Youth work strategy implementation board meeting: 3 October 2024

• Sharon Lovell (SL) (Chair) 
• Joanne Sims (JS) 
• Marco Gil-Cervantes (MG)
• Shahinoor Alom (SA) 
• Deb Austin (DA)
• David Williams (DW) 
• Sian Elen Tomos (ST) 
• Dyfan Evans, Head of Youth Engagement Branch, Welsh Government (WG) (DE) 
• Dareth Edwards, Senior Youth Strategy Work Manager, Welsh Government (DaE) 
• Donna Robins, Senior Youth Work Strategy Manager, Welsh Government (DR) 
• Kirsty Harrington, Youth Work Policy Manager, Welsh Government (KH) 
• Victoria Allen, Youth Work Strategy Manager, Welsh Government (VA)

Apologies

• Lowri Jones (LJ) 
• Simon Stewart (SS) 
• Jo Trott (JT) Deputy Director, Learner Pathways Division, Welsh Government 

None declared.

The board reviewed the minutes and action points from the last meeting held on 18 July 2024.

Officials shared a working paper on initial thinking around the recommendations from Phase 2 of the Youth work funding review. The recommendations from the review are broad ranging and cover many areas relating to funding, including seeking ways to reduce bureaucracy across funding streams, increasing equality of opportunity to access funding and the importance of sharing of best practice. The Board shared their views on the recommendations, which will be fed into advice being prepared for Cabinet Secretary for Education’s consideration in due course.

Board members discussed the role of the Implementation Participation Groups (IPGs) in supporting and advising work over the remaining term of the Board.

Board members considered that engagement to date showed that many consider the IPG structure to be of considerable benefit to this work, but that there were opportunities to build closer links between workstreams and ensure the work of the IPGs remained focused on progressing the Interim Board’s recommendations.

Action: Officials to consider suggestions made by members to further improve the impact of the IPGs and to develop a proposal for the consideration of the Board.

Four representatives from the young person’s residential held in August, accompanied by Catrin James of Urdd Gobaith Cymru who facilitated this forum, joined the meeting to feed back their views and findings.

The forum brought together a group of 28 young people from across Wales for a three-day residential to better understand their current involvement in participation structures and share their views on a youth-led governance structure for youth work in Wales. 

A report summarising the findings of the forum will be shared with Board members when finalised. 

Officials noted that the consultation on proposals to strengthen the legislative basis for youth work was due to be published shortly. Officials thanked the Board and others across the sector and beyond for their input and advice as proposals were developed on this important piece of work and asked for their ongoing support in ensuring we capture the views of a wide range of stakeholders. 

Applications for the next round of funding for the Strategic Voluntary Youth Work Organisation Grant are open, with a view to funding commencing in April 2025. Arrangements for Youth Support Grant funding from April 2025 onwards are currently being considered.

Officials noted that details of the forthcoming National Youth Work Conference, being held in Cardiff on 20 February, have been shared with the sector and other key stakeholders. 

It was proposed that the Board’s next meeting (27 November 2024) would focus on exploring barriers that may exist to accessing youth work provision, and an update on workforce development, including the findings of the recent skills and training audit undertaken by ETS Wales.