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6. Supporting volunteers and the youth work WORKFORCE
6.1 Throughout the consultation there were numerous mentions of the need to raise the profile of youth work and to recognise the value of the contribution made by volunteers and youth workers.
Supporting volunteers
6.2 The contribution of volunteers of all ages is particularly important to the youth work sector. People of working age and older people who give their skills and experience freely enable young people to take part in life-enhancing activities which have a lasting positive effect on their lives. We recognise and appreciate the commitment of volunteers across Scotland and the difference they make to so many young people. Volunteering opportunities for young people have been boosted by Project Scotland, with over 800 young people having taken part since 2003. A particularly popular area for this is environmental volunteering as young people are often inspired by environmental issues and want to make their own contribution. The Scottish Executive recently launched its approach to environmental volunteering Playing Our Part which aims to increase opportunities for young people to improve the environment in their local communities and elsewhere. A wide-range of exciting opportunities will continue to be available in the organisation of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and should Scotland be successful in its bid, the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
6.3 Adequate support for volunteers through training and mentoring was identified as important during the consultation, with volunteers feeling valued and able to see the benefit of their work. Respondents also noted that, with many volunteers in full-time employment, they needed flexibility to be able to participate in training and commit to supporting their chosen youth work project.
6.4 Over half of all adult/organisational responses mentioned that some form of recognition or value was needed to recruit and retain volunteers. Respondents also called for more support, training and mentoring, and accreditation where appropriate. There were differing views on whether they needed the same support and training as professional youth workers, given the limited time they might have available and the wide range of activities volunteers take on.
6.5 A significant proportion of respondents called for more publicity or promotion to encourage people to volunteer. Respondents also pointed to bureaucracy, and in particular perceptions of difficulties surrounding the disclosure process, as off-putting for prospective volunteers. A key aim of The Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Bill, currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament, is to reduce the bureaucracy around the disclosure process. By removing much of the need for multiple disclosures and through introducing continuous updating of records, the Bill should ultimately lessen the burden on voluntary organisations and volunteers, and help support the sector. We are fully committed to working with the voluntary sector and other stakeholders to tackle and resolve to their satisfaction the implementation issues currently causing concern.
The Outcome we want:
For volunteers to feel valued and supported in the roles they choose to take on; and have access to the training and support they need. And for more people to volunteer to work with young people. In particular that voluntary organisations are able to provide high quality training for volunteers and are equipped to explain procedures involved in the necessary disclosure process and the reasons behind it.
The Action we propose:
P As part of the Year of Action we will work with the voluntary sector to develop a specific Action Plan for Volunteering in the youth work sector. This will cover issues such as recruitment, developing participants to help run projects, sustaining volunteers' contribution and training and support. As already agreed in the Strategy for a Scotland with an Ageing Population, this will apply to volunteers of all ages so will include the benefits of older people acting as role models, coaches, instructors and mentors in youth work projects.
- £0.5m will be available through the Voluntary Organisations Support Fund to train volunteers, and the Youth Opportunities Fund will be open to applications aimed at running campaigns locally to attract new volunteers.
- We will work with voluntary organisations to ensure clear information is available on disclosure checks and that they are fully aware of the new arrangements under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Bill.
- And we will ensure that volunteers are able, though not compelled, to register with the new Community Learning and Development Standards Council so that they can benefit from high quality training and recognition of achievement.
Supporting youth workers
6.6 Respondents mentioned the need for clear career paths, more job security in an uncertain funding climate and for better, more accessible training and development opportunities.
6.7 Ministers recently agreed to establish a new Standards Council for Community Learning and Development ( CLD). This offers the chance to strengthen standards across CLD, including the youth work sector, and address many of the concerns raised by youth work practitioners and young people. The new Council will support the sector to develop an articulated framework of training that will provide pathways and progression through learning. This along with a framework of continuing professional development ( CPD) will offer youth work practitioners the opportunity to develop their practice and improve services with and for young people in Scotland today. The new Council has also been invited to establish an inclusive registration system for practitioners as an essential contribution to ensuring high standards of practice.
The Outcome we want:
For improved opportunities for young people delivered by youth workers able to benefit from excellent opportunities for CPD and career progression. And for volunteers who choose to register, an opportunity to gain recognition for their skills and experience.
The Action we propose:
- We will ensure that the new Standards Council recognises and provides for the unique skills and qualities required of youth workers and volunteers. And through its work encourages more people to choose youth work as their profession or as a volunteering option.
Training for youth workers
6.8 We have already identified opening up training and networking opportunities as one of YouthLink's key functions as the national youth work agency. In particular we would ask them to work with other organisations to identify the demand for, and organise, regional training open to a range of providers on some of the key issues identified in the consultation where more information and training is viewed as necessary. In particular a significant number of respondents indicated they would welcome more support with self-evaluation and identifying and measuring outcomes and impacts. We recently worked with the sector to produce Delivering Change - Understanding the outcomes of community learning and development - a resource to help people in the sector understand and identify outcomes relevant to their work. We expect that this will be used with other tools to help people understand the importance of evaluation and outcome delivery and implement it in their work as a matter of course.
The Outcome we want:
For all youth workers and those supporting them to understand the importance of evaluation in delivering the best outcomes for young people and best value for money. And to be able to access high quality materials, guidance and training on setting and evaluating outcomes. Funding applications and business plans should become more outcome-focused, with positive impacts on the quality and effectiveness of opportunities offered to young people.
The Action we propose:
- We will ask YouthLink to work with HMIe, Evaluation Support Scotland, and other experts in evaluation to scope current resources and offer advice and training on a range of tools for people involved in the youth work sector.
Specific provision for youth workers' training within the Community Education Degree
6.9 Consultation responses responses calling for more support and training on core youth worker competences such as evaluation, suggest that these issues would be helpfully addressed as part of the degree course for youth workers. We recognise too that the skills and qualities needed by youth workers in 21st century Scotland may be different from adult education workers. It will be important to be sure that the needs of youth work are recognised specifically and addressed within the degree courses on offer to ensure that tomorrow's youth workers graduate with the skills and expertise they need to thrive in their chosen profession. We also need to ensure that the youth work workforce reflects cultural diversity in Scotland.
The Outcome we want:
For Community Education graduates entering the youth work profession to be equipped to meet the challenges of youth work today.
The Action we propose:
- We will discuss with the Scottish Funding Councils, providers and the Standards Council for CLD how best to ensure the priorities set out in this strategy are taken account of in developing and delivering degree level provision for current and prospective professional youth workers.
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