Youth Advisory Boards Terms of Reference

Key Purpose: 

• To maintain a strategic overview of local youth provision across the district area based on the needs of young people aged 11-25. 
• To commission services and sustainable activities that help community cohesion, intergenerational understanding and build local community capacity to meet young people’s needs, especially for those who are more vulnerable. 

Intended Outcomes: 

Securing positive outcomes for young people and local communities depends upon a wide range of factors, a number of which will be beyond purely the remit of Youth Advisory Boards. Whilst the specific priorities within each district area will need to reflect young people’s needs and be set locally, it is expected that Youth Advisory Boards will help to ensure that: 

• Communities are able to respond positively to their young people and which recognise the positive contribution that the vast majority of young people make to the community, and young people are able to feel positive about the communities in which they live and feel that their positive contributions are being recognised and valued by others. 
• A good capacity exists within each community to respond to and meet the needs of more vulnerable young people including providing a range of positive activities and opportunities that help young people to remain engaged and have aspirations for themselves and their communities through developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to make a successful transition to adulthood. 
• Delivery of provision, reflecting local needs and priorities, is contributing towards improved outcomes for young people. These include:
  o Increased access to and participation in leisure time activities 
  o Increased attainment at KS 4 (GCSE), level 2 and 3 qualifications at age 19 
  o Reduced numbers of young people aged 16-18 who are NEET 
  o Improved health (including obesity, drug and alcohol use, mental health) 
  o Reduced teenage conception rates 
  o Reduced first time entries to the youth justice system & levels of re-offending 

• Delivery of provision, reflecting local needs and priorities, is contributing towards improved outcomes for communities. These include: 
  o Increased levels of community engagement by young people from all sectors of the community 
  o Improved community cohesion including intergenerational understanding 
  o Reduced levels of anti social behaviour 

Key Tasks: 

1. To assess local needs, map existing provision and identify local priorities as part of an annual commissioning plan, taking account of national and local policy requirements. 
2. To consider the needs of particular sections of the community, with reference to protected groups as defined within equalities legislation. 
3. To support young people led decision making in relation to the Youth Advisory Board’s commissioning budget reflecting the priorities within the Youth Advisory Board’s plan. 
4. To support local partnership approaches and agreements to enable joint working, pool resources and secure additional funding and support for meeting young people’s needs. 
5. To monitor and review outcomes secured for young people and impact upon local communities of activities commissioned by the Youth Advisory Board. 
6. To direct how the professional youth and community work support contracted by NCC is deployed locally. 
7. To collaborate with other Youth Advisory Boards and work in partnership with Children’s Services commissioners and other organisations supporting local communities meet young people’s needs. 

Youth Advisory Board Membership 

• Young people*, 
• NCC Elected Member, 
• District Council (Officer or Elected Member – to be determined by Council), 
• Town and Parish Council representative, 
• School representative, 
• College representative, 
• Health, 
• Police, 
• Children’s Services, 
• Business Sector/Employer representative, 
• Voluntary & Community Sector representative (via VCS forum). 

* Actual arrangements for how young people engage in strategic discussion and planning by the Youth Advisory Board will vary to reflect and build upon existing local youth engagement structures. Young people’s engagement will be supported by the youth and community worker and may include their attendance at Youth Advisory Board meetings. 

Officers in attendance: 

Youth & Community Worker employed by the organisation contracted by NCC Children’s Services commissioning support team (as required) 

Reporting mechanisms: 

The specific local reporting mechanisms for each Youth Advisory Board will be determined locally as part of each Board’s links with wider strategic partnership arrangements operating in the district area. 

Overall there will be accountability to Norfolk’s Health & Well Being Board and a reporting line, via the Children’s Services Head of 11-19 Strategy & Commissioning, to the Children’s Joint Commissioning Group.

3 October 2011