Positive for Youth outlines a new cross-government policy approach for young people aged 13-19 in the UK. It aims to provide a single vision across 9 government departments to better support young people's success through education, health, community involvement and employment opportunities. The policy was developed through extensive consultation with young people, youth organizations and other stakeholders. It emphasizes giving young people a voice in decisions affecting them and promoting their well-being through supportive relationships, high ambitions and access to good learning and work opportunities. All sectors of society are called on to contribute to ensuring a positive environment for youth.

1. Positive for Youth
A new approach to
cross-government policy for
young people aged 13 to 19
www.education.gov.uk/positiveforyouth

2. Positive for Youth is a new approach to cross-
government policy for young people aged 13-19
 The first coalition government statement on young people
 A single vision across policies of at least 9 departments
 Supporting success not just preventing failure
 Puts young people in the driving seat to inform decisions, shape
provision and inspect quality
 Supports parents, families and communities
 Promotes local leadership and greater partnership

3. It has been co-produced with young people and
youth professionals through an innovative
collaborative process
Pos
itive
for
You
th
su
mm
it
Ext
ensi
ve
con
sult
atio
n
Scru
tiny
befor
e
publi
catio
n
 March 2011
 300 people
 8 Departments
 Co-produced
discussion
notes
 20 discussion
papers
 Overarching
narrative
 200 responses
 Youth-led event
 Cross sector
workshop
Mini
steri
al
advi
sory
gro
ups
 Young people
 Voluntary sector
 LA sector
 Business

4. It sets out a vision for a society that is positive
for young people
 With their parents, carers and families
 With their community
 With additional early help when it is needed
Supportive
relationships
Strong
ambitions
Good
opportunities
 To succeed in learning and work
 To live safe and healthy lives
 To be active in society
 In education
 For personal and social development
 To have their voice heard
All young people will have

5. The Government has set out extensive reforms
to improve education and raise participation…
 Reforming schools to increase attainment at 16
– Increasing freedom for schools, addressing poor behaviour and attendance,
reviewing the curriculum, providing additional support to disadvantaged students
through the Pupil Premium, increasing accountability including for careers advice
 Supporting young people to participate and achieve post-16
– Committed to Raising the Participation Age to 17 in 2013 and 18 in 2015 so that all
young people are engaged in education or training
– Increasing Apprenticeships and reforming vocational education through new 16-19
programmes of study
– Participation strategy: Building Engagement, Building Futures available at
www.education.gov.uk/16to19/participation
 Youth Contract
– 160,000 subsidised jobs and 250,000 work experience places for unemployed 18-
24 year olds
– New programme to support participation of the most disengaged 16-17 year olds

6. …as well as health reforms and many other
policies to improve outcomes, particularly for
disadvantaged and vulnerable young people
 Health and Wellbeing Boards
 LA responsibility for public
health
 New public health outcomes
framework
 Joint Strategic Needs
Assessment
 Health and Wellbeing Strategy
to inform commissioning
 Youth voice through local
Healthwatch organisations
Health reforms
 Mental health strategy
 Support for parents and families
 Improving safeguarding
 Extra support for children in care
and renewed focus on adoption
 Support for young carers
 Reducing homelessness
 Reducing violence, gangs, crime
and ASB
 Reforming the criminal justice
system for young people
Other policies

7. But the Positive for Youth vision is not just
about the role of government – everyone has a
role to play
 Young people
 Parents, carers and families
 Other adults
 The media
 Businesses
 Teachers
 Youth workers
 Other professionals
 Local authorities
 Other commissioners
 Government

8. And while education is key; young people’s
experience outside education is also crucial
 Services must take them into account more
 Government funds support to all parents;
resources LAs to offer targeted support; and is
funding new work with the most troubled families
Families have primary
influence and
responsibility for YP
 Young people benefit from positive role models
and relationships with peers and adults they trust
 Government is empowering communities
through the Localism Act and reforming CRBs
Communities also help
YP form and pursue
their ambitions

9. Services for young people, including youth work,
have a key role, particularly for the most
disadvantaged young people
 supporting young people’s personal and social development – which
includes developing important skills and qualities needed for life,
learning, and work
 making sure all young people are able to participate and achieve in
education or training
 raising young people’s aspirations and thereby reducing teenage
pregnancy, substance misuse and crime

10. Key principles define a good local system
 for publicly funded services with a stronger focus on results
A positive place for YP
Support for families
Community responsibility
Integration
Effective early help
Open markets
Innovative VCSOs  able to demonstrate impact and secure diverse income
 with recognition and celebration of their achievements
 for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable young people
 across commissioners, sectors, and professions
 to engage young people and sustain provision
 while respecting and nurturing YP’s independence

11. LAs have an important strategic role
Working with young people and other local partners to:
 Assess local needs
 Listen to the voice of young people
 Support families and communities to support their young people
 Consider where public funding is most needed
 Consider which providers are best placed to deliver publicly funded
services, supporting growth in the voluntary sector
 Publicise the overall local offer of all available services
 Review and improve provision

12. Government is facilitating local reform…
Empowering young
people
Brokering business
engagement
 £850,000 to the British Youth Council in 2011-2013 to
enable young people to inspect and report on local services
and ‘youth proof’ government policy
Funding sector-led
improvement
 £320,000 to April 2013 to a consortium led by Business in
the Community to improve business brokerage
 £780,000 in 2011-13 to the Local Government Association –
including for a small number of ‘youth innovation zones’ to
test radical new system-wide approaches
 Funding to Catalyst as strategic partner for voluntary sector
Clarifying LAs’ duty
 Consultation in early 2012 on revised statutory guidance on
Section 507B of Education and Inspections Act 2006

13. …alongside ongoing investment in a range of
innovative projects
Myplace
National Citizen
Service
 Government investment to complete 63 youth centres
 Hubs for a wide range of services in disadvantaged areas
 New national approach to exploiting their potential
 A programme for 16 year olds from all backgrounds offering a
demanding personal and social development experience and
opportunity for social action in their communities
 Expanding to offer 30,000 places to young people in 2012 and
90,000 in 2014
VCS Grant Funding
 £31.4m over the two years 2011-13 to 18 innovative voluntary
organisations to pioneer and evaluate innovative approaches
to early help for young people

14. What this means for young people
A stronger voice
Early help to succeed
New opportunities
A more positive place
in society
 Greater recognition of their right to have their voice heard
 A mandate to influence local decisions
 Representatives at national level advising Government
 Better schools, higher standards, support to participate in
learning and work
 A vision for reform to help local areas improve their out-of-
school services, including youth work
 Myplace youth centres as hubs for a wide range of activities
 National Citizen Service for 16 year olds as opportunity for
personal and social development and social action
 Challenge to young people to play their part
 Challenge to society to recognise young people’s positive
contribution and achievements

15. What this means for local authorities
Services for young
people support key
outcomes
Young people must
have a voice
Responsibility to
improve
 YP may need more help than family or community can provide
 Personal and social development key to other outcomes, early
intervention needed to prevent harm & support success
 YP have a role in defining need, shaping provision, and
auditing quality
 Support to LAs to identify most suitable local arrangements
 Local Healthwatch to give young people a voice in health
 Sector-led support offer funded by Government
 Youth innovation zones to disseminate learning from
innovative areas
New guidance to
clarify expectations
 Shift in emphasis from just positive activities to wide range of
services that can improve wellbeing
 Clear expectations on commissioning process

16. What this means for voluntary organisations
Recognition of role in
lives of YP
A stronger voice
More open public
services
Opportunities for
innovation and growth
 Many have expertise to engage young people, including the
most vulnerable, and impact their life chances
 Often work independent of public funding
 DfE strategic partner, Catalyst, a consortium led by the
National Council for Voluntary Youth Organisations
 Youth Action Group of nine Ministers and key VCS CEOs
 Right to bid to take over the running of local council services
 Revised statutory guidance on service for young people to
make clear expectation that LAs seek to grow role of VCSOs
 Clarity on outcomes and standards of evidence
 Brokering greater support from business, and improving
access to social finance
 Opportunities through Myplace and National Citizen Service

17. What this means for business
Business case for
supporting youth
organisations
Opportunities for
engagement
 Personal and social development key to success in education,
employability and other outcomes – services such as youth
work support this development
 Benefits of long term partnership to employees and business
 Funding to consortium led by Business in the Community to
broker more relationships with VCS youth projects
 Opportunities through Myplace and National Citizen Service
A responsibility to
help YP play positive
role in society
 employers and employees can inspire and motivate young
people to realise their potential
 business can promote positive images of young people
Government is
tackling youth
unemployment
 £1bn Youth Contract to engage 16-17s in education or training
and 410,000 18-24s in subsidised jobs or work experience
 Improving apprenticeships, work experience, and vocational
education

18. What next?
 A new national set of positive measures of young people’s outcomes
– LAs free to define their own progress and success measures
 Ongoing collaboration and scrutiny
– New national youth scrutiny group and youth select committee
– Youth Action Group
– Ongoing debate and collaboration with stakeholders
 Commitment to a ‘One year On’ audit of progress
– Latest data, policy developments, good practice, programme impact

19. Further information and downloads are on the
web at www.education.gov.uk/positiveforyouth
 The full statement and an executive summary
 What Positive for Youth means for
– Young people
– Local authorities
– Voluntary and community organisations
– Businesses
 About the Positive for Youth collaboration
– Summary of consultation responses and list or
respondents
– How young people have been involved