Agenda item

[ 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 and to dissolve any arrangements made for a Youth Zone.

2. To delegate to the Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the Lead Member for Communities, to take any further steps necessary to dissolve the arrangements made for a Youth Zone.

3. To agree that Officers continues with the task of shaping the landscape of youth provision in Haringey as set out below in Paragraph 6.3.2.

Reasons for decision

The overall strategic approach of the Council and partners to addressing the needs of young people at risk and tackling serious youth violence has not yet been developed or agreed. Work is underway to ensure that this approach is grounded in the views and contributions of local communities and of young people directly affected, as well as of a range of professionals with experience and expertise in this area. An in-depth needs analysis has been prepared which will allow targeting of resources through a better understanding of what may have most impact in Haringey and a range of interventions are being explored to consider whether they would work well together to address need in Haringey. The implications of such analysis and engagement for youth provision have not yet been worked through which means that the landscape in which a Youth Zone would be operating in the borough is not yet clear.

The engagement so far with community members, young people and other stakeholders to develop the strategic approach outlined above has confirmed that a community-based response resonates widely and is emerging as a strong plank of any future developments. Members are keen to optimise the opportunity to work directly with local communities, recognising and building on their strengths and assets in developing and implementing the overall strategic approach.

In light of the work to develop a sustainable and strategic approach to addressing young people at risk, questions have been raised about whether a single base for youth provision, rather than a network of community settings acting as bases for provision across Haringey, is a preferable approach. Again, it is considered too soon to be in effect shaping future provision around a single offer when the overall priorities and outcomes for young people at risk have not yet been developed or agreed more widely.

A further factor contributing to the decision being placed before Cabinet, regards the location and site of the proposed Youth Zone, which was planned to be developed on premises at Woodside High School. Such provision would enhance the youth offer in Wood Green, the infrastructure for which is recognised to be underdeveloped. However, the potential premises identified are land designated as Metropolitan Open Land, an important consideration for any development. Members are keen to explore options which do not compromise the amount or quality of such land in the borough.

It is fully recognised that working in partnership with Onside would bring considerable additional investment into the borough for youth provision. However, such a partnership also requires a significant proportion of the Council spend on existing youth services to be diverted to supporting a Youth Zone. Given the fragility of funding for youth provision and the need for a strong evidence base for future investment, and for the reasons outlined above, Members do not consider it desirable to make such a commitment at this point in time.

Alternative options considered

The option to continue to develop a Youth Zone for Haringey on the site of the Woodside High School in partnership with Onside was considered but discarded for the reasons set out above.

The option to pause development of a Youth Zone for Haringey in partnership with OnSide in light of issues with the site as set out above and to pursue other sites was considered but discarded for the reasons set out above