Our statement on COVID-19 youth sector guidance
19 June 2020
On behalf of London Youth, The Young People’s Foundation Trust and Partnership for Young London, we welcome the release of national guidance to support the delivery of services for children and young people as we move into the next phase of the pandemic response.
- The National Youth Agency has produced guidance in consultation with Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive to support local providers, youth sector leaders, volunteers and young people to remain safe when engaging with youth sector activities. The guidance documents can be accessed here. This document will be updated on a regular basis, so it is important to check for changes. This guidance must be used in conjunction with the readiness framework, which will be updated weekly according to the readiness level, and existing safeguarding policies and procedures. It is complementary to government guidance on social distancing, travel and other measures which must be adhered to. There is also a short video to explain the measures needed and the readiness framework. This can be found here.
- The Federation for Detached Youth Work has published guidance on delivering detached work with young people, this can be downloaded here. If youth workers are delivering detached work it is critical that they have letters of support from local authorities so that they can deliver this type of work effectively. We would ask all councils to offer a letter or statement in support of organisations delivering safe street based, detached and outreach work.
- For further resources on how to deliver children and youth services during Covid-19, a range of resources has been collated and organisations can be signposted here.
The youth sector provides a vital service to many children and young people, and we need to ensure that the workforce has access to the guidance, training and advice it needs as we move towards the relaxation of lockdown. We are fully aware that many groups have continued to provide their services throughout this challenging period. We encourage the Government and local authorities to work with and support local youth organisations in delivering essential services during lockdown and expanding and adapting their services as lockdown eases. Our agencies are collaborating across London to offer training, advice and guidance to youth organisations to ensure they are actively supported in delivering their services and meeting the needs of young Londoners. We would ask you to support this work and promote this information via your networks.
About us
- London Youth is the membership body for youth work in London. You can find more information here.
- The Young People’s Foundation (YPF) Trust was set up by John Lyon’s Charity to support the Young People’s Foundations in their roles as cross-sectorial placed-based infrastructure organisations. Please click here to find out more.
- Partnership for Young London is a regional youth policy and practice infrastructure body. our services are all profiled on the website.
Official guidance
- Our summary of COVID-19 youth sector guidance
- Our summary of COVID-19 detached youth work guidance
- All official COVID-19 guidance & resources
