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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Working with relevant partners (employers, training providers, universities etc) to identify the workforce needs and offers in the region
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Developing collaborations to create good quality workforce development opportunities in the right places at the right times
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Focusing on both youth work qualifications and also focus on broader needs of the youth sector in line with data and insight from young people
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Gathering data and insight on workforce trends in the region (skill shortages, retention issues, development of progression pathways)
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Collaborating with the NYA on standard setting, quality assurance and qualification development
Partnership development
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Developing regional and local partnerships to drive up outcomes for young people and support practice development across the youth sector
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Facilitating targeted support where need to help shape local and regional partnerships
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Sharing the learning from local and regional partnerships across the country more widely
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Developing new partnerships in line with young people's needs and policy developments
Sector Connector
Regional Networking
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Facilitating networking meetings to bring a range of youth sector partners together, raising 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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Developing targeted networking opportunities on key themes i.e. evidence and impact, leadership, detached youth work, youth work in health based settings among others
Communications
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Developing our communications out to the wider youth sector by cascading out information on national, regional and local developments to the youth sector i.e. policy, funding, practitioner and young people’s opportunities
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Acting as a link between the national organisations, central government and local organisations in the regions with other partners
Quality, Impact & Practice
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Creating collaborative learning spaces about meaningful evidence and impact measurement
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Profiling new developments on data and insight around evidence and impact and its practical implications for youth work.
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Supporting groups to develop and trial new tools and approaches to impact measurement
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Working 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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Collating information on the impact of policy locally and regionally to help shape national policy and practice
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Driving up the sector awareness on the data and research available linked to youth services and young people's needs
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Ensuring information is both cascaded out and also fed back into national, regional and local policy
Youth voice
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Working in partnership with the youth sector to develop and strengthen the voices of young people locally, regionally and nationally
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Facilitating regional youth voice activities and networks and supporting young people’s participation in national activities
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Supporting the development and quality of youth voice work
Influence
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Using the knowledge and insight gained from our local and regional networks and partnerships to inform and influence government and national youth sector bodies.
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Ensuring that data and insight with, and, from young people shapes policy and practice
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Working 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 the design and co-creation of initiatives and strategies that affect them