· Head of the Rotherham IYSS (Schools and Lifelong Learning, Children and Young People’s Services Directorate) to report.
Minutes:
The Partnership and Youth Development Manager (Schools and Lifelong Learning, Children and Young People’s Services Directorate) provided an update in relation to the Integrated Youth Support Service.
· The re-alignment process: -
o 32 postholders had taken voluntary severance, which equated to 12.13 full-time equivalent posts;
o 11 postholders were potentially facing redundancy, which equated to 4.92 full-time equivalent posts. Efforts would be made to re-deploy these postholders to other posts within the Council;
o Training modules, peer mentoring and volunteer opportunities were continuing to be available across the Service;
o The Integrated Youth Support Service would offer two nights per week of outreach provision from 1st April, 2014. This was a reduction from four nights per week available previously;
o The Service was on target to realise the required savings.
· Quality Mark: -
o The External Assessor had spent time with the Service, and was due to return in the week beginning 21st July, 2014, to continue assessing the self-assessment evidence the Service had been submitted;
o Initial feedback provided by the External Assessor had been acted upon and a mandatory training module had been designed for all members of the Service who were on Band H or above on how young people’s voice and influence should be embedded into the Service. This training would also be open to all voluntary sector organisations;
o The Planning Cycle was ongoing, and smarter plans were being produced for 2014/2015;
o Consideration was being given to evidencing how the Integrated Youth Support Service impacted on young people individually and as a group, a sub-group had been convened to look at this. Feedback would be provided to the Cabinet Member in due course.
· National Citizen Service: -
o 60 places would be available to young people in the Integrated Youth Support Service over the summer period, 2014;
o The programme was being delivered in partnership with the Rotherham United Community Sports Trust;
o Activities would take place following Ramadan and Eid to allow all young people involved to participate in every activity;
o Two residential trips to the Lake District and Mexborough were planned;
o The programme included Social Action Projects that promoted physical activity;
o A focus of the programme could include fundraising for charitable organisations/causes.
· Rotherham’s Integrated Youth Support Service’s Easter 2014 activities: -
o A raising aspirations residentialhad taken place including young people from Dinnington. One of the themes was a focus on women’s role in the Miners’ Strike;
o 16 young people had visited Poland’s Jewish Quarter, Concentration Camps and Salt Mines. The trip had been well received and had inspired many ideas for projects following the trip, including those that could link into the Holocaust Day in January, 2015. Work was continuing to identify funding streams so that future cohorts of young people could benefit from the same trip/experiences. An evaluation diary and photobooks of the trip to Poland were being designed and produced and would be useful resources for the young people to share their experiences.
Discussion ensued and the following points were raised: -
· The challenges and risks that the Service was facing;
· The Service’s newsletter was well received by all. It gave a positive and true picture of the Service’s activities and progression;
· The Cabinet Member asked that a community event be organised to showcase the young people’s experiences and messages from their trip to Poland, and all of Rotherham’s community stakeholders and groups be invited.
The Cabinet Member thanked the Officer for her positive presentation and to the Officers across the Integrated Youth Support Service for their continued efforts, progress and professionalism.
Resolved: - That the information shared be noted.