Strategic developments

This has been a really interesting and enjoyable week in which I have had several very important briefing meetings which will inform my writing the next "Young Surrey : Strategic review 2014/15" in February.

The key points are:

   1) The Cabinet Office under Nick Hurd has a team of people working on youth policies/priorities which are: young people’s Voice, Employability /skills, Youth social action (DoE, citizenship, volunteering and National Citizen Service) and local (youth ) provision.

    2) Surrey CC is reviewing the entirety of its Youth Service starting now, so that it can make “significant cuts” in 2015/16 onwards, whilst it seems that SCC funding for next year is reasonably secure. This review will affect ALL SCC youth work - grants, commissioned contracts, and internal delivery.

     3)  I have written a paper for "The Youth Consortium" to discuss with SCC proposing a Community hub model for centering multiple services around the young persons needs – for positive activities, careers advice, sexual health advice, mental health counselling/support, etc etc These ideas have been received well at County Hall , but its early days

    4)  Great emphasis is being put nationally  on the value of youth umbrella /membership organisations in counties and boroughs where they exist STRONGLY,  because of the leadership /representation role so that for central and local government the XYZ organisation (like Surrey Youth Focus) is valued as the obvious go to organisation.

     5)    Notwithstanding 4) in  West Sussex the County Council  is unlikely to value/pay for a reincarnation of West Sussex Council for Voluntary Youth Services having just cut its funding, and indeed WSCC are currently making 50 FTE youth workers redundant. BUT they would value…consortium building …promotion of social enterprises…social impact bonds…..promotion of young people into self-employment….All of which we are currently doing or have done, and by way of illustration...  

     6) Just appointed our first young Apprentice to the Surrey Youth Enterprise CiC this week , being our social enterprise in Leatherhead.

      My favourite season of Advent starts on Sunday! Mike

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