Report of the Director of Education

This report provides an update in relation to the recommendations set out in the Youth and Play Trust Executive report presented in February 2016.  It provides an overview of the progress made to establish Young Manchester as an independent Youth and Play Charity and its contract with the Council which has seen it take on the commissioning of the city’s Youth and Play Fund Programme.  It also updates Members on the impact of grant funding relationships with the Youth Hubs across the city.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Education which provided an update in relation to the recommendations set out in the Youth and Play Trust Executive report presented in February 2016.  It provided an overview of the progress made to establish Young Manchester as an independent youth and play charity and its contract with the Council which had seen it take on the commissioning of the city’s Youth and Play Fund Programme.  The report also updated Members on the impact of grant funding relationships with the Youth Hubs across the city.

Officers referred to the main points and themes within the report which included:

• The development of Young Manchester;
• Youth and Play Fund 2018 – 2020;
• Strategic leadership;
• Additional Young Manchester Grant Programmes;
• Youth and Play Fund reach April – September 2018;
• Marketing and communication;
• Youth Hubs; and
• Wider Youth and Play Offer.

The Head of Youth Strategy and Engagement clarified that the length of the contract between the Council and Young Manchester was 2.5 years, not 3.5 years, as stated at point 2.2 in the report.

Justin Watson, Director of Young Manchester, outlined the organisation’s work so far, reporting that it had commissioned 58 organisations to provide youth and play services and highlighting that it had secured £2 million of funding through the #iwill programme to match the investment from the Council.  He informed Members that future priorities were to continue to match fund the Council’s investment to ensure sustainability and to build a strong network of youth and play services across the city.  He reported that this networking also extended beyond commissioned youth and play providers, for example, building links with cultural organisations such as HOME, Contact and the Royal Exchange.

Some of the key points and themes that arose from the Committee’s discussions were:

• To note that the Head of Youth Strategy and Engagement was leaving and to thank him for his work;
• Request for the needs analysis ranking information for the 32 wards in   

           Manchester;

• Whether there would be any detached work taking place in east Manchester; and
• That some young people were unwilling to cross ward boundaries to access youth provision.

The Head of Youth Strategy and Engagement reported that some detached and outreach work was taking place through the Youth and Play Fund although, he advised, it was important not to duplicate work which other partners were doing, citing the Positive Engagement Programme, funded by the Community Safety Partnership and housing providers.  Justin Watson commented that Young Manchester was keen to learn from the Positive Engagement Programme, which was currently carry out detached work in eight wards, and to develop and expand the detached youth work offer across the city.

The Head of Youth Strategy and Engagement acknowledged the territorial issues which affected whether young people attended youth provision and reported that the new Youth Zone in east Manchester had been strategically located in a neutral area.  In response to a question from the Chair, he reported that increasingly young people from across north Manchester were accessing the Youth Zone in Harpurhey.  He also outlined how partner organisations worked together across each Youth Zone area to improve youth provision.

Decisions

1.            To receive a further report in July 2019 which focuses on qualitative data, including evidence of impact, outcomes and young people’s feedback relating to the Youth and Play Fund 2018/19.

2.            To request the needs analysis ranking information for the 32 wards in Manchester.

[Councillor Stone declared a personal interest as member of the Board of Trustees of HOME.]