The Welsh Government Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015  and the recommendations from Donaldson’s Successful Futures review gives youth work in Wales a refreshed opportunity to prove its value and create for itself a sustainable future.

This article explores the contribution youth work can make to these Welsh Government policy agendas.

Jamie Jones-Mead was awarded a bursary from Youthworkwales to complete this article.

Jamie is a professionally qualified youth and community worker.  He has 15 years’ experience as a youth worker and has worked in a number of settings in Wales, the UK and globally. 

These include in statutory youth services, with young disabled people, young offenders, young cancer patients and significant experience in the third sector.  As well as being an experienced practitioner, Jamie has a particular interest in health and wellbeing, having spearheaded and managed ASH Wales' youth tobacco and smoking programmes, and is currently working in a public health setting.

Autumn 2015 paper from the Principal Youth Officers' Group (PYOG) on the role of youth work in the current policy environment in Wales.

This paper, prepared by a UK-wide alliance of representative youth work bodies, sets out the basis for a fully developed and properly resourced youth policy which the country needs now.

Background to the youth work career pack produced for the Welsh Assembly Government by the Council for Wales of Voluntary Services (CWVYS) and Promo Cymru as part of the 'Thanks Sam' campaign.

Includes details of contributors and list of contents.

Youth work career pack produced for the Welsh Assembly Government by the Council for Wales of Voluntary Services (CWVYS) and Promo Cymru. 

Part 3 contains more detailed background information for youth workers and other professionals, and for young people. This includes information on volunteering, training routes, accreditation, careers, organisations that can help and additional information that a young person might need to help make a decision about whether or not to take up youth work and which career path to take.

Youth work career pack produced for the Welsh Assembly Government by the Council for Wales of Voluntary Services (CWVYS) and Promo Cymru. 

The Appendices provide summary versions of the Youth Work Curriculum Statement for Wales, and the Youth Work National Occupational Standards, useful contacts and more information on training, pay scales and organisations engaged in training and workforce development. Information on awards for young people and references are also contained in the appendices.

This paper seeks specifically to identify the broader Welsh Government (WG) policies and demonstrate where and how youth work does/can make a significant contribution to the achievement of those policies by improving the life chances of young people aged 11-25. It is not the purpose of this paper to identify new areas or scope of operation for youth work, but to highlight the role it currently undertakes, as a specific form of work with young people, in contributing to and complementing WG policy.

The strands that make up Programme for Government consist of the following:

• Growth and Sustainable Jobs
• Public Services
• 21st Century Healthcare
• Education
• Supporting People
• Welsh Homes
• Safer Communities
• Equality
• Tackling Poverty
• Rural Communities
• Environment & Sustainability
• Culture & Heritage of Wales 

This paper seeks to provide a conceptual framework for answering two questions raised by the Welsh Government: what does the Welsh Government get for the funding it provides for the youth service (statutory and voluntary) and to what extent does the use of that funding help to achieve key objectives such as reductions in the number of young people not in education, training or employment. 

This strategy sets the direction for youth work organisations for the next four years and builds on a consultation exercise undertaken in 2013. The strategy recognises the value and role of open-access youth work provision; promotes a stronger connection between youth work provision and formal education; identifies the need for closer working between statutory and voluntary youth work organisations; and identifies the need to significantly strengthen the evidence base on the impact of youth work across Wales. The Welsh Government, national and local voluntary organisations, as well as local authorities, will need to work together to successfully implement the identified actions and drive youth work forward.