VRU investing in support and development of youth work in London

• £1.1m funding is helping almost 90 youth workers further develop skills to support young people affected by violence
  
• Programme builds on support for youth sector and commitment from Mayor to boost mentoring and youth services in London
  
• VRU appoints 10 youth practitioners to advise on delivery of youth work

A group of almost 90 youth workers from across London are being trained to develop mentoring skills and better support young people affected by trauma and violence, following £1.1m funding from London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU).

The Rise Up programme, funded by London’s VRU and delivered by London Youth in partnership with Leap Confronting Conflict, Power the Fight and Clore Social Leadership, builds on youth workers’ skills, confidence and experience in order to better support vulnerable young people in the capital. Through specialist training, youth workers are boosting skills in addressing conflict and violence, and developing leadership skills so they can be even more effective in supporting young people.

The programme has already trained and helped develop 84 youth workers, the majority of which said that training helped better to equip them in dealing with conflict which meant they were able to build stronger relationships with young people, feel more effective in their roles and more confident of stepping up to senior positions.

Youth workers play a vital role in a young person’s life and whilst those on the frontline bring significant lived experience, passion and commitment – which was clearly demonstrated during the pandemic - the work they do is not always sufficiently recognised or valued.

Through the New Deal for Young People, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, wants young Londoners to have access to quality youth activities and services. He is committed to boosting capacity for a sector hit hard by national cuts, but that has continued to mentor and support young people. This includes a pledge to deliver a mentor for every young person in need of support by 2024.

Alongside Rise Up – a programme developed in direct response to listening to what youth practitioners wanted – London’s VRU has taken further steps to embed youth work in its approach to reducing violence and supporting young people, families and communities.

A group of 10 frontline youth workers have now been recruited to bring a unique practitioners’ perspective to the work of the VRU. The group of youth workers will help provide frontline expertise and learning, further maintain and develop relationships across the sector and both inform and influence how decisions are made to ensure the voice of youth workers is key to the VRU’s approach to tackling violence and supporting young people.

There is a breadth of experience across the group, with some working in schools, Alternative Provision education, prisons, hospitals and voluntary and community organisations. Work has already begun with some practitioners supporting the development of the VRU’s investment in hospital-based youth work.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

The safety of Londoners is my top priority and I’m committed to doing everything I can to put young people at the heart of London’s recovery.

For too long, the hard work and support youth workers have provided to young people in our city has been undervalued. They’ve been hit hard by a decade of national cuts but have continued to mentor young people, steering them in the right direction and broadening their horizons.

I’m committed to providing a mentor for every young person in need of support by 2024 and boosting the capacity of vital youth services, which so often are a lifeline for young people in our city, so we can build a better London for everyone.

Lib Peck, Director of London’s VRU, said:

We believe violence is preventable and not inevitable.

London’s VRU is invested in providing support and positive opportunities for young people and critical to that approach is the invaluable role played by frontline youth practitioners.

The Rise Up programme is evidence of our commitment to invest in and develop our youth workers who demonstrated once again during the pandemic that their support for a young person can be life-changing.

I’m delighted that we have also been able to recruit a group of highly skilled and experienced youth practitioners to advise the VRU and to ensure we do everything we can to safeguard and boost access to good quality youth services in London.

Rebecca Stanley, Highly Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Practitioner and Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist, said:

I bring 11 years’ experience of working in child and adolescent mental health services in health, youth justice and local authority settings, with young people directly affected by violence. I have first-hand experience of the prevalence of systemic racism and systemic biases that are a significant contributor to violence affecting young people, and in my clinical work I repeatedly see significantly poorer outcomes for young black males who are disproportionately over-represented in youth justice services and under-represented in mental health services.

I hope that through my work on the VRU’s Youth Practitioners’ Advisory Board, I can work to raise and address the barriers that young people face in accessing appropriate mental health support and influence interventions that target young people at risk.

Matthew Roach, 31, a youth worker for Achieving for Children in Richmond, said:

The course has helped me to support young people affected by violence or risk of harm by connecting me with other professionals with the same passion and drive. It has also given me confidence to look for the signs and other ways to work with young people.

It has given me huge scope for my career and put me in contact with some amazing professionals who I am utilising within my youth centre. I’ve also developed better relationships with schools and local police to provide even better support for our young people.

Rosemary Watt-Wyness, London Youth’s CEO said:

We are hugely excited to deliver the Rise Up Leadership Programme for Youth Practitioners again this year, in partnership with Leap Confronting Conflict, Power the Fight and Clore Social Leadership.

This is a really important programme and a brilliant partnership: the feedback from youth practitioners in the first year has been compelling and shows the programme’s positive impact on their confidence to apply for and step up into leadership roles.

Building on the learning from last year, Rise Up will deliver extensive training, coaching and mentoring throughout the year, all designed to enhance the skills, knowledge and networks of youth practitioners working with young people at risk of violence in London.