Some young people don’t get the support or opportunities they need through their families or communities. Youth workers and other services for young people have an important role to play in:

  • Supporting young people’s personal and social development – for example, developing important skills and qualities needed for life, learning, and work;
  • Making sure all young people are able to participate and achieve in education or training;
  • Raising young people’s aspirations, with the aim of reducing teenage pregnancy, substance misuse and crime.

The Government will retain the duty on councils to support young people by giving them access to activities and services. This will include asking young people for their views and taking them into account. 

It will consult shortly on new much shorter and clearer statutory guidance.

In addition to activities and services funded by councils, the Government is investing directly to improve services and opportunities for young people.

  • By March 2013 there will be 63 state-of-the-art Myplace youth centres in disadvantaged areas - they will act as hubs for a wide range of activities and services for young people.
  • The Government will help centre leaders to promote the network nationally, share effective practice, and build local business and community ownership. 
  • A wide range of organisations are being funded to develop and test the National Citizen Service - the aim over time is to offer every 16-year-old the opportunity to mix and learn from peers from different backgrounds in a challenging programme of character-building activities and to create a legacy of social action in their communities.

Over 8,000 young people took part in 2011, and up to 30,000 more will take part in 2012 - with the aim of expanding to 90,000 young people in 2014 - making it one of the largest personal and social development programmes for young people in the world.

The Government is seeking to provide more young people with personal development opportunities by exploring opportunities to expand the MOD-sponsored cadet forces.