a keynote at the annual conference, Greater Manchester Deputy Mayor, Kate Green, said:
”"We should not be having to fund youth work through the lens of criminality - all of our young people deserve access to that professional support.”
Kate GreenGreater Manchester Deputy Mayor
As policymakers prepare to shape the upcoming National Youth Strategy, the NYA’s new paper makes a compelling case: youth work must be positioned as a central pillar in national efforts to protect and support our young people countrywide.
