cumbria youth work curriculum 2014-2017 · 2014-03-12 · 3 serving the people of cumbria cumbria...

1 Serving the people of Cumbria

CUMBRIA YOUTH WORK CURRICULUM

2014 - 2017

Introduction

Welcome to the Cumbria Youth Work Curriculum which has been developed in partnership with youth work providers, led by Cumbria County Council Children’s Services. The Curriculum is intended to be used by Youth Workers and others to inform their youth work practice and to help us meet our aims and ambitions for young people in Cumbria.

The Curriculum summarises the purpose of youth work and the values that underpin our approach to the planning, delivery and evaluation of work with young people. The Curriculum is intended to be used for work with groups and individuals in a range of targeted and open access settings. The vision and priorities described have been identified locally, in consultation with young people and represent their needs and interests. The Curriculum will enable Youth Workers to respond flexibly to young people, whilst operating within a structured curriculum model.

It includes:

National and local vision and priorities for work with young people

Priorities and values

Our pledge to young people

Youth work in Cumbria

Cumbria Youth Offer

Taking part in youth work

Outcomes, service planning and evaluation


Our Priorities for Youth Work Youth work in Cumbria is commissioned by the County Council to address Government requirements, local priorities and to respond to the specific needs and interests of young people and their communities, including the most disadvantaged, vulnerable and at risk young people needing early help and intervention. The County Council is required to secure sufficient educational and recreational activities for young people during their leisure time (more commonly referred to as Positive Activities).1 Cumbria County Council meets this duty through commissioned provision of youth work for young people aged 11-19 and aged up to 24 for young people with Learning Disabilities, Disabilities and Care Leavers.

The Coalition Government published ‘Positive for Youth’ in December 2011 where it outlined its vision for young people in a society that is positive for youth and will enable them to have:

supportive relationships

strong ambitions

good opportunities

It states that the priorities for services to young people should be to:

support young people’s personal and social development – which includes developing important skills and qualities needed for life, learning, and work

make sure all young people are able to participate and achieve in education or training

raise young people’s aspirations and thereby reducing teenage pregnancy, substance misuse and crime

It outlines how the role of Youth Workers makes a crucial difference to young people’s lives, particularly the lives of those who are most disadvantaged, vulnerable and at risk. It goes on to say that Youth Workers:

‘can offer young people high quality opportunities for informal learning and personal and social development, and help young people develop the strong aspirations they need to realise their potential. They can identify early any specific and complex problems for which young people need more specialist help.’2

The Cumbria County Council Plan 2014-2017 states that we will safeguard children, and ensure that Cumbria is a great place to be a child and grow up. We will improve our safeguarding practice and services to ensure all children and young people in Cumbria are safe. We will work with our partners focusing on early help and intervention.

1 Education and Inspections Act 2006 Part 1:6 507B

2 Positive for Youth, Department for Education December 2011


Cumbria Children’s Services and its strategic partners are sending out a clear message to service providers, including youth work providers, that we will need to work together to provide early help for children, young people and their families as soon as problems start to emerge, or when there is a strong likelihood that problems will emerge in the future. Youth Workers enable young people to regain control of their circumstances by engaging them early in a way that builds on their strengths, enables them to identify their own solutions and take responsibility for their future.

The Cumbria Multi-Agency Thresholds Guidance states that partners and providers in Cumbria are committed to:

a clear, shared vision of the outcomes for children and young people

promoting the welfare and safeguarding of all children and young people

ensuring that the voice of children and young people is listened to and heard at all levels in order to influence the way partners and providers work and deliver services

prioritising the welfare of all children and young people through partnership plans and commissioning arrangements

In Cumbria we provide universal, early help and early intervention for young people through youth work opportunities that are designed to improve their life chances with a focus on the outcomes that young people can achieve. The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) would be initiated for those young people needing early intervention.

http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/childrensservices/ctb/threshold.asp

Cumbria County Council commission youth work services for young people according to their needs. This includes open access and personal development opportunities. In addition, disadvantaged, vulnerable and at risk young people are targeted across the county to ensure that they participate in and benefit from the positive activity provision. All activity programmes include opportunities that support and develop life and social skills; and mental well-being as part of the programme.

Reducing risk-taking behaviour is a major priority for youth work in Cumbria and providers work with targeted groups or individuals to develop emotional resilience to assist them in making safe and healthy choices.

The participation of young people in decision making, shaping the design of services and monitoring the quality of the services they receive is an important theme that runs through ‘Positive for Youth’ and this is echoed throughout our youth work approach in Cumbria.

http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/childrensservices/ctb/threshold.asp


Youth Work Values

Youth work is underpinned by a distinct set of values that influence the way in which activities and programmes are designed and delivered. These values support our vision for young people and guide our approach to the way in which we work with young people.

Our Vision

Our vision is to create positive and lasting change in the lives of young people in Cumbria and particularly to make a significant difference in outcomes for those young people most disadvantaged, vulnerable and at risk.

Our Approach

We will deliver that vision through:

A young person-centred approach

Respecting and valuing young people

Challenging and shaping investment in young people across the county

Being inclusive and accessible

Providing early help at times when young people need it

Supporting the continuing professional development of all staff

Constantly seeking ways to raise the quality of our delivery and therefore enabling meaningful outcomes for young people

Communicating more effectively

Working together to create value for money

Sharing good practice and learning from each other

Investing in knowledge and being aware of issues locally and nationally

Promoting equality of opportunity and celebrating diversity

Our Values

We have a shared set of values that inform our practice:

Non-judgmental relationships with young people

Personal and social education

Equality and diversity

Young people at the centre of shaping our services

Working together to achieve positive and lasting change

Partnerships based on honesty and respect

Innovation and creativity generated by shared endeavour

In Cumbria we believe in a society that is “Positive for Youth”. Having a shared vision for how all parts of society including councils, schools, charities, and businesses can work together in partnership to support families and improve outcomes for young people, particularly those who are most disadvantaged, vulnerable and at risk.


“The teenage years are a critical period of growth and change. They are an important

time for making significant life choices and decisions. Young people need to try new

things, take on responsibility, and be allowed to learn from their failures and mistakes.”

Positive for Youth, HM Government 2012

In Cumbria we have a strong sense of place, which reflects our geographical, make up, size and isolation. This highlights our need to work towards a common goal of young people having a strong sense of belonging, supportive relationships, strong ambitions, and good opportunities in order to realise their potential. Young people must be in the driving seat to inform decisions, shape provision, and assess quality.

Our Objective

To inspire young people to realise their dreams by providing a youth support service that meets their individual needs, raises their aspirations and encourages them to continue developing throughout their lives.

Youth Pledge

We have consulted with young people in Cumbria to gain their views on the type of services they want and when and how they should be delivered. This resulted in the development of the Youth Pledge, which is our pledge to young people for what they should expect from youth work, and Youth Workers.


Youth Work In Cumbria: Where, What and How

Youth work takes places during the day, after school, in the evening, at weekends and during school holidays. In this section we outline some of the settings and methods used to work with young people in Cumbria.

Centre Based Work Centre based work takes place in either dedicated youth centres or within ‘community buildings’, and many rural villages use parish or church halls. It is the most traditional and long-standing method of youth work in Cumbria. Open access sessions provide the opportunity for young people to meet with their friends and with Youth Workers in a safe, informal and relaxed environment and to take part in activities and projects.

Outreach Work Outreach work happens in non-youth work settings including schools, cafes and other spaces and buildings where young people meet with Youth Workers. In Cumbria, schools are used for outreach work as young people often get dropped off by the school bus and live miles away from any regular activities. Youth Workers organise lunchtime drop-ins to promote what they do, and encourage involvement. They also run programmes in the school such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, project work around sexual/mental health or getting young people to think about their communities and involving them in projects to meet with decision-makers on matters that affect them.

Individual support Most youth work takes place in groups; however Youth Workers will support individual young people when they are facing particular difficulties or decisions in their lives. An important skill of Youth Workers is to know of the services available in the County and when it is appropriate to refer young people for more specialist support.

Detached Work This is a form of youth work that takes place on the street, or in parks and other spaces where young people normally hang out. The aim is to build trust and communication with young people in order to engage them in the issues and interests that affect them. In Cumbria this has meant targeting industrial estates and working with groups (with cars), resulting in some programmes around Road Safety and more involvement in school holiday activities.

Volunteering Youth Workers work with other partners to offer volunteering opportunities to young people. Sometimes this will be within our own youth work projects as young leaders or it may be with community groups or local businesses.


Mentoring

Older young people are supported to work with younger ones on issues or projects, such as health and well-being or in developing skills. Peer mentoring is used to enable young people to take on leadership roles and to develop their confidence and social skills.

Youth Councils Youth Councils give young people an active voice in their local project, community or in the County. The active involvement of young people is central to youth work and in Cumbria we support 6 locally based Youth Councils, Cumbria Youth Parliament and a number of other youth forums and school councils.

Residentials Residentials provide opportunities for young people to benefit from an intensive learning environment where they can develop new skills, work as a team, and discuss issues that affect them. They gain new experiences and are encouraged to take increased personal responsibility. In Cumbria there are many opportunities to explore the Lake District National Park and develop outdoor activity skills in residential settings.

Mobile Youth Provision Vehicles are used to take youth work to the areas where young people live, often a long way from any other youth provision. Mobiles are well equipped with seating, tables and technology so that young people have access to ICT and other issue based games and resources. The mobiles are also used at festivals for Youth Workers to meet and engage with young people and they can offer advice and guidance from the vans such as condom distribution or Chlamydia screening. In Allerdale and Copeland, two mobile vans go into rural villages and work with smaller groups.


Cumbria Youth Offer and Youth Work Youth work is a developmental and educational activity designed to support the personal and social development of young people, as part of a wider universal and targeted Cumbria Youth Offer (page 9). The ‘Offer’ is not just about County Council youth work provision as it encompasses all types of positive activities provided for young people by organisations working in all sectors. Youth work, as part of the ‘Offer’ makes a clear contribution to the early help element of the Cumbria Multi-Agency Thresholds Guidance. Within this section we outline the processes Youth Workers use to ensure that learning and development takes place within the ‘Offer’, the importance of the participation of young people and a method to ensure youth work is outcome focused. Our ‘Offer’ identifies the outcomes and impact that we expect to achieve. The ‘Offer’ is designed to enable you to work within the Youth Work Curriculum, providing for systematic planning, delivery and evaluation. This section provides some more detail on how to use this in your practice and outlines the ‘Offer’ that Cumbria has developed to ensure a common understanding and approach to work with young people.

Definitions

Activities are what we do to achieve the changes or results. For example, running centre based sessions, providing specialist activities, carrying out detached or outreach programmes.

Your intended results include all of the programme’s desired results (outputs, outcomes, and impact).

Outputs are the direct products of programme activities and may include types, levels and targets of services delivered by the programme. Almost always numerical; for example, the number of leaflets distributed, how many sex education sessions were offered, how many young people attended, how many young people achieved accreditation for their work

Outcomes are the answer to the “So what?” question: “So what difference does it all make?” A well-balanced programme will consider outcomes specific to the young person.

Impact is the effect of a project/programme at a higher or broader level in the longer term, after a range of outcomes has been achieved.

The Cumbria Youth Offer (page 9) illustrates in one document how all these elements are brought together and should be used to plan and evaluate your work.


Cumbria Youth Offer

POSITIVE FOR YOUTH ACTIVITIES YOUNG PEOPLE’S BENEFITS OUTCOMES IMPACT

SUPPORTIVE

RELATIONSHIPS

With their parents, carers and families

With their community

With additional early help when it is needed

Accreditation

Active citizenship

Advocacy

After school clubs

Anti-bullying projects

Common Assessment Framework (CAF)

Creative arts

Detached (on the street)

Diversionary activities

Drug, alcohol and substance misuse

Evening, weekend and holiday activity

Group work

Homelessness and housing projects

Individual support (one to one)

Information, advice and guidance

Information, communication and media

technology

Issue based work

Learning/skills courses

Leisure activities

Mentoring

National Citizen Service

Open access and drop-in

Outdoor education

Outreach in communities

Peer education

Personal, social and health education

Residentials

Sexual health programmes

Single gender groups

Specialist support groups

Sport and physical activities

Volunteering

Youth clubs

Youth councils, youth forums and

youth voice

Increased knowledge, skills and

qualifications

Increased social interaction, new

relationships and role models

Improved health and well-being

Increased confidence, self-esteem

and resilience

Stronger identification with local

community and respect for others

Increased inspiration, innovation

and creativity

Young people have higher

aspirations

Young people build self esteem and

confidence

Increased resilience and well-being

Young people are safer from harm

and have their needs met

Increase in positive behaviours

Young people explore and challenge

personal ethics

Young people are pro-active

members of their communities

Increased range and quality of

activities

Increasing numbers of young people

in education and work-based

learning, and increases in

attainment levels

Young people are leading safer and

healthier lives

Young people remain active in their

local communities

Young people generally feel a sense

of well-being

STRONG

AMBITIONS

To succeed in learning and work

To live safe and healthy lives

To be active in society

GOOD

OPPORTUNITIES

In education

For personal and social development

To have their voice heard


Taking Part in Youth Work Activities

An essential skill of Youth Workers is to engage with young people, often including those who have not engaged with more formal or traditional learning environments. Participation of young people runs throughout all youth work activity in Cumbria regardless of who delivers provision and there are a number of developmental steps required to achieve that engagement. The Hear by Right Model provides a model for involving young people in decision-making. The youth work curriculum development model developed by John Huskins below outlines an approach to the youth work process with participation of young people at its core:

At the initial three stages of this model Youth Workers will work to develop relationships, gain trust, establish boundaries, and identify the needs and interests of young people. It is the skill of the Youth Worker that takes account of young people’s different interests and needs and plans a programme which is relevant to them. At this early stage Youth Workers will establish the principles of equality and participation of young people as core youth work principles.

At stage four and above young people choose to become involved in the programmes and activities on offer and there will be planned learning and development outcomes for young people based on the curriculum themes and priorities. They increasingly take responsibility and an active role.

Young people will have different starting points and not all will want to take on leadership roles within youth work settings. For Youth Workers the challenge is to ensure that learning and development at all stages of this model can be appropriately planned, identified and recorded and that young people are supported and encouraged to engage as much as possible.


Outcomes, Service Planning and Evaluation

Youth work is concerned with the growth, development and learning of young people. It is essential that there are ways in which Youth Workers and young people together can assess the progress that young people have made. When considering the measurement and improvement of outcomes, it is unlikely that one system or framework can supply all the information required. The diagram below suggests a process to be followed to ensure that programmes and activities maintain a focus on the desired outcomes and impact, and includes consideration of how to measure the benefits to young people from the outset.

The benefits referred to above, are a way of focusing on the particular skills, knowledge or capability that the young person will gain as a direct result of involvement in youth work activities and programmes. Within Cumbria these have been identified as:

Increased knowledge, skills and qualifications

Improved health and well-being

Increased confidence, self-esteem and

resilience

Increased social interaction, new

relationships and role models

Stronger identification with local community

and respect for others

Increased inspiration, innovation and

creativity

Feb 2011

What is the issue? What are the outcomes that

you want to achieve?

What are the young people’s

benefits most related to

these outcomes?

What is the best way to

design and deliver services to

achieve improved outcomes?

What are the available,

suitable tools for measuring

these benefits for young

people?

Choose a tool and put

measurement processes into

practice


When considering how to measure these outcomes, it is important that any evaluation or process will identify:

What does the young person better know, understand, or value as a result of taking part in this youth work activity?

What new skill has the young person gained from this youth work activity?

What outcome does this contribute towards?

In Cumbria, youth work providers are encouraged to develop their own approaches to planning and evaluation of outcomes, based on models of good practice. This could include:

Individual self-assessments by young people of their progress

Externally evaluated questionnaires, such as the Well-Being Measure

Project progress or evaluation reports

Individual case studies

Data returns relating to young people's situation

Other impact measures to demonstrate how young people have benefited from the interaction with the commissioned service

You should also consider using non-formal accreditation programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Open College Network and ASDAN. These enable young people to achieve nationally recognised qualifications to demonstrate the skills and knowledge they have gained.

Putting it all together…

1. First select the outcome you are seeking to address.

2. Identify the particular skills, knowledge or capabilities that the young person will gain or develop as a step along the way to achieving the outcome.

3. Select the content of the activity or programme.

4. Decide on the best type of setting or method to be used and staff required.

5. Plan how to evaluate the young person’s progress and the effectiveness of the programme.


Cumbria Youth Work Curriculum Contacts

[email protected] - Service Delivery Lead for Youth Work

[email protected] - Locality Lead for Youth Work (Barrow and South Lakeland)

[email protected] - Locality Lead for Youth Work (Carlisle and Eden)

[email protected] - Locality Lead for Youth Work (Allerdale and Copeland)

Cumbria Youth Work Curriculum 2014-2017 developed by Cumbria Children’s Services Access and Engagement Team, and representatives of the Cumbria Youth Work Consortium, with consultancy support from the

National Youth Agency.

Photographs courtesy of Cumbria County Council Communications Team, Children’s Services and Cumbria Outdoors

This document may be refreshed throughout its lifetime. The most up to date version can be downloaded here:

http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/childrensservices/strategyandcommissioning/performance/engagement.asp

Strategic Lead for Youth Services - John Barrett: Acting Assistant Director, Early Help and Partnerships – 10 March 2014

mailto:[email protected]




http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/childrensservices/strategyandcommissioning/performance/engagement.asp

cumbria youth work curriculum 2014-2017 · 2014-03-12 · 3 serving the people of cumbria cumbria...

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