“Impact that lasts” briefing on Young Futures Hubs backed by 30 sector organisations - Public Health, Youth & Violence Reduction

By Luke Billingham

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Prior to its election to government, the Labour Party committed to a “Young Futures” programme, aimed at reducing violence between young people. This would include the creation of a nationwide network of new “Young Futures Hubs”. Since taking power, the Labour Government has reiterated this commitment. As a Research Associate on the Public Health, Youth, and Violence Reduction (PHYVR) project and a youth worker, I have been observing these policy developments with great interest.

Through the course of the PHYVR project, we learned a considerable amount about existing youth provision in England and Scotland. Our interviews with 112 key actors in violence reduction policy and practice included conversations with those who commission, manage and delivery various forms of support and intervention for young people. Our fieldwork also entailed gathering extensive insight into the work being done within London and Glasgow youth settings.

The “Impact that Lasts” briefing builds on these aspects of the PHYVR study, the lessons of my direct youth work experience, and the recommendations of other recent policy reports, such as those produced by the Children’s Commissioner, the Commission on Young Lives, and the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition.

Central to the briefing are the LASTS principles - five key principles which I think are crucial for the flourishing of Young Futures Hubs:

Long-term: Hubs should pursue long-term, collaborative, community-level impact.
Area-based: Hubs should be contextualised to meet local needs and localised in their commissioning, design and delivery.
Shaped by youth voice: Hubs must be guided by the voices of local young people.
Tailored to relational working: Hubs should provide conducive conditions for relational practice and cultural humility.
Social infrastructure: Hubs should become youth social infrastructure - rather than just a physical base for the delivery of services.

Implicit in these principles, and explored further in the briefing, are a set of major risks: short-term piloting with high-stakes audit leading to short-lived Hub projects; a ‘one size fits all’ model undermining local trust; competitive commissioning undermining collaboration; and Hubs working in tension with existing local provision – to name but a few.

I’m very pleased that the briefing has received a wide range of endorsements from 30 sector organisations, including the National Youth Agency, UK Youth, the Alliance for Youth Justice, the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, and the Children’s Society.

My intention with the briefing is not to suggest I have all the answers, or to put forward highly specific policy prescriptions – it is to articulate shared principles and raise shared concerns, in order to support the effective implementation of high-quality provision for young people.