Youth work

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Conference
2017 Local Government Service Group Conference
Date
10 February 2017
Decision
Carried

Conference notes that youth work professionals, including both qualified youth workers and youth support workers, perform vital jobs in our communities. In countless ways they help young people to lead positive lives as members of society.

Conference further notes that the youth work profession has come under increasing attack in recent years. The 2016 UNISON report ‘A future at risk: cuts in youth services’ reported that between April 2010 and April 2016, £387m was cut from youth services. Between 2012 and 2016, 3,652 youth work jobs in the UK were lost.

More and more local authorities are re-structuring and merging services in ways which dilute youth work and threaten the youth work profession. Youth services can end up as part of young people’s services, well-being services, or library services. Youth workers are increasingly forced to carry out a range of different professional roles – education worker, social worker, youth offending team worker.

At the same time, the employers’ side of the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) for England and Wales have made clear their determination to wind up the JNC. As well as negotiating pay and conditions, the JNC is the endorser of youth work degree qualifications. Conference is extremely concerned about the possible loss of this function.

Conference also notes the recent introduction of registration for youth workers and youth support workers in Wales, though the Education Workforce Council. Conference supports this move, but believes that the cost of registration should be met by employers, or alternatively if that is not achieved, there should be a sliding scale so those who earn less pay less. Registration should involve actual learning and development opportunities for workers.

Conference believes that it is vital that youth support workers are given the opportunity to develop in their jobs and work towards youth work degrees, if they choose.

Conference calls on the service group executive:

1) To continue to campaign using media and social media for the retention of a strong youth work professional identity, emphasising the importance of the role and the qualifications needed;

2) To campaign politically against cuts and re-structures which threaten youth work, as part of the service group’s ‘Save Our Local Services’ campaign, and to support branches and Regions in their local campaigns;

3) To press the JNC employers’ side to ensure that the JNC qualifications role is maintained, using negotiating channels and also working with Labour Link to put pressure on elected members on the employers’ side;

4) To survey youth support worker members to obtain their views on their development opportunities, and to consider a campaign based on the results;

5) To produce recruitment and organising materials which focus on youth work professional issues so as to help build UNISON’s strength in this area;

6) To ask the Cymru/Wales region for a report on its initial experience of registration for youth workers and youth support workers in Wales, and consider campaigning options for the rest of the UK on this issue.