Councillor Maium Talukdar, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Education introduced Susannah Beasley-Murray, Director of Supporting Families and Kelly Duggan, Head of Youth Justice and Young Peoples Services, who gave a brief overview of  the youth provision current and proposed offer, then invited the sub committee to discuss how improvements can be made.

The presentation included three main components of the proposed service, the key deliverables in achieving this, desired timescales from March 2023 until January 2024, and details of when the workforce model will be in operation. Representatives of Osmani Trust were also in attendance and discussed how the girls youth club has made a positive impact in supporting approximately 148 young women in the borough so far this year.

Further to questions from the sub committee, Susanna Beasley-Murray and Kelly Duggan;

·       Clarified that the demographic breakdown of 70/30 relates to commissioned work undertaken. Young residents and families are encouraged to participate in youth clubs in the borough.

·       Explained that self-referral forms are available on-line, and referrals are received from schools. The Family Hub Project also promotes the service and engagement is ongoing regarding new ways to publicise and alleviate family safety concerns. Consideration will be given to an app throughout the  communication group workstream process.

·       Noted that a Girls Leadership Programme has been established to recruit secondary school age young girls to the service, and partners also provide youth provision within Tower Hamlets.

·       Clarified that details of ethnic categories are provided by the children who self-define their ethnicity when completing the registration form. This ensures accurate data is provided. At this time data from four Somali providers is pending. An update will be provided to the sub committee once received.

·       Noted that ensuring the right staff are recruited to work with young people is paramount to the youth provision service, as is breaking down issues with ‘postcode conflicts’ in neighbouring areas. This will promote community safety with assistance from the Integrated Detached team service and Exploitation Awareness staff.

·       Explained that this model differs from the former Rapid Response team, as more integration with other aspects of children’s services using a modern streamlined approach will be taken. Consideration will be given to weekend provision of the service in specific areas with assistance from schools.

·       Clarified that there is a dedicated work stream for finance and quality assurance to ensure the budget is spent and governance is documented robustly. This is an improved version using lessons learnt and best practice from the previous in-house model and will be in line with youth work national standards.

·       Noted that borough residents have requested further investment in safe and diverse youth provision, to combat increased crime within the borough. Stringent monitoring and KPI’s will be implemented and scrutiny by the sub committee is welcomed to ensure high standards are maintained.

·       Clarified that an update on staff turnover figures will be provided to the sub committee. A development workstream has been established to deal with training and retention, to guarantee the right managers are in place to support frontline staff and safeguard children.

·       Explained that there are risks with changing the current staffing model and incremental changes with sustained engagement are preferred. The commissioned services and voluntary sector are committed in providing quality provision to the residents.

RESOLVED that

1.  An update on the background and ethnicity of children using the service will be provided to the sub committee.

2.  An update on the staff turnover figures will be provided to the sub committee.

3.  That the presentation be noted.