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Contact: Richard Watson, Senior Youth Worker, Tel: 01252 311786

email: [email protected]

1. Report Summary

1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide information on youth work in the Rushmoor 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 Rushmoor district is attached as Appendix 1.

1.2 The work identified in this report outlines how youth work developed in Rushmoor is contributing to the outcomes for young people identified in the Education Act 2004. The work enables young people to make the most of their lives and contribute actively to their community, to meet strategic aims 1 and 4. Through effective use of resources and monitoring of outcomes youth service work in Rushmoor is continually improving in meeting young people's needs meets strategic aim 5.

2. Context

2.1 The Rushmoor district is co-terminus with the Rushmoor Borough Council boundary. It covers 39 square kilometres from Farnborough in the north to Aldershot in the south. The district has a population of 89000 of which 9,180 are young people aged thirteen to nineteen years old.

2.2 Rushmoor has three significant centres of population in Aldershot, Farnborough and North Camp. None of the Rushmoor area is deemed as being rural.

2.3 There are 5 local authority and two independent secondary school in the district. There is one further education college in Farnborough plus the 6^th Form College; numbers of young people attend further education in colleges outside the district. Special needs education is provided at Samuel Cody School by the local authority, the linden education centre serves young people who are excluded from mainstream education.

2.4 The Rushmoor youth work team consists of a senior youth worker, 3 full-time youth workers, 18 paid part-time youth workers and 4 volunteers. A range of services is delivered; including building based youth work, detached and outreach youth work, schools work, information and advice, and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

2.5 The county youth service in Rushmoor 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 Hampshire Youth Bureau and Two - Stop shop provide opportunities across the district for young people with difficulties in their lives to access support and guidance through personal development programmes, including a range of one to one and group work activities.

3.1.2 Working in conjunction with the community safety partnership young people are accessing support through the youth team in an attempt to keep them from increasing their chances of being given ASBOS, support includes one to one, groups and sessions with the Drugs and Alcohol worker.

3.1.3 Detached youth workers operate across the whole district, working with groups of young people who have been involved in, or have been perceived to have been involved in anti-social behaviour.

3.1.4 Young people with learning difficulties and other disabilities have successfully integrated into the work of the Cody Youth Club

3.2 Democracy and decision-making

3.2.1 Youth workers are very active in supporting young people's access to and active involvement in the Mayors Youth Council, the district-wide youth forum. Support and guidance is also given to district council staff who are instrumental partners in facilitating this group.

3.2.2 Young people attended United Kingdom Youth Parliament events and a young woman from Aldershot was elected as an UKYP representative. Youth work staff are working actively to support her in this role.

3.3 Personal and social skills

3.3.1 The district has a Duke of Edinburgh's Field officer who supports 6 projects across the district, young people from Rushmoor link in to the open centre at Fleet.

3.3.2 Young people involved in work undertaken with the Linden Education Centre have had the opportunity to visit and engage with a group of Wolves, observing group processes, being accepted into a group and dealing with being rejected by the group.

3.3.3 Staff from the Farnborough team worked for the last two years with young people moving up from primary to secondary school, this transition work is aimed at giving them a basic knowledge of their new school, and familiar faces to relate to once they have started there.

3.3.4 The Princes trust XL project at Oak Farm and Connaught Schools have helped to keep young people on the edge of exclusion in school, as well as providing them with an accredited learning experience.

3.4 New opportunities and challenging experiences

3.4.1 Young people across the district were involved in an activity programme developed in partnership with the Aldershot garrison, this project gave them an opportunity to take part in challenges and activities run for them by the army and that they would not normally be able to access.

3.4.2 All projects have involved young people in a range of challenging outdoor activities over the past year, including rock climbing, sailing, cycling and snowboarding at Calshot, donutting at Aldershot ski slope.

3.4.3 Young people from backgrounds of Domestic Violence have had the opportunity through a summer activity programme to make new friends, develop new social networks and take part in new challenges, as a consequence of this programme the district has developed the part time post of domestic violence youth worker.

3.5 Healthy Lifestyles

3.5.1 Drug and alcohol education and support for young people and parents has been delivered to a high number of young people in youth projects, schools and colleges across the district, by our own team and in conjunction with local health providers. This activity has recently been carried out with young recruits at the Army base in Aldershot and was well received by those taking part and by more senior officers. Future events are being planned with the Army.

3.5.2 Information, support and guidance on all health related matters is available to young people through all youth service provisions, with involvement of and referral to our specialist workers when necessary.

3.5.3 Activities have been developed to coincide with schools summer and Easter holidays these activities take place on the health bus and with a variety of specialist health staff and support form Rushmoor Healthy Living.

4. Partnerships

4.1 The senior youth worker sits as a member of the Rushmoor Crime and Disorder partnership and has until recent changes to the format of the meetings been the lead for reporting youth matters to the panel, area youth workers sit on the Operations Group, which is a sub group of the Crime Disorder Partnership and works to find practical solutions to local crime and disorder issues.

4.2 Links with Connexions are developing and there have been discussions looking at the feasibility of joining HYB with Connexions in shop front premises. Connexions staff completing diploma qualifications will have placements with the district.

4.3 The Youth Service is the lead agency on youth elements of the Community
safety plan and has delivered elements of the plan across the district.

4.4 A major partnership with Emmaus projects has continued to provide support to this voluntary organisation, allowing young people to continue with supported accommodation and continuing education needs. The service also supports work with The Source another major voluntary group across district.

5. Buildings

5.1 The Youth Service is directly responsible Capricorn Youth Centre on the site of Connaught Community School.

5.2 Other building based youth work takes place in buildings or rooms, which are either rented or provided free as part of a partnership arrangement. Whilst tenure on some of these is reasonably secure, at others it is less so.

5.3 Quality of buildings is variable, ranging from an excellent facility at Capricorn Youth Centre to barely adequate space in Queens Mead Farnborough home of 2-Stop. The Hampshire Youth Bureau is in need of urgent modernisation. Facilities will be reviewed during next year.

5.4 Good premises to support high quality youth work is on ongoing concern for this district, and the Senior Youth Worker, County Estates Practice and other staff are in a constant search for better facilities. Rental costs are prohibitive in most parts of the district, and particularly in those areas where we have the biggest challenge such as Farnborough.

6. Staff development

6.1 Three full time staff and two part time staff are nationally qualified with another full time worker is to complete in June 2006.

6.2 Six part time staff have a local qualification and another two will complete this summer.

7. Summary

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

8. Impact Assessment

8.1 Equalities best practice is applied through all recruitment and staff development processes and in all youth work delivery points.

9. Personnel Implications

9.1 This district employs 4 full-time youth workers, 18 part-time youth workers and a half-time administrator. There are 3 part-time vacancies at the moment. Four volunteers are deployed in a range of projects.

9.2 External funding supports one of the above posts, which may be at risk if the level of funding reduces.

10. Financial Summary

10.1 The Youth Service formula funded allocation to the district in 2006/2007 is £269,000

10.2 Breakdown of external funding for 2006/2007 is:

11. Crime Prevention Issues

11.1 High quality youth work reduces the likelihood of young people being involved in crime. The district has a core programme, which actively encourages young people to take part in positive activities and avoid crime. Detached and outreach staff respond in specific areas identified in conjunction with the Community Safety partnership, with successful outcomes over the past three years.

12. The Views of the Local County Councillor

12.1 This report was not circulated to local county councillors.

13. Recommendation

13.1 That the current development of youth work in the Rushmoor 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.

Nil.