Issue - meetings

Background:

This report provided details of the work undertaken to prepare Medway Integrated Youth Support Services (IYSS) for future outsourcing to reflect the changing financial position of the Council, following Cabinet’s decision on 12 January 2016 that the three Medway young people’s services, Youth Service, Youth Offending Service and YES IAG service be commissioned out in a package from January 2017.

It was noted that a consultation exercise about the outsourcing of these young people’s services had been undertaken and information collected had been incorporated into this IYSS specification. Specific details on the outcome of consultation were set out in section 6 of the report.

The service specification (Exempt Appendix) was circulated to Members in Supplementary Agenda No.2 and a risk register on outsourcing the IYSS was also set out in an Exempt Appendix. It was noted that the priority areas of work to be delivered by the new provider would be:

• Youth Justice interventions
• Open access youth work provision (centre based, detached and outreach)
• Unbiased information advice and guidance support focusing on young people’s participation in education, employment and training
• Young people’s health and wellbeing
• Reducing permanent and fixed term school exclusions.

A Diversity Impact Assessment had been undertaken at the proposals, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

Reasons:

The outsourcing will provide security and continuity for Integrated Youth Support Services for at least the next 5 years.