Backing Youth Work to Build Communities

The youth worker who helps a shy teenager find their voice in a drama group.
The community centre that gives kids a place to go after school.
The outdoor expedition that sparks a lifelong love of the environment.

Youth work changes lives and makes a real difference in communities across the UK.

It gives young people a place to belong, build skills, and believe in themselves. By providing safe spaces to connect, it lowers their chances of ending up involved in crime or anti-social behaviour, and improves their chances of being involved in education or employment.

But over the last decade, we’ve seen too many youth centres close their doors and youth workers leave the sector. 

With the Government set to publish a National Youth Strategy later this year, it’s time for a bold, long-term vision for youth work.

Today, Liberal Democrat members have passed new policy to back youth work and put it at the heart of building stronger communities, calling on the Government to:

• Appoint a dedicated Cabinet Minister for Children and Young People.
   
• Commit to a fair, long-term funding settlement to support youth work, resources and infrastructure.
   
• Support charity-run youth services to access more funding and share best practice.
   
• Clarify and fund the statutory duty for local authorities to provide “sufficient” youth services.
   
• Develop a comprehensive Workforce and Training Strategy to ensure a strong pipeline of skilled youth workers.
   
• Ensure youth voices shape all policy development by introducing a statutory duty for Local Authority Youth Councils
   
• Strengthen partnerships between youth services, schools, employers, mental health professionals, and outdoor education providers.
   
• Support schools and youth organisations to deliver outdoor education, aiming for every young person to have at least one such experience in primary and one in secondary school.

Youth work isn’t just one of the most effective ways we have to improve a young person’s life chances, it is also a significantly important investment. Research shows that every £1 spent on youth work generates £6.40 in returns, by reducing pressure on public services and delivering lasting benefits for society

The Government has a golden opportunity with its forthcoming National Youth Strategy. But opportunity means nothing without action. 

Liberal Democrats will keep fighting to make sure every young person, no matter their background, has access to the opportunities, support and safe spaces they deserve.

Because when we back youth work, we back stronger communities, brighter futures, and a fairer society.