Young London Matters Working together to improve outcomes and standards for London's Children and Yo

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Building Infrastructure for Excellence Voluntary
and Community Organisations at the heart of
Youth Matters
Jennifer Izekor Director Children and
Learners Government Office for London
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No longer the hippy sector Stephen Bubb.
Societyguardian 7/11

• A modern enterprising third sector organisation
  must be professional, passionate and efficient.
  It must be well-led, committed to staff
  development, and actively committed to diversity
  and inclusion. It must be well governed and
  reflect the needs of the clients and communities
  to exists to service. It must be enterprising,
  challenge the status quo and aim to generate a
  surplus for investment, growth and sustainable
  developmentSome fear that professionalism will
  detract from the sectors independence An
  organisation that has developed its capacity, has
  achieved effective funding relationships and
  strong leadership is better equipped to stand up
  to improper pressure. An organisation that is
  confident in its governance and is transparent
  and accountable is better able to demonstrate
  independence.
• (Steven Bubb CE of ACEVO lecture at the Cass
  business school in London)

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A Key role for Infrastructure Organisations

• Developing Capacity
• Developing Standards
• Building partnerships
• Ensuring the effective engagement of young
  people, parents and communities
• Championing innovation and diversity
• Joined-up working and thinking.
• Celebrating achievement

How do you define added value for infrastructure
organisations
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The Challenges for the sector

• Information dissemination,
• Awareness of local and national priorities
• Diversity of the sector
• Diverse Local authorities and approaches
• Shifting Goalposts, changing agenda
• Lack of clarity around commissioning procedures
• Funding infrastructure services
• Funding stability
• Changes to delivery framework e.g. Connexions

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Challenges for Local Authorities

• Local Authority/Children's trusts as Corporate
  Commissioners
• Breadth of agenda
• Diversity of the sector
• Quality of delivery defining/evaluating what
  works
• Stability, transparency and Governance
• Developing Commissioning processes that fit.

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Key Priority Areas for Children and Young People
in London

• Delivering Extended Services
• Increasing the involvement of children, young
  people and families in service design and
  delivery
• Narrowing the attainment and achievement gap for
  vulnerable children and young people
• Increasing the numbers of young people on paths
  to success
• Reducing FTE to Criminal Justice System
• Reducing unplanned teenage conceptions and
  abortions
• Reducing substance misuse
• Reducing numbers of young people engaged in gangs
  
• Reducing numbers of young people who are victims
  of violence

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Key Priority Areas for Children and Young People
in London

• Improving Parenting
• Workforce Development
• Child Obesity
• Improving the emotional health and wellbeing
• Tackling Child Poverty and Worklessness
• Engaging Young people in positive activities
• Sports (The Olympics)
• Volunteering
• Positive Activities

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Partnerships for Excellence

• Funding
• Local Authority has a key role to play in
  alerting 3rd Sector organisations to funding
  opportunities
• Providing clear information about commissioning
  processes and engaging sector in developing
  service specifications
• Joint/ cross borough Commissioning
• 3rd Sector organisations need to make themselves
  attractive to commissioners, clarity of product
  offer, transparency in governance, willing to
  work in partnership.
• Invest in monitoring and evaluation
• Quality Standards
• Link service provision to local priorities

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What is GOL doing?

• Understanding the issues/brokering dialogue
• Consultation and workshops with local authorities
  and voluntary and community sector organisations
  (October 30th)
• Conference for Voluntary and Community
  organisations (November 8th)
• Young London Matters Strand targetting Black boys
  of African and Caribbean heritage
• ( Pan-London Consortium Proposal developed in
  partnership with sector, generally welcomed by
  Las and key partners)
• Influencing Change
• YLM/London Councils Commissioned training
  sessions for LA/PCT Commissioning leads to
  include voluntary and Community Sector module
• Ongoing dialogue with DCSs via Children's
  Services Advisers and Association of London
  Directors of Children's Services
• Facilitating VCS Engage programme in partnership
  with DCSF and Voluntary sector Consortium
• Facilitating DCSF Commissioning work with key
  London boroughs (ongoing)
• Working with GLA on applying Mayors Youth Offer
  6Million for Capacity Building
• Innovation
• Consortium Development (Possibility of
  partnership and funding from GLA)
• Developing idea of Community Brokers
• Development of local consortiums in partnership
  with BTEG, Continyou
• Supporting five borough partnership to develop
  cross-borough commissioning procedures (Pilot
  agreed by LAs on October 30th no funding
  identified yet)
• Young London Matters Website

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Partnerships for Excellence Infrastructure
Development

• LAA as a tool for building robust Voluntary
  Sector at a local level
• Key role for Local Strategic Partnerships
• Key role for Local CVSs or similar
  infrastructure body
• Supported by Local authority
• Supported by Voluntary Sector
• Local directories of Services
• Workforce Development
• Market Development
• Consortium Development/partnerships
• Documenting what works
• Organisational development.

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The goal is this vision for London

• An Easily accessible range of universal and
  targeted services that are responsive to the
  needs of local young people and enable them to
  achieve and fulfil their true potential
• and no wrong doors