YOUTH WORK AND THE YOUTH SERVICE

That this House values highly the work of youth workers and the youth service and believes that these need urgent protection from unfair and disproportionate cuts in local authority and voluntary sector provision; recognises that through their unique voluntary relationship with young people youth workers are able to give highly cost-effective support to them and, through a process of informal learning, personal and social education, increase young people's participation as active citizens in local and national democracy, re-engage them in education, make lives healthier, improve access to learning, strengthen information, advice and guidance, support partnership working, participate in structured leisure time activities, stay out of the youth justice system and play an active and voluntary part in their local communities, provide experiences that enable free association and fun; and notes that Joint Negotiating Committee-qualified youth workers are trained to sustain adult volunteers in community activities and successfully fundraise for services from a range of sources and maintain creative partnerships between local authority and voluntary sector providers; and calls on the Government urgently to review the compliance by local authorities with the Education and Inspections Act 2006 with regard to youth work provision and to find urgent ways to protect youth services from the current severe round of cuts.