Powys County Council's Youth Services receives positive report

Estyn, the education and training inspectorate for Wales, published a report highlighting the positive work being done by Powys County Council’s Youth Services.

In January, Estyn inspected the Youth Service, which sits within the council’s Education Service. Today (March 27) Estyn published their findings which includes two ‘spotlights’ – these highlight examples of best practice.

Estyn’s report reveals that Powys’ young people engage in a wide range of informal education opportunities to gain confidence, resilience and social skills. 

The report also praises youth workers for their passion and dedication in supporting young people, forming strong relationships through various activities.

The inspectors noted that youth workers take a person-centred approach that ensures tailored support based on a thorough understanding of young people’s needs. 

Within the report the detached youth work team received special recognition for their outstanding support to vulnerable 16 to 25-year-olds living in isolated communities.

All young people interviewed during the inspection expressed feeling safe within the service. Those referred to other agencies trusted their youth workers and felt involved in decision-making processes.

The inspectors said: “Senior council leaders, service managers, schools, and partner organisations strongly support the youth service. The council recognises the service’s contributions but does not fully reflect its impact in high-level strategies, and scrutiny committees pay limited attention to its successes and challenges.

“The Inclusion Manager for Integrated Youth Services leads effectively, ensuring well- managed teams and strong staff supervision, including clinical support for those working

with complex cases.

“Youth workers are well qualified. They maintain suitable records electronically for targeted interventions, and paper records for open access activities.

“Partnership working and information sharing between agencies is often exemplary, supporting timely, targeted support for young people.

“There is no overarching system for monitoring the impact of the service. The youth

service’s quality management system is in early development, including consideration of

the quality of commissioned services.

“The service plans for improvement, but generally actions are not specific enough and lack associated measurable targets relating to impact.

“The youth service is funded through core funding and grants, with grants covering two-thirds of its budget. Funding uncertainty has a negative impact on the capacity of the

service and limits service planning.”

They made three recommendations to help the service to continue to improve, including

improving the quality of self-evaluation and improvement planning within the service, increasing relevant opportunities for young people’s learning to be accredited and improving opportunities for young people to influence decisions that affect them at county level

Powys County Council will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection

Councillor Sandra Davies, Powys County Council's Cabinet Member for Future Generations, said: “We are incredibly proud of our Youth Service and the positive impact it has on our young people.

“The dedication and commitment of our youth workers are evident in the strong relationships they build and the support they provide.

“This inspection report highlights the invaluable role of the youth service in helping young people navigate challenges and achieve their potential. We will continue to support our youth service to ensure they can keep making a difference in the lives of our young people.”

The report can be found at www.estyn.gov.wales