Youth services are not adequately catering for the needs of those with disabilities, according to a new report by Ofsted. The survey says that more needs to be done to ensure disabled young people can access youth work provision available in their locality.
The proportions of disabled young people who access local authority youth work opportunities were found to be low. Some disabled young people were not known to local authorities so were potentially missing out on the services on offer.
Youth work is delivered through a complex network of providers, including councils, large voluntary and community sector organisations, charities, training agencies and local interest and community groups. Youth work is meant to enable young people’s personal, social and educational development, and to assist their integration and inclusion in society.
The Government requires councils to provide some form of access to youth work, but it does not prescribe which services and activities should be funded by the local authority. This means that some local areas prioritise access to youth work for disabled people more highly than others. Inspectors found that provision across the country was patchy and inconsistent.
Ofsted’s National Director for Learning and Skills, Matthew Coffey pointed to the need for better planning of services in relation to local need and better training for adult workers and volunteers.
The report did highlight some instances of good practice, where councils were able to effectively coordinate the work of the various agencies involved, share expertise and spread good practice. “The best support we saw focused on developing young people’s personal, social, political and work-related skills and aptitudes”, said Mr Coffey.
Ofsted’s report, Opening doors for young disabled people to engage in youth work, can be found at: www.ofsted.gov.uk/news/opening-doors-for-young-disabled-people-engage-youth-work
