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Equality and Diversity > Children and Young People > London Youth Offer

London Youth Offer

What is the Youth Offer?

The Mayor of London and the Government are working together to deliver a £79m ‘London Youth Offer’. The package will run over two years from 2008 to 2010, with £20m coming from the Mayor’s London Development Agency (LDA) and £59m from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).

The objectives for the Mayor’s Youth Offer have been developed to help provide more activities and services for young Londoners. We want to increase the range of services for teenagers, provide more support for parents and give young people new opportunities to gain new skills and raise their aspirations.

A key element of the funding will encourage young Londoners to get involved in decisions about the provision of services for them across London.

What are the objectives of the Youth Offer?

The objectives for the Mayor’s Youth Offer are based on those already established for the Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF), the Youth Capital Fund (YCF) and Positive Activities for Young People programme (PAYP). Our consultation showed us that there is widespread support for adopting these objectives for the Mayor’s Youth Offer. In addition, we have taken on board the feedback we had from interested organisations, and from children and young people, about how these objectives could be improved or widened.

The £20m funding package from the LDA will be distributed as follows:

  • £6m universal offer to provide more places to go and things to do allocated across all London boroughs using YOF/YCF formula
  • £8m targeted offer to provide developmental and diversionary support for young people allocated across all London boroughs using PAYP formula
  • up to £5m for The Young Londoners' Fund to improve the quality of and access to services for young people in London

More places to go and more things to do. Young people making decisions.

In order to receive funding from the £6m universal pot which will be allocated across all London boroughs will need to meet YOF/YCF objectives, which are to:

  • Give a voice and influence to young people, especially disadvantaged young people, in relation to things to do and places to go, and show young people their needs and aspirations are important
  • Change how local authorities and their partners offer activities and facilities for young people, especially in deprived neighbourhoods, and make them more responsive to what young people want
  • Improve things to do and places to go in line with what young people want in their neighbourhood
  • Give young people chances to develop their confidence, knowledge, skills and abilities and be recognised for them
  • Increase the well-being of young people by helping to achieve the Every Child Matters goals – i.e. that young people should be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and stay active through learning, make a positive contribution to society and achieve economic well-being
  • Increase young people’s involvement with services and decision-making at local level

All young people aged 13-19 should be able to take part, especially those from disadvantaged groups, particularly young disabled people, children in care, young care leavers, , young offenders, young carers, young refugees, young homeless people and those not in education, employment or training, young lesbians and gay men, young black and minority ethnic people, faith groups and travellers.

The conditions attached to the payment of the YOF and YCF funds are:

  • Young people will determine the use of these funds for activities and facilities
  • Support is given to young people, especially those who are disadvantaged, including help with setting up and running panels, training young people, completing paperwork and leading projects
  • Evidence is collected of how the funds are being used by young people and the impact of these funds on facilities and activities for young people
  • Financial information is given

Ensuring input from the most disadvantaged young people will need to be adequately resourced and we anticipate that, as is set out in the national guidance, 5% of the budget or £15,000 (whichever is greater) will need to be set aside to train and support the young people involved.

Capital grants

The Youth Capital Fund is not a repair and maintenance grant. However, remodelling of existing facilities may be funded if that is what young people put forward in their application for a grant. In a similar vein, applications for refurbishment to the Mayor’s Youth Offer fund are welcome.

LDA funding provides for a greater share of the YOF/YCF budget to be allocated for capital spend where this is supported by young people and the Local Authority. Where proposals plan to allocate the majority of their Mayoral YOF/YCP budget for capital spend a business case will be required by the LDA.  

Providing diversionary and developmental activities through a targeted programme

£8m of the Mayor’s Youth Offer will be allocated across all London boroughs using the PAYP formula. The key objectives of PAYP are to:

  • Reduce crime and anti-social behaviour both in the short and long term
  • Assist young people back into education or training and help them stay there, by working with those at risk of truancy
  • Ensure young people are supported as they move from primary to secondary school
  • Offer access to high-quality arts, sport and cultural activities, and provide those with an interest and/or talent to continue after the programme has ended
  • Bring together young people from different geographical and ethnic communities to help break down prejudice and misunderstanding
  • Give young people opportunities for personal development including building self discipline, self-respect and self-confidence, helping them communicate more effectively with a range of people and work well in a team
  • Encourage young people to contribute to their communities through volunteering and active citizenship

Effective delivery will require a strong focus to be placed on the provision of preventative support. Continuity of contact from a trusted adult or key worker will be important to ensure successful outcomes alongside the provision of positive opportunities for social, educational, emotional, economic and skills development.

In particular, we anticipate that programmes will place a high priority on re-engaging young people in education, employment and training, including access to quality year-round learning and developmental opportunities.

We expect all programmes, including those which aim to improve young people’s safety and reduce their involvement in crime, to engage young people directly in service planning and design. Successful interventions which are proven to manage conflict and reduce the potential for violent crime are also welcome. 

The target age range for this programme is 8 to 19 year olds.

How we will ensure the Youth Offer provides extra services for young people

Guidance for Local Authorities

The Mayor’s Youth Offer is intended to fund extra services for young people, either by facilitating new services or building on existing work, and not be used as a substitute for the resources that already have been made available for the delivery of youth work by Government or Boroughs. In order to ensure this is the case, appropriate evaluation and monitoring arrangements will be put in place.

The programme evaluation will include quantitative and qualitative information in line with the sort of management information previously provided for YOF/YCF or PAYP and will ensure that information on good practice can be shared together with learning on overall impact.

The London boroughs should also:

  • Ring fence the funds from the Mayor’s Youth Offer, to enhance the offer and support additional young people up and beyond DCSF’s budget allocation
  • Make sure the needs of disabled young people and those from excluded and disadvantaged groups are considered and met
  • Use a range of service providers including in particular third sector organisations with a good track record in involving young people and their families in service design and delivery, minority-led including faith groups and community-based organisations
  • Promote activities and share information across boroughs using a range of media including online information and events to share good practice and learning
  • Use an evaluation framework developed by the GLA/LDA
  • Provide all year round provision
  • Provide vocational and employment focus to PAYP activities and work with education partners where appropriate
  • Provide links where possible between the youth and adult agenda – e.g. working with parents of at risk young people and exploring synergies with local provision for supporting adults
  • Be aware, in relation to YOF/YCF budget, that that there is flexibility between capital and revenue within this budget. A business case will be required if the majority of this funding is to be used for capital

A number of high level indicators have been identified to measure overall progress on the London Youth Offer:

  • Increasing the participation of disadvantaged young people in positive activities
  • Reducing the rate of persistent absence and exclusions from school
  • Reducing the percentage of 16 to 18 year olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET)
  • Reducing the number of first time entrants to the criminal justice system aged 10-17

The Young Londoners' Fund

Up to £5m of the Mayor’s Youth Offer will be used to establish The Young Londoners' Fund. The aim of this fund is to encourage groups and individuals to work together on a pan-London, cross-borough or borough basis to improve the quality of and access to services for young people in London.

Further information on The Young Londoners' Fund

Download Prospectus and Expression of Interest (EOI) Form

How do I access funds from the Mayor’s Youth Offer?

Accountability for decision-making on YOF/YCF and PAYP funds rests with the boroughs and their partners through local Children and Young People’s Plans and the Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership Board.

Information for young people on how to get involved/find out about the local YOF Panel should be available from your local borough youth parliament or young people’s forum.

Further information should be available from the lead officer within the local authority (as below) and contact details for all London Local Authorities and associated organisations are available on the Links to other websites - London boroughs page.

Further background and sources of information

Related GLA group and partner initiatives

The GLA group is currently undertaking and funding a wide range of activities to support London’s young people.

Youth Opportunities Fund

Positive Activities for Young People

National policy framework

Previous announcements and releases

You can download the contents of this page using one of the following links:-
Related links

Children and Young People in London

Children's Strategy

Childcare Strategy

London Youth Offer

Play Strategy

Listen up London

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