Terms of reference

Background and remit

The Interim Youth Work Board was established in October 2018 following a commitment form the Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning in March 2018. The Board will represent young people and the sector and provide advice and guidance to the Welsh Government.

The Board’s remit includes, but not be limited to:

• Advise on the development, implementation and monitoring of the new youth work strategy to ensure young people in Wales are able to access the services they are entitled to.
• Advise on the implementation of recommendations from the Children and Young People & Education Committee ‘snapshot’ Inquiry into Youth Work (July 2016) and other reviews and evaluations as appropriate.
• Support and strengthen partnership working between the statutory and voluntary sector.
• Oversee the sufficiency of services in each local authority area, including delivery of services through the medium of Welsh
• Advise on the continued appropriateness and distribution of grants to deliver the services required
• Consider the European Policy around youth work in particular in relation to Erasmus+
• Commissioning research into youth work in Wales.
• Provide clear strategic advice to the Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning.
• Provide constructive challenge and scrutiny of the Welsh Government’s policies and proposals for the provision and delivery of youth work services ensuring young people are central to the advice/decisions.

The Board is interim in nature as part of its role will be to establish if a National Body, or other such organisation is needed to deliver youth work in Wales and it will make its recommendations after two years.

Membership

The Board has an independent Chair. Board members are appointed through open and fair competition to ensure a broad mix of skills and knowledge that includes, but is not limited to:

• Evidence Based policy development and effective use of data to inform strategy development
• Mental Health and Well-being issues and how they impact on young people
• Digital youth work and/or digital inclusion
• Finance, Resourcing and Commissioning
• Disability and Diversity
• Welsh Language
• UNCRC, Voice of Young People and Participation

Mode of Operation

The Board reports to the Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning. They will also be expected to represent the views of young people and the sector in formulating advice or policy recommendations. This will include direct engagement with young people and the sector, including via the proposed Youth Work Stakeholder Group.

The Board recognises that in order to maximise opportunities and understand the true impacts of decisions they take they should consider the social, cultural, economic and environment well-being of young people in Wales. The Board will ensure the ‘sustainable development principle’, outlined in The Well Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, is embedded in their decision making and considerations.

The principle sets out five ways of working , which the Board will apply to their decision making, meaning they are considering long term needs, work to prevent problems occurring or getting worse, will ensure they integrate the needs of the youth work sector and that they collaborate with and involve young people, the youth worker sector and wider stakeholders.

The Board will meet collectively a minimum of quarterly, with all Board members expected to contribute a minimum of 12 days per year to the wider work of the Board.

The Welsh Government will provide the secretariat function for the meetings. Board papers will be circulated electronically five working days before the Board meeting, and minutes will be circulated to the members 10 working days following the meeting, along with the key action points. Both the meeting agenda and the Action points will be published via its pages on the Welsh Government website. 

Meetings will be held across Wales.