Blackpool Council Children, Adult & Family Services Youth Service Consultation Report

Transcription

1 TABLE OF CONTENTS: Introduction:... 3 Methodology... 3 Results: Questionnaire... 4 General Response Rate:... 4 Have you ever been to one of our youth centres or worked with a Youth Worker in another setting?... 4 If you have been involved with Youth Workers, what did they do that helped you the most?... 5 If you haven t been involved with Youth Workers or the Youth Service, what were the reasons?... 5 What role do you think Youth Workers should play in helping you with issues in your life?... 7 What type of activities or things in your social life do you want to see in Blackpool?... 7 What changes to the Youth Service could be made to provide greater benefit to young people in Blackpool? 8 Face to Face Consultation Event... 9 Session Session Session Session Page 2 of 14

2 Introduction: A Prior Information Notice (PIN) has been issued by Blackpool Council to invite interested parties to enter an early dialogue with the Council, to inform the future model for the delivery of Youth Service Activities in the Borough. Blackpool Council has a duty to provide young people from age with a range of positive activities and to ensure that they are fully accessible to everyone. The council must also ensure that young people are included in decision making about the kinds of provision available The Youth Service works with young people across a range of settings, including youth clubs, schools and on the streets in targeted wards. The aim is to work with young people in their transition from dependence to independence through informal education and to provide fun things to do and places to go. In a positive society every young person will have the opportunity to reach their full potential. This means allowing young people to express their views and influence public decision making (Positive for Youth Dept of Education).The intention is to involve young people to shape the future of the youth service delivery in Blackpool. Methodology The authority decided to use two separate methods to consult with young people: 1. A questionnaire was developed which included an incentive for completion in the form of a 20 voucher. The questionnaire was administered both on Survey Monkey (on line) and as a paper exercise, which ever was most appropriate to the circumstances. It was circulated to youth settings and to schools via their Pupil Voice Coordinators. A total of 277 responses were received. 2. Young people were also engaged in face to face consultation. An event was arranged on Tuesday 27th September which was attended by 18 young people who are currently involved in youth activities delivered by the youth service. The group consisted of 10 members of Blackpool Young People s Council, 2 members of Mereside Youth club, 1 member of the Boys and Girls club, 2 young people who used the Buzz Bus, 1 young person from the Grange and 2 young people involved in the My Space project. Both processes were designed to gain as wider range of views as possible to inform the future model for the delivery of Youth Service Activities in the authority. Page 3 of 14

3 Results: Questionnaire General Response Rate: In total, 277 young people responded to the questionnaire. Of this total, 94.6% (262) were happy to include their name, and 85.6% (237) gave us enough contact details to be included within the prize draw for the 20 pound gift voucher. This response rate means that at a 95.0% confidence level, we can be certain that results are accurate to +/ 6.0% for each question. Have you ever been to one of our youth centres or worked with a Youth Worker in another setting? In this question, young people were asked if they had ever been to one of Blackpool s youth centres, or if they had worked with a youth worker in another setting? Respondents were asked to tick any answer that applied to them. Only 6 respondents decided not to answer this question, giving a base response of 271. Out of this number, just over four out of ten respondents (44.6%) indicated that they had been to a youth centre, while a further 35.8% indicated that they had worked with a youth worker. 50.0% 45.0% 40.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% Have you ever been to one of our youth centres or worked with a Youth Worker in another setting? 44.6% I have been to a Youth Centre 35.8% I have worked with a Youth Worker (either in a Youth Centre or another Setting) 38.7% I have never worked with a Youth Worker From these responses, it is possible to show that: 16.6% of respondents indicated that they had been to a youth centre and worked with a youth worker. 28.4% of respondents indicated that they had been to a youth centre only Page 4 of 14

4 19.9% of respondents indicated that they had worked with a youth worker only If you have been involved with Youth Workers, what did they do that helped you the most? This question asked was aimed at respondents who had been involved with youth workers; asking what they had done that helped respondents the most. Due to this only 174 young people answered the question. Respondents were only allowed to choose one answer to this question (out of the three options available), so therefore had to make a judgement on what aspect of the service they most valued. If you have been involved with youth workers, what did they do that helped you the most? 22.4% Provided individual advice and support 39.1% Provided you with activities to participate in Helped you become involved in groups / activities provided by someone else 38.5% From the answers given, a broadly equal number of young people found provide individual advice and support (39.1%) and provide activities to participate in (38.5%) as the most valuable aspect of the service provided by youth workers. A further 22.4% of respondents indicated they felt helping you become involved in groups / activities provided by someone else was the most important input. Based on this analysis, no one aspect of the service appears to be significantly more helpful to the young people who responded than any other. If you haven t been involved with Youth Workers or the Youth Service, what were the reasons? This question was designed to gain intelligence regarding the reasons why young people were not engaging with youth workers or the youth service. In total, 144 young people answered this question. As it allowed multiple answers to be given (no limit was stated) 216 individual reasons were given. In effect, this meant that, on average, each respondent gave more than one reason for not having engaged with a youth worker or being involved with the youth service (average was 1.5 reasons per response). Page 5 of 14

5 If you haven t been involved with youth workers or the youth service, what were the reasons? (Please tick all boxes below that apply) 35.0% 33.3% 30.0% 28.5% 25.0% 20.0% 18.8% 15.0% 12.5% 13.2% 10.0% 5.0% 6.9% 7.6% 6.3% 0.0% I didn t know that Youth Centres / Services existed I didn t know that Youth Centres / Services could help me with my issues Youth Centres / Services do not offer any activities I would be interested in My friends don t use the service There is no Youth Centre or Service in the area where I live There is no Youth Centre or Service in places I would normally be in Youth Centres / Services are not open at times when I would want to use them I find it difficult to get to / there is no available transport to a Youth Centre or Service As can be seen from the graph above, a number of reasons were more prevalent in responses than others. These included: A third of respondents (33.1%) indicated that I didn t know that youth centres / services existed 28.5% suggested they did not engage with the service due to my friends don t use the service 18.8% of respondents stated that I didn t know that youth centres / services could help me with my issues Page 6 of 14

6 Respondents were also asked to tell us if there were any other reasons why they had not been involved with youth services or a youth worker. No conclusions could be drawn from the analysis as few young people responded, and were very diverse. What role do you think Youth Workers should play in helping you with issues in your life? This was an open ended question to respondents, which achieved 221 responses (although some of these indicated that the didn t know / were unable to comment ). By far the majority of responses indicated that, in general, youth workers should provide a help, advice and guidance role. Many comments suggested that building relationships with young people should be a priority, and that they wanted youth workers to be mentors to young people. The next most popular response was to suggest that youth workers should provide and run activities for the young people to participate in. Many responses did not elaborate on what these activities might be, but those that did mainly mentioned sports activities, especially football. What type of activities or things in your social life do you want to see in Blackpool? Within this question, respondents were given a number of options, as asked to tick any activities they would like to see offered in Blackpool. In total, 247 young people answered this question, giving a total of 928 responses. This show that young people, on average, indicated approximately 4 activities that they would like to see provided in Blackpool. The most popular activities identified by young people who responded to the survey were: Just over half of respondents (51.1%) indicated that they would to see physical activities (such as football or skate boarding) provided in Blackpool Broadly the same proportion of young people (50.2%) indicated they would like to see outdoor adventure activities (canoeing, climbing etc) Other activities that gained a lower (but still significant) support included Arts & Crafts (39.7%); Cookery (41.3%); Music (41.3%) & Social Activities (39.7%). A much smaller proportion (27.9%) indicated that they would like to see Residential Opportunities. Page 7 of 14

7 What types of activities or things to do in your social life do you want to see in Blackpool? (Please tick all boxes below that are relevant) 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 61.1% 39.7% 41.3% 41.3% 32.8% 50.2% 39.7% 27.9% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% Physical Activity (Football, Skateboarding etc) Arts & Crafts Activities (inc, fashion) Cookery Activities Music Activities Computing / IT based Activities Outdoor Adventure Activities (Canoeing, Climbing etc) Social Activities Residential Opportunities What changes to the Youth Service could be made to provide greater benefit to young people in Blackpool? This question was again open ended and encouraged 180 responses. As within previous questions, the range of answers varied greatly. However, grouping answers into general themes illustrated the following options were the most popular amongst young people who responded: Many responses called for a greater range of activities to be offered. However, many responses did not go into detail about what these activities should be. A significant number of responses suggested that youth services should be advertised more widely, as many did not know they existed. A large proportion of respondent suggested that youth centres / services should be open longer, or have different operating hours. A small number also mentioned that they found the centres difficult to get to. Page 8 of 14

8 Face to Face Consultation Event An event was held on Tuesday 27 th September at the youth centre in Market St from 6pm 8pm. In total 18 young people attended from the following youth settings; Blackpool Young People Council 10 Mereside Youth Centre 2 Boys & Girls Club 1 Buzz Bus 2 Grange Youth Centre 1 My Space Youth Forum 2 Councillor Amy Cross began the evening by explaining to the young people the reason for the consultation. The first two sessions were open group discussions with responses recorded on flip chart. The third session was a small group work activity during which young people were asked to consider how providers could meet potential objectives from a possible service specification document. Session 4 was a whole group discussion on the future of the youth service. Session 1 What is a youth service to you? Friendly staff Somewhere to chill (relax) Fun Be heard Treated like young adults New friends Support Individual attention Opportunities Develop skills Page 9 of 14

9 New experiences Feel you belong part of a community Feel welcome Stress free Non judgemental Positive activity Make a difference Universal services Get involved Off load Guidance Something to do engaged Get me out of the house out of trouble Targeted groups (LGBT, homeless, different age groups) Session 2 What services should our youth service include? Drop in Transport Sports Drugs and alcohol support & prevention Youth forums participation groups U18 Disco Youth club Accreditation D of E Job and finance support Sexual health service Life skills cooking Page 10 of 14

10 Counselling Aim Higher activities Careers Residentials Cultural activities Grant giving schemes Session 3 Young people considered how the following outcomes could be achieved 1. Young people are supported through key transitions in their life Careers Guidance Friendly Support Key Support workers Holiday support Support from schools / colleges People who have already been through it mentoring Take over day Work experiences Careers taster sessions Advice, support guidance for people to get into work 2. Young people s aspirations are raised Support during exams Information about options Confidence building Residentials Keep accreditation D of E Role models people being in a bad place doing good Page 11 of 14

11 Take over day Providing key support Positive feedback Tasters for courses 3. Social, personal and emotional skills are developed Volunteering disabled people, young children 1 on 1 work Peer mentoring Forums Specific issues 4. Young people have fun and achieve MyPlace! Volunteering D of E Sports Dance Drama Performing arts Specific learning ICT, life skills, cooking Circus school Residentials Open day tasters How to know what s going on communication 5. Young people enjoy new experiences and develop wider friendship circles Page 12 of 14

12 Different interests Group activities Art, graphics, graffiti, drama New activities and sport 6. The needs of disabled young people are met Facility Sports for disabled children to get involved in Staff support Disabled housing 7. The needs of our most vulnerable young people are met Specifically targeted groups LGBT Homeless Blind young people Disabled / handicapped Looked after children (children leaving care) Safe and accessible places to meet Full understanding of issues Confidentiality, responsibility, impartiality Comprehensive method of identifying vulnerable young people Research the most effective method of contact and approach Provide support groups e.g. the existing OK2be 8. Young people develop new skills with increased confidence Page 13 of 14

13 Provide specific groups/opportunities for providing skills as well as incorporating skill learning into existing youth groups Provide opportunities to learn skills which interest young people Team building residentials Take young people out of their comfort zone to increase their confidence. Young people encouraged to take part in different activities effective advertising 9. Young people will have the chance to be heard and be involved Develop and sustain current BYPC and participation services Youth commissioning, YDF, BYPC Quality Assurance projects Trips to political areas e.g. parliament UKYP, summer 2014 Session 4 What is key to the future of Blackpool s Youth Service? Young people Communication between young people and adults o Information, publicity, marketing o What s going on Something for everybody appeals to all young people Staff friendly, experienced, interested, committed, enthusiastic, inspirational Equal opportunity Youth employment Train young people to be future basic workers Page 14 of 14