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Contact: Fernley Calver, Senior Youth Worker, Tel: 01962 876361

email: [email protected]

1. Report Summary

1.1 The aim of this report is to provide information on youth work in the Winchester district managed and supported by, Hampshire County Youth Service. Information is provided on the key youth work issues, current work and planned developments. A list of current Hampshire County Youth Service projects in the Winchester district is attached. See Appendix 1

1.2 Youth Work in the Winchester district enables young people to make the most of their lives and contribute actively to their community. Using resources effectively and through monitoring of outcomes the youth service in Winchester is continually improving to meet young people's needs. Youth work in the Winchester district therefore supports all the corporate strategic aims of Hampshire County Council and the Cabinet priority for youth.

2. Context

2.1 The Winchester district is co-terminous with the Winchester City Council boundary. It covers 250 square miles from Micheldever in the north to Denmead in the south. The district has a population of 107,000 of which 9,227 are young people aged thirteen to nineteen years old.

2.2 Winchester has forty-seven parishes with a further six wards in the City centre. The population of the district is largely healthy, affluent and well educated. This can overshadow those families who are relatively less well off, particularly those living in the rural communities who find it difficult to access services.

2.3 There are five mainstream secondary schools in the district. Some young people, particularly those living in the southern parishes, attend school and college outside the district. Winchester City's student population includes young people attending a sixth form college, the Art College and University College, Winchester.

2.4 The Winchester youth work team consists of a senior youth worker, five full-time youth workers (two are nationally qualified) and twelve part-time youth workers. As a team we deliver a range of services including building based youth work, detached youth work, information and advice, and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

2.5 The county youth service in Winchester works in partnership with a variety of voluntary organisations and key agencies, to ensure resources are used to maximum effect.

3. Curriculum

3.1 Social Inclusion

3.1.1 To reduce the isolation young people feel in rural areas the district has a purpose-built mobile youth project. The mobile project operates in the south of the district on three evenings per week, delivering youth work where no other facilities exist. It is planned to extend this service from April 2005.

3.1.2 The Winchester district team has worked in partnership with colleagues from Test Valley to develop a personal development course for pupils at risk of exclusion from school. This is being delivered to year nine pupils attending Swanmore College of Technology.

3.1.3 The youth service works closely with two voluntary organisations, Winchester Young Carers and Winchester Special Needs Playscheme (SNAPS), to provide support for vulnerable young people. This work includes enabling young people with special needs to access the local Duke of Edinburgh's Award Centre.

3.14 The district recently undertook a comprehensive equality audit to benchmark equalities in all projects. Young people were fully involved in this process.

3.1.5 A youth worker and a local community midwife jointly organise a group for teenage parents and their children. The youth worker encourages the parents to continue with their education and to learn new skills, including basic computer literacy. We are currently exploring options to accredit the learning and skills gained, by members of the group.

3.2 Democracy and decision making

3.2.1 Youth workers have been working with a group of young people regularly at 25 City Road to launch a local youth council. Representatives of this group have been attending the Hampshire County Youth Council. Some projects in the district have existing youth fora, but this is not consistent across the district and it is a key target for next year to increase the number of young people involved in decision making process.

3.2.2 Young people in thirteen youth projects across the district were involved in the election of the UK Youth Parliament Member for Winchester and Eastleigh.

3.2.3 During local democracy week young people participated in a photography project. They used photographs to illustrate their views about their local communities and identified improvements. Members of the district team are currently exploring with Winchester City Council how to make best use the information this project produced.

3.3 Personal and social skills

3.3.1 The district has two Duke of Edinburgh's Award Open Centres, one in the city centre and the other in Alresford.

3.3.2 With resources from the New Opportunities Fund, the district was able to offer an intensive summer programme to eight school leavers, all of whom were undecided about their future direction. The programme featured new and challenging experiences, careers guidance and community based work experience. At the end of the course all the young people were successful in securing college places.

3.3.3 There are two projects specifically catering for 10-13 year olds in the district. Both are funded by the Children's Fund and use people from the local community to assist with staffing. These local young people learn skills which will enable the projects to continue when initial funding ceases.

3.3.4 With the support of a youth worker, a group of young people has been organising live music events featuring local young musicians. The three events so far have been well attended and provided a performance opportunity for nine bands. Some of the young people involved in this project are working alongside sound engineers and learning new skills.

3.3.5 Accreditation opportunities across the district have included basic first aid courses, the British Canoe Union one and two star proficiency awards, the first gear basic driving course and the British Surf Association bronze proficiency award.

3.4 New opportunities and challenging experiences

3.4.1 Young people in the district have participated in a week's residential experience on a barge and others have participated in a week of activities on the Isle of Wight. Two activity based weekends, one in the New Forest and the other in Cornwall, resulted in twenty-seven young people gaining an accredited award.

3.4.2 In the past few months, taster sessions for climbing, ski bobbing, mountain biking, track cycling archery, dragon boating and night hikes have all featured as activities available at projects across the district. To balance these outdoor physical activities, drama, d-j workshops, stop-go animation, Capiarra taster sessions and meditation techniques have also been included in project programmes.

3.5 Healthy Lifestyles

3.5.1 Working closely with the young people's Drug and Alcohol Reference Group, district staff helped to organise a Winchester alcohol-awareness week. Young people were trained as peer educators and delivered lunch time alcohol awareness sessions in five schools and at Peter Symonds College.

3.5.2 In the City Centre, `twenty5' provides an information and advice point for young people. The mobile youth project provides a similar service for young people living in the south of the district.

3.5.3 Drugs education, sexual health workshops and other issue based youth work is being delivered in creative ways in all youth service projects in the district.

3.5.4 Youth workers are working with young people to change the range of food available in three projects to include healthier options.

3.5.5 The youth service is a key supporter of the Winchester 14-25 youth counselling agency. This project provides short and medium term counselling for young people referred from the youth service, Connexions and other agencies.

4. Partnerships

4.1 The district works closely with the Carroll Youth Centre, King Alfred Youth Activity Centre and the Winchester Detached Youth Work Project. It provides these voluntary organisations with youth workers and advises the project management committees.

4.2 The senior youth worker chairs Winchester Young People's Agency Group (WYPAG). This group brings together statutory and voluntary organisations and address issues of concern, shares information, develops good practice and encourages partnership working.

4.3 Strong links have been developed with the Connexions Service. The premises at 25 City Road are used in the mornings by Connexions staff and by the youth service in the afternoons. Staff from both organisations liaise and share information on a regular basis.

4.4 The district is a key partner in the organisation of Winchester Dance Nights working alongside Hampshire Constabulary, Youth Clubs Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Winchester YMCA and Connexions. These events support the "Say No And Phone" initiative.

4.5 The district youth team is currently working with Parish Councils to develop projects and facilities for young people in Denmead, Alresford and Whitley. The senior youth worker meets monthly with officers of Winchester City Council to develop partnership work including detached work within the city centre.

5. Buildings

5.1 Hampshire County Youth Service is directly responsible for 25 City Road. Other building based youth work managed by the service, is either in partnership with voluntary youth organisations with their own building or relies on hiring halls from Parish Councils.

6. Staff development

6.1 The permanent appointment of a senior youth worker for the district has been a major challenge for the service. This has now been resolved and has resulted in a more settled staff team.

6.2 One member of staff started a foundation degree in September 2004.

6.3 Two members of staff will have completed the local qualification in youth work in the summer of 2005.

6.4 Two members of staff have completed the foundation course and have now started their Local Qualification.

6.5 We have recently recruited two new members of staff who have completed their induction training.

7. Summary

7.1 This report provides an overview of the youth work supported by the Hampshire County Youth Service in the Winchester district.

8. Impact Assessment

8.1 Youth Work in Winchester district adopts best practice in equalities relating to both delivery, staff development and employment.

9. Personnel Implications

8.2 The Youth Service employs 6 full-time youth workers, 13 part-time youth workers, to deliver youth work in the district, the district also has 7 part-time youth work vacancies. External funding enables the service to increase staffing levels, any reduction could lead to staff being re-deployed.

10. Financial Summary

10.1 The Youth service formula funded allocation to the district in 2004/2005 is £226,427. The deployable budget (net of full time youth worker salaries) is £114,450

10.2 Breakdown of external funding secured for 2004/2005 is:

11. Crime Prevention Issues

11.1 It has been demonstrated that high quality effective youth work reduces the likelihood of some young people being involved in crime. The district has developed a range of youth work and actively encourages young people to partake in positive activities and avoid crime.

12. The Views of the Local County Councillor

12.1 This report was circulated to the following County Councillors for consultation:

o Cllr Anne Bailey

o Cllr Phrynette Dickens

o Cllr Felicity Hindson

o Cllr Pamela Peskett

o Cllr Peter Kent Mason

o Cllr Susan Glasspool

12.2 There were no comments received.

13. Recommendation

13.1 That the current development of youth work in Winchester District 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.