Issue - meetings

[ Report of the Director for Children’s Services. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Communities, Safety and Engagement]

Further to a report to Cabinet in March 2018 setting out proposals for the establishment of a Youth Zone in the borough, this report will recommend a revised approach, following a review of these proposals.

The Cabinet Member for Communities, Safety and Engagement introduced the report, and drew attention to the key issues associated with the recommendations. It was proposed to rescind the previous decisions taken on the Youth Zone on the basis of a new developing approach, in the borough, to Youth services, responding to the agenda around violent crime and the impact this has on children. This new approach would have emphasis on collaboration with the community and with voluntary sector partners. There was commitment to supporting Youth services through a different budget process to that of the Youth Zone option.

The  Cabinet Member expressed that the proposed Youth Zone model would have been detrimental to the partnership between the Council and Voluntary sector and the decision could have led to an expensive youth centre, which only met a small number of young people’s need and which was in not advantageous in regard to transport connections.

In response to questions from Cllr Adje, Berryman and Morris the following information was noted:

• The Cabinet Member did not recommend going forward with the existing Youth Zone proposal, as it was important to assess having Council strategies in the context of young people’s safety and tackling violent crime. This was a key message highlighted by the Cabinet Member at a number of recent meetings with voluntary sector groups where there has been early discussion about 3 strategies, being worked on. This included a strategy for vulnerable children, Youth services, and the proposed violence reduction strategy which would all correlate and move forward together.

• Furthermore, this work would consider the research from Godwin Lawson foundation and involve further discussions on youth engagement to enable good consultation on these strategies. In summary, the Youth Zone model was not seen as appropriate for how the Council intend to move forward with their Youth services but with the added caveat that Onside’s work in other London boroughs would be looked at as they develop. It was essential to move Youth Services forward whilst listening to young people and the community.

• Early anecdotal feedback from partners, working in close contact, with young people, about on the summer programme, was positive. Extra resources had been worthwhile, resulting in a quiet summer in Haringey. The officer report, reviewing how the summer scheme had worked was due for consideration by the Cabinet Member and would provide more information on how the additional investment had been progressed.

• The funding of the Youth Zone had been earmarked to come from budgets across Children’s services.  The advocated course of action was to preserve the Youth service, strengthening the services, which had been subjected to severe budget reductions. The Council were committed to finding extra resources and were seeking external funding with a bid to the Mayors fund. The time frame for the strategies mentioned above was interlinked and would involve public consultation.

RESOLVED

1. To rescind all previous decisions made relating to a Youth Zone in Haringey, in particular, its establishment, location, funding and the partnership with Onside  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74