Friday 18 September 2009

Young people need better qualified advice workers

NEWS RELEASE
17th September 2009 – for immediate release

Youth Access report argues the time is right to professionalise the youth advice workforce

Every year, over 2 million young people experience serious social welfare problems, such as debt and homelessness. Only a minority manage to obtain advice and fewer still get advice that actually helps them resolve their most complex problems – with disastrous consequences for individuals and wider society.

Yet, many youth workers, Personal Advisers and other youth professionals receive inadequate training to equip them to provide competent information, advice and guidance (IAG) on social welfare issues.

A new report published today by Youth Access – the youth advice and counselling network – argues that, if young people are to get the advice they deserve, the workforce needs to be professionalised. Many existing qualifications are either not relevant to working with young people or are focussed on careers IAG.

Given the impact of rising youth unemployment, there is an urgent need to develop a new youth advice qualification that will equip workers to provide good quality social welfare advice and expand access to high quality training.

The report makes clear that action must be directed not only at dedicated youth advice workers, but at the wider youth workforce, which will need to get better at spotting social welfare problems, providing initial information or advice and making appropriate referrals to more specialist workers.

Barbara Rayment, Director of Youth Access, says:

“Youth Access has been at the forefront of developing standards for the youth advice sector. Many of the tools necessary for developing the workforce further are now in place – including new national occupational standards for youth advice workers.

“The existing youth advice workforce possesses an enormous amount of expertise and often achieves life-changing results for its clients. However, its expertise goes largely unrecognised.

“Government support is now required to develop a youth advice qualification, which will help retain the workforce and provide greater career choices and progression routes.”

Research has shown that the majority of youth advice workers enter advice work “almost by chance”, many after gaining qualifications in youth work. However, whilst they report exceptionally high job satisfaction levels, few youth advice workers have access to coherent local training or a clear career route.

Olive Millar, Manager of Two-E, a youth advice centre managed by Enfield Council says:

“I qualified and initially worked as a youth worker. Later, I pretty much ‘fell into’ advice, without any proper training.

“Fortunately, I managed to obtain training on the job in key areas of advice, such as housing and benefits, which has given me the competence to advise young people.

“Most of my staff are the same – they arrive as qualified youth workers, but need to then access more specialist training so they can give our clients the advice they so desperately need.

“It’s a great job being a youth advice worker, but it’s a shame our skills aren’t formally recognised.”


Download the report: The Youth Advice Workforce: Now And In The Future


Notes for Editors

1. Youth Access is the national membership association for a network of over 200 youth information, advice, counselling and support services across the UK dealing with over one million enquiries a year on issues as diverse as sexual health, mental health, relationships, homelessness, benefits and debt. For further information, go to: www.youthaccess.org.uk.

2. For more information, hard copies of the report, case studies and access to interviewees, please contact:

James Kenrick, Advice Services Development Manager, Youth Access
020 8772 9900 ext. 25 / 07535 344881; james@youthaccess.org.uk

3. Other relevant reports published by Youth Access include:

· The Advice Needs of Young People – The Evidence (2009)
· The Impact of the Recession on Young People – and on their needs for advice and counselling services (2009)
· Rights Within Reach: Developing Effective Legal Advice Outreach Services for Young People (2009)
· Locked Out: Young people’s housing and homelessness needs and the impact of good advice (2007)
· Young People’s Social Welfare Needs and the Impact of Good Advice (2007)
· Rights to Access: meeting young people’s needs for advice (2002)

All of Youth Access’ reports are available to download for free from http://www.youthaccess.org.uk/publications

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