Principles of the network
Principles of the network
Our approach to collaboration and alliances with other organisations – June 2020
The Network of Regional Youth Work Units: England brings together independent organisations working to support the youth sector at regional level in the English regions. At present our members cover 6 of the 9 regions and we aim to recruit relevant organisations to join the network and support youth work in the other 3 regions over the next 1-2 years.
Regional Youth Work Units act as hubs for developing and supporting youth work in their regions, working with commissioners, providers and young people themselves to ensure the sector is well-informed, skilled and responsive to changes in government policies and young people’s needs.
The Network regularly works with organisations with a national (and sometimes international) footprint and role in supporting aspects of the work of the youth sector, in order to inform policy developments, engage parts of the youth sector who may otherwise not be able to access national initiatives and knowledge, and provide regional intelligence to national organisations while informing organisations in the region of national developments that could affect their practice and environment. This role is recognised and valued by national organisations and government bodies, and has resulted in positive outcomes for youth work, youth workers and young people.
Our approach to collaboration and alliances with other organisations – June 2020
The Network of Regional Youth Work Units: England brings together independent organisations working to support the youth sector at regional level in the English regions. At present our members cover 6 of the 9 regions and we aim to recruit relevant organisations to join the network and support youth work in the other 3 regions over the next 1-2 years.
Regional Youth Work Units act as hubs for developing and supporting youth work in their regions, working with commissioners, providers and young people themselves to ensure the sector is well-informed, skilled and responsive to changes in government policies and young people’s needs.
The Network regularly works with organisations with a national (and sometimes international) footprint and role in supporting aspects of the work of the youth sector, in order to inform policy developments, engage parts of the youth sector who may otherwise not be able to access national initiatives and knowledge, and provide regional intelligence to national organisations while informing organisations in the region of national developments that could affect their practice and environment. This role is recognised and valued by national organisations and government bodies, and has resulted in positive outcomes for youth work, youth workers and young people.
The Network of Regional Youth Work Units: England – our Regional Offer
The role of a Regional Youth Work Unit is complex and needs to be able to respond to policy trends and changes that affect young people and the youth work sector. We have identified 6 functions that underpin the role of the Regional Youth Work Units. Some of the specific actions that Regional Youth Work Units undertake for each function are outlined below.
Workforce Development
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Work with relevant partners (employers, training providers, universities etc) to identify workforce needs in the region, specific regional issues and concerns, and priority needs
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Bring together the right people to be able to create good quality WFD opportunities in the right places at the right times to enhance workforce skills in different parts of the region and different parts of the sector – essentially establishing regional WFD strategies
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Include youth work qualifications but also focus on broader CPD offer to keep the youth sector up to date
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Monitor and report on WF trends in the region (skill shortages, retention issues, development of progression pathways)
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Collaborate with NYA on standard setting, quality assurance for WFD and qualification development
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Sustain regional capacity so we can respond to national initiatives in WFD as they emerge
Partnership development
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Develop regional and local partnerships to drive up outcomes for young people
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Facilitate targeted support where need to help shape local and regional partnerships,
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Share the learning from local and regional partnerships across the country more widely
Sector Connector
Regional Networking
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Facilitate networking meetings to bring a range of youth sector partners together raise the profile of youth policy and practice i.e. policy leads, housing, funders, frontline groups, faith sector and local authority leads
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Targeted networking opportunities on key themes i.e. evidence and impact, leadership etc
Communications
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Develop our communications out to the wider youth sector
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Communicate national, regional and local developments to the youth sector i.e. policy, funding, practitioner and young people’s opportunities
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Disseminate information for the sector and link between the national organisations, central government and local organisations in our regions.
Quality, Impact & Practice
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Create space for conversation and focused learning about meaningful evidence and impact measurement
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Access and reflect on new developments and thinking in the evidence and impact agenda, and what they mean for their work
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Mobilise and support groups to develop and trial new tools and approaches to impact measurement
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Work towards a shared strategic approach to understanding impact in youth work and services for young people both locally and nationally
Data and Intelligence
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Collate information on the impact of policy locally and regionally to help shape national policy and practice
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Drive up the sector awareness on data and research available linked to youth services
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Ensure the information is cascaded out and fed back to national, regional and local policy
Youth voice
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Work in partnership with the youth sector to develop and strengthen the voices of young people locally, regionally and nationally.
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Facilitate regional youth voice activities and networks.
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Support young people’s participation in national activities
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Support the development and quality of youth voice work.
Influence
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Use the knowledge we gain from our local and regional networking to inform and influence government and national youth sector bodies and the initiatives they develop.
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Work with local government and other public bodies (Police and Crime Commissioners, Public Health etc) to influence strategies and initiatives affecting young people and youth work.
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Enable local youth work providers and young people to have a voice in design and co-creation of initiatives and strategies that affect young people and youth work.