Momentum - News

The Home Office has announced new measures as part of the VBS. These include a delay in the requirement for new entrants to roles working with vulnerable groups, and those switching jobs to a new provider within these sectors, to register with the VBS and be assessed by the ISA. This will now not come into effect until July 2010.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has published Youth Sector Support Arrangements Response to the Call for Evidence. DCSF has listened to the majority view that there are no grounds for a single lead agency for youth sector support arrangements. The response also provides information about new developments which will help to improve support to the youth sector, including the Youth Task Force, the Children's Trust Commissioning Support Programme, the youth workforce reform programme and the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children's and Young People's Services.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has launched a consultation on new guidance to help professionals spot the first signs of gang membership. The guidance is aimed at professionals, such as social workers, youth workers and youth offending teams, already working with young people displaying risk factors. The guidance highlights risk factors which could signal towards their involvement in gangs. An online poll to inform a NCVYS response to DCSF's consultation will be posted on the NCVYS website next week.
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0059

The Home Office has announced that the Government will invest an extra £5 million to fight knife violence and other serious crime. The new funding will extend the successful tackling knives action programme for another year, and add two new areas (Kent and Hampshire) to it.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families has announced a further investment of £8 million, on top of the £8 million announced in 2006, to give thousands more disadvantaged young people the opportunity to produce creative media projects. The Youth Media Fund initiative gives young people the chance to take part in ‘Mediabox' projects where they can express their ideas and views on issues that matter to them using print, television, film, radio, digital, or online media.

Communities and Local Government has announced £2 million funding support to encourage at least 20 new young mayors around the country who will have a power to influence council policies that matter to young people: from increasing community cohesion to safe streets, to the provisions of youth centres, gyms and open spaces.

Play England has been contracted by the Department for Children, Schools and Families to manage a £1.5 million funding programme for the refurbishment of adventure playgrounds run by the voluntary and community sector. The programme will run from April 2009 to March 2010 with funding of up to £19,000 per project.

Disabled children
Government has produced two leaflets, one for stakeholders and one for parents, to give further information on the disabled children's services national indicator (NI 54) and the indicator survey. NI 54 will look at parental experiences of services for disabled children and young people aged 0 to 19.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families has published the first term report of the Every Child Counts programme which is aimed at second year primary pupils who have fallen behind their peers in mathematics.

NCVYS has submitted a response to the Department for Children, Schools and Families on its 2020 Children and Young People's Workforce Strategy. The response highlights the importance of volunteers and recommends further research is needed into graduate destinations and skills.

Speaking Out, a joint project between NCVYS and Children England, has responded to the Department for Children, Schools and Families' ending child poverty consultation. The response includes a statement of support for the suggested proposal to enshrine in legislation a duty for the Government to publish a child poverty strategy every three years in the run up to 2020.

The Child Poverty Action Group has published Ending Child Poverty: a manifesto for success. The manifesto coincides with the 10^th anniversary of the Government's pledge to eradicate child poverty in a generation.

Barnardo's has launched a research report which found that unskilled young people have little hope of finding work or an apprenticeship after being "trapped" between a school system that failed them and a shrinking job market.

The Children's Commissioner for England has published a report stating that strategies to tackle gun and knife crime must be multi-agency and focus on intervention, prevention and enforcement if they are to reduce the problem long term. The Commissioner has also published a literature review which provides a review of evidence around the effectiveness of interventions to tackle children and young people's involvement in gun and knife crime.

The Skills Commission has published a report on apprenticeships; Progression through Apprenticeships. The report includes recommendations to help secure the long-term success of the apprenticeship programme and explores ways to encourage young people to take up apprenticeships.

Financial services firm Abbey has launched a free online guide to help small third sector organisations improve their public relations. Abbey says that its PR Guide provides a practical introduction to media relations, including issues such as working with corporate PR teams and hosting journalists at events.

A reminder that the Speaking Out project, in partnership with the Children's Society, is holding a regional event on raising awareness around difficulties faced by young asylum seekers and refugees. The event is in Manchester on 26 March 2009 and is for practitioners and decision-makers to hear directly from young people on their views and experiences around accessing services.

Voluntary Action Camden is offering free training; Working together to improve the wellbeing of children. The training will look at the Common Assessment Framework, Lead Professionals and the Team Around the Child. The training takes place in London, 30 March 2009. For further information contact Patricia Garcia on 020 7284 6568 or pgarcia@vac.org.uk

The House of Commons debated the Welfare Reform Bill, including young people and job seekers allowance, and discrimination against young people who live independently.

Helen Southworth (Lab, Warrington, South) led a House of Commons debate around bringing in a Bill to make provision for minimum standards in respect of accommodation for young people leaving care; to impose a duty on local authorities to ensure that such standards are met; and for connected purposes.

Members of the House of Commons debated whether the UK Youth Parliament should be allowed, for this year alone, to hold its 2009 annual meeting in the Chamber of the House of Commons.

Tim Farron (Lib Dem, Westmorland and Lonsdale) asked Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Transport Paul Clark whether Government will bring forward proposals to introduce a pilot scheme for concessionary bus travel for young adults 17 to 25 years old.

Youth crime

Alan Campbell, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office, responded to a question asked by James Brokenshire (Con, Hornchurch) around the proportion of crime attributed to young people under the age of 16 both as perpetrator and as victim.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090318/text/90318w0005.htm#09031889000074

Community policing

James Brokenshire (Con, Hornchurch) asked Alan Campbell, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office, what steps Government has taken to promote closer working and engagement between safer neighbourhood and community police teams with young people.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090318/text/90318w0005.htm#09031889000070

Youth offenders and education

Children's Minister, Beverley Hughes, responded to a question posed by James Brokenshire (Con, Hornchurch), regarding what responsibilities local authorities have to support the training and education of young offenders in custody.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090318/text/90318w0020.htm#090318108000049

Vocational training

In response to a question asked by Rosie Cooper (Lab, West Lancashire), Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills, Siôn Simon, recognised that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the third sector have a particular role as providers of learning to disadvantaged people, including disadvantaged young people.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090317/text/90317w0023.htm#09031796000091

Youth clubs

Minister for Children, Beverley Hughes, responded to a question asked by James Brokenshire (Con, Hornchurch) around Government's recent assessment of the adequacy of provision of activities at youth centres at times of the day when young people are most likely to commit criminal offences.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090318/text/90318w0025.htm#090318108000094