Third Sector organisations that focus on preventing young people from committing crime or becoming involved in anti social behaviour, gun or gang crime, are set to benefit from a cash boost announced today by Minister for Children and Young People, Beverley Hughes.
The announcement came as Ms Hughes visited Leap Confronting Conflict, to launch the second round of bidding for the Youth Sector Development Fund (YSDF) which will make a further £30million available to the Third Sector.
Leap Confronting Conflict it one of five organisations that benefited from funding and support under the first round of YSDF. It is using the money to help young people at risk of becoming involved in crime by increasing the number of peer mentors in communities across London and expanding a programme teaching conflict management life skills to young people. Over the next three years they will also be working with the Brathay Trust to deliver a series of projects and workshops aimed at young people at risk of getting involved in gangs, in four areas in England helping them to stay safe.
Whilst the second round of the YSDF will have preventing youth crime and re-offending as a key focus, grants will be awarded to a wide variety of Third Sector organisations that provide an invaluable service to some of society’s most vulnerable young people, helping them face difficult issues such as substance misuse, teenage pregnancy and not being in education, employment or training (NEET).
Minister for Children, Young People and Families, Beverley Hughes said:
“The experience and innovation of Third Sector organisations play a crucial role in reaching the most disaffected young people in some of the most challenging communities.
“Today’s announcement is a great opportunity for ambitious organisations to benefit from a package of financial and business support, to enable them to help even more vulnerable young people and critically, help these unique organisations achieve long term sustainability.
“Through the second round of funding we expect to fund a wide range of organisations whose work focuses on our current youth priorities, particularly but not exclusively, those that offer services to young people who are at risk of becoming involved in crime, to help build on the Youth Crime Action Plan.”
The Third Sector has a central role to play in the delivery of services to children and young people, and it is critical that Local Authorities continue to work closely with, and commission from, some of their most successful delivery approaches.
As well as financial help, the Youth Sector Development Fund ensures that each organisation receives tailored business advice and support to help them secure a healthy future.
The second funding round expects to support around 12 Third Sector organisations, who will each receive funding in the region of £2.5 million from December 2008 – March 2011.
Also today Beverley Hughes invited organisations from all sectors to come forward and bid to become a pilot for the Intensive Intervention Project.
In March 2008, as part of the Youth Taskforce Action Plan, £13million was made available to tackle 1000 of the most challenging and problematic young people. This money is now available through an open bidding process for public, private or third sector organisations.
Establishing 20 of these schemes each year will help tackle the most antisocial young people and address the causes of their bad behaviour, building on the Family Intervention Projects. This help is non negotiable so if the refuse to mend their ways they will face the consequences.
New guidance launched today will help organisations to have the best opportunity to place their bids for £650,000 each.
Beverley Hughes said:
“These projects offer the few young people who are involved in serious anti-social behaviour a real chance to improve their life chances. If left unchallenged these young people could go on to cause serious harm to themselves and their communities. They must be made to face the consequences of their actions but we must also make sure that they accept support to turn around their lives. The non-negotiable approach of the Intensive Intervention Projects will do both – with tough sanctions for those who refuse to take help they need.”
