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Contact: Sue Cooper - Senior Youth Worker, Tel: 01264 336553

Colin Smith - Youth Service Manager, Tel: 01962 846250

1. Summary

1.1 This report provides information about Youth Service work in the Test Valley district, including references to significant achievements and key issues being addressed. Information is included on current work and planned developments. To complete the snapshot picture, a list of current Youth Service projects and details of other networks, projects and initiatives are attached as appendices.

2 Background

2.1 The Youth Service district of Test Valley is coterminous with Test Valley Borough Council. Test Valley lies in the north west of Hampshire and takes its name from the river Test, which flows through the heart of the district. The Test Valley district covers 245 square miles, is 28 miles from north to south and 17 miles at its widest point.

2.2 Test Valley has a population of 110,282 (1999 estimate). Nearly half the population live in the two main towns of Andover (36,884) and Romsey (14,826) with the remainder spread throughout this predominantly rural district. Young people between the ages of 13 - 19 years account for 8.9% of the total population (9,840). There are 53 parishes in the district.

2.3 The district has a thriving economy based on successful agricultural, industrial and commercial enterprises. The unemployment rate, currently at less than 1%, is one of the lowest in the country.

2.4 Hampshire County Youth Service delivers regular opportunities for young people through several projects located in the district, including the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Attendance at Youth Service projects over the period January to March was 2605. There is also a wide range of voluntary and uniformed youth groups operating in the district, providing recreational and educational opportunities, which complement the work of the County Youth Service.

2.5 Key issues for young people in Test Valley include:

· Rural isolation.

· Young people have little or no access to information and support in the rural areas. There is a need for a coherent information, advice and support service across the district.

· Transport. Access to education, training, recreation and employment opportunities is extremely difficult, particularly from the villages.

· Lack of specific services for young people including access to counselling, drugs/alcohol services, and sexual health services.

· Andover is set to be one of the fastest growing towns in the south due to planned regional growth. Community facilities need to increase accordingly.

3. Youth Service Projects in Test Valley

3.1 The Youth Service provides a wide range of opportunities for young people across the district. This is delivered through 11 projects, details of which can be found in Appendix 1.

4. Progress on current work

4.1 Since the establishment of Test Valley as a Youth Service district, significant development has taken place. Staffing and projects have been established in accordance with identified needs. Growth has been rapid in the past two years, foundations have been set by establishing sound relationships with agencies, organisations and young people.

4.2 The district has been covering a secondment of a full-time member of staff since September 2000. This has led to some positive opportunities for other staff but in turn has placed a greater load on existing staff. We look forward to the end of the secondment period (end of August 02) at which time the district can return to its full complement of nationally qualified staff.

4.3 The district has a staff team of 36, four full-time nationally qualified, one youth worker in training, 22 part-time staff and nine volunteers. The staff team is a full time equivalent of 10 part-time workers. There has been a high commitment to training for part-time staff in the district. Currently, five members of staff are about to complete the local qualification in youth work.

4.4 One of the main challenges in Test Valley is developing a strategy for delivering rural youth work within our budget constraints. Developing partnerships with parish councils has sometimes been difficult although work in Nursling, supported by Nursling and Rownhams Parish Council, have been encouraging. Further work is being developed in Valley Park, North Baddesley and Grateley. The Youth Service will continue to seek to develop partnerships with Parish Councils in order to meet the personal development needs of young people. The outcome of a Healthy Living Centres bid by Test Valley Borough Council in partnership with the Youth Service is awaited. The identification and upgrading of local venues for use by young people will be a significant step forward. Alongside this, additional funding for staff will need to be sought.

4.5 The following is a snapshot of some of the achievements over the past year:

· Successful school inclusion projects have been delivered in Mountbatten, Romsey and Winton schools. Forty six young people have been supported through individual and group sessions.

· 'First Gear' and 'On Two Wheels' projects have been delivered in the district enabling young people to take to the roads safely.

· School holiday activities have been delivered in Romsey and Andover, attracting over 80 young people per week. As a result of this work and other projects, Hampshire Constabulary has reported a significant reduction in petty crime/nuisance calls for the police.

· A partnership has been developed between Andover Young Firefighters and the Youth Service, leading to increased opportunities for young people generally.

· After a successful pilot for the Government funded Summer Activities scheme last summer, Test Valley will run the scheme for the next three years. Twenty young people will be involved in the residential phase in South Wales, in early July 2002.

· Pilot work has started in two schools, Mountbatten and Winton, to deliver an outreach information and advice service. This forms part of the rural strategy. Youth workers will be in each school, one day a week.

· A new Peer Education group has been recruited. After training, young people will deliver a programme on sexual health issues and teenage pregnancy in schools and Youth Service projects. Mid-Hants Primary Care Trust Health Promotion team will support this work.

· Youth councils in Andover and Romsey have continued to meet. At times, recruitment has caused concern and sustainability has been difficult. Changes in staff have also had an effect. Currently, both groups are working well and are, positive and motivated.

· The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is going from strength to strength. At a recent award ceremony, 46 young people gained bronze or silver awards.

4.6 The achievements of the past year are a result of the skills, enthusiasm and commitment of the Test Valley team and have established a firm foundation for the future. Targets for 2002/03 include:

· Developing a proactive role in the establishment of the Connexions Service in Test Valley.

· Delivering an outreach service in all six secondary schools in the district - by March 2003.

· Establishing a base for our - Information and Support Service (IAS), The House in the Foyer project- Junction Road, and supporting the development of the project.

· Expanding school inclusion work to cover Harrow Way and John Hanson.

· Organising young people's conference event in October 2002.

· Developing opportunities for young people to participate in activities promoting healthy lifestyles.

5. Work With Partner Agencies

5.1 The Youth Service is working closely with a number of agencies to develop joint strategies to meet the needs of young people. These include partnerships with:

· Test Valley Borough Council to support work at Bleinheim Hall and Youth in Romsey

· Hampshire County Council Social Services to support work with young offenders

· Mid-Hants Primary Care Trust to support Peer Education and establish a lesbian, gay & bisexual (LGB) project.

5.2 The Youth Service is participating actively in a number of partnership groups including the Crime Reduction Partnership and the Mental Health Forum. These forums have enabled the importance of working with young people to be highlighted, and secured increased resources for youth work in the district.

5.3 The Youth Service has initiated an interagency group the '15+ Panel'. This group has representatives from all agencies working with young people and provides a strategic focus for youth work initiatives.

5.4 A list of other projects, networks and initiatives in which the Youth Service is involved is detailed in Appendix 2.

6. Resources

6.1 The Youth Service's delegated budget for Test Valley Borough in 2002/03 is £290,303.

6.2 External funding secured in 2002/03:

· Test Valley Borough Council:

- Romsey Summer Scheme (from Leisure) £1,500

- The House (from Housing) £13,844

- Youth in Romsey (from Leisure) £9,004

- Bleinheim Hall (from Leisure) £5,000

· Hampshire Social Services

- Young Offenders Group £4,000

· Hampshire Constabulary: for Summer Scheme £1,000

· Mid-Hants Primary Care Trust - Health Promotion £6,100

· Nursling Parish Council £3,000

· Communities against Drugs £19,961

· New Opportunities Fund Summer Activities programme £9,766

TOTAL £73,175

7. Recommendation:

That the current developments in youth work in Test Valley be welcomed.

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

N.B. The list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

Nil.

Appendix 1

Hampshire County Youth Service

Test Valley District: List of projects

Hampshire County Youth Service Appendix 2

Test Valley: Projects, Networks, Initiatives

Name of project, network, initiative Youth Service Role

15+ Panel Lead role

Acorns Special Needs Group Advisory

Andover Young Carers Support Development

Army Welfare Youth Service Liaison

Crime Reduction Partnership Member

Drugs and Alcohol Reference Group Member

Foyer Steering Group Member

Healthy Living Centres Partner

Healthy Romsey Group Member

House, Young People's Project Committee Advisory

Lifelong Learning Partnership Youth Service/Careers Lead Agency

Mid Hants PCT Local Implementation Team Member

Neighbourhood Wardens Steering Group Member

Romsey Sexual Health Group Member

Social Inclusion Partnership - Andover Member

Social Inclusion Partnership - Romsey Member

Test Valley Local Award Committee Partners

Youth in Romsey Steering Group Advisory

Young People's Mental Health Forum Member