County council guarantee £1.5m additional investment into targeted youth support

Warwickshire County Council's Cabinet has committed almost £1.5m in additional investment into targeted youth support over the next two years.

The council has said it is a priority to help children be the best they can be.

The extra funding will go into projects to improve the support available to vulnerable children and young people by expanding the current Target Youth Support offer and establishing a new Youth Community Fund.

This will expand the youth support available beyond the county council's own services; for example, working with local businesses to embed child-friendly approaches, delivering Early Help group work at no cost to schools, and providing additional training and support to voluntary and community youth groups in the sector.

This is particularly important in the current climate where young people need as much support as possible to stay safe and well.

The establishment of a new Youth Community Fund will support the creation of a youth work alliance, where volunteers and professional workers within this community can share support and best practice with each other.

This will bolster the county's youth provision within local communities helping young people to pursue positive activities and fulfil their potential.

Creating learning and development opportunities for youth worker teams will also be a priority so the service can continue to develop and improve the support on offer.

Beyond targeted youth support, there are a range of activities available for young people who want to participate like discussion groups, clubs and specialised help such as 1-2-1 support.

The extra funding will allow the council to provide even more opportunities to help young people establish their own voices, build confidence, learn and grow.

Local projects like Area Forums and Youth Councils, which give young people a platform to explore issues that affect them and have a say, will continue and be developed even further.

Cllr Jeff Morgan, portfolio holder forChildren's Services,said:"The award of this funding to targeted youth services demonstrates the council's ongoing priority to support the needs of vulnerable children and young people across the county.

"Safeguarding the county's young people along with providing increased access to trained and professional youth teams will create safe environments where young people can express and develop themselves.

"Our direction is to become a well-connected and child-friendly organisation, and we are committed to supporting our children and young people in Warwickshire so that they can experience a fun, happy and healthy childhood.

"This additional investment will progress Warwickshire further in fulfilling the needs and required support for our children and young people."

This funding is part of a wider £12m extra investment in children's services over the next two years (sourced from Department of Education and the Council's Transformation budget) to drive improvement and innovation in all areas and demonstrate the Council's commitment to ensuring the best outcomes possible for the county's children and families.

For more information about Targeted Youth Support in Warwickshire, visit the WCC website.