Press and news agencies guilty

Yesterday FYT launched the findings from the Labels are for Jars not young people, which researches the views adults have of young people. The findings (see here for full details or below for a snapshot) are critical of the media. So it is not really surprising that none of the invited media showed up to press launch despite 6-7 foot jar being driven down Fleet Street. The research shows strong evidence that adults opinions are being distorted by media representation, had been a trial and the defendant failed to show a guilty verdict would have been passed.

Overall the research shows categorically that young people are viewed negatively by adults in England and it goes on to offer ideas about how the negative labels might be challenged and replaced with positive ideas for change.

The research offers significant evidence that when adults are thinking of young people as ‘perpetrators’ there is an overestimation relating to levels of anti social and criminal behaviour (in some cases very significantly). However, when thinking about young people as ‘victims’ adults are underestimating the extent of young people’s vulnerability. The research clearly shows that adult opinions are being distorted by media representations that are creating a negative spiral in attitudes and beliefs across different generations.

P.S. I Love You rip

More updates on Government changes

DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES – Gordon Brown has given a clear signal that supporting young people is his top priority as Prime Minister and has said “Children and families are the bedrock of our society. The Government’s aim is to ensure that every child gets the best possible start in life, receiving the ongoing support and protection that they – and their families – need to allow them to fulfill their potential.â€?. The appointments are as follows: Ed Balls – secretary of state; Beverley Hughes – minister for children and youth justice (will also attend Cabinet); Kevin Brennan – parliamentary under secretary of state (youth minister); and Lord Adonis – parliamentary under secretary of state

DCSF will have the following responsibilities:
• To coordinate and lead work across government on youth and family policy.
• Pre-19 education policy responsibilities, from the DfES.
• To work with the new Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills to ensure delivery of the 14-19 reforms. Funding for 16-19 education will in future go to schools and colleges via the local authority education budget.
• To raise school standards.
• It will assume responsibility for promoting the well-being, safety, protection and care of all young people – including through policy responsibility for children’s social services.
• It will be responsible for leading the strategy on family policy – including parenting.
• To work with the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Treasury to take forward the government’s strategy for ending child poverty.
• It will be responsible, together with the Department of Health, for promoting the health of children and young people, including measures to tackle key health problems such as obesity, as well as the promotion of youth sport with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
• It will lead on youth issues. This will include working with the Home Office and the DH on tackling drug use and with the Department for Communities and Local Government on youth homelessness and supported housing.
• It will be responsible for promoting the wider contribution of young people to their communities.
• It will assume responsibility for the Respect agenda.
• It will lead a new emphasis on the prevention of youth offending, through joint responsibility with the Ministry of Justice for policy and funding of the Youth Justice Board.
Within the DCSF there is a new dedicated Directorate for Young People, to co-ordinate all youth policy across Whitehall. Under the old DfES, young people’s issues were clumped together with children and families in a single directorate. The three new Directorates are: Children and Families led by Tom Jeffery; Schools led by Ralph Tabberer; and Young People led by Lesley Longstone as Interim Director General.

The Young People’s Directorate will be responsible for:
• Policy and Strategy on the reforms of the 14-19 curriculum and provision
• Funding for all 16-19 provision through Further Education Colleges, Work-Based Learning routes, School Sixth Forms and Sixth Form Colleges
• Sponsorship of schools sixth forms and sixth form colleges
• Budgets and activities to support quality improvement, higher standards, capacity building and infrastructure development in the 14-19 sector
• 14-19 workforce development
• 16-19 joint capital fund
• Young people
• Children in care (Care Matters)

NEW POLICY INITIATIVES – The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls has unveiled his vision for his new Department. He plans to bring together all aspects of policy affecting children and young people, consulting experts, professionals and children and parents to draw up a new Children’s Plan to set the direction for the department for the next ten years to ensure that every child has the opportunities and support they need to be happy and successful. Three working groups will look at education and other services for children and young people – one for 0-7 year olds, one for 8-13 year olds and another for 14-19 year olds. The working groups will be chaired by members of the National Council for Educational Excellence (NCEE) to ensure a fully joined up approach. The consultation will report in October. Other key measures announced include a £265 million extended schools subsidy over the next three years to ensure that children from disadvantaged backgrounds benefit from extra out-of-hours tuition and after-school clubs in sport, music and drama. There are also plans for ‘a good youth centre in every neighbourhood, started up with £150m taken from defunct bank accounts.’ He has also said that there will be a £456 million investment over the next three years to continue the Children’s Fund and support schools in working with mental health experts. HERE

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and HERE
Thanks to CVYS for this update

DRUGS: GUIDANCE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE’S SERVICES

‘Drugs: Guidance for young people’s services’ is a series of information, training and dissemination sessions provided by The National Youth Agency in a partnership with DrugScope and Alcohol Concern based on the publication ‘Drugs: Guidance for the youth service’. This series of five regional events, supported by Government Offices in each region, aims to give youth service providers, DAATs, Connexions Services and their partners the opportunity to come together to learn about the new DfES/DCFS/DH guidance and its use in the context of current Government initiatives, particularly Targeted Youth Support.

Full details and a booking form can be found on the link here

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escapism

Went to see Diehard 4.0 with some FYT folks last night. It was pure escapism great fast paced, totally unrealistic, great one liners such as when the sidekick asks Bruce Willis “whats your plan?” Bruce replies “rescue my daughter and kill everyone else”
It must have been escapism as none of us were thinking “oh I could use that bit for work”
Aslo why does Diehard 4.0 look cooler than Diehard 4?

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New departments

As a youth worker I feel I should cope with change better than this. But this the sort change that I hate as I have to relearn where everything fits

The Government has announced the restructuring of its departments including the formation of a new Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR). The Department for Education and Skills, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office will be disbanded.

New Ministerial team at DCSF
The new Department for Children, Schools and Families will be headed up by Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, former Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
The full listing of DCSF ministers can be found Here

New Third Sector Minister

The new Minister for the Third Sector is Phil Hope MP, formerly the Minister for Skills at the former Department for Education and Skills. The minister has held previous positions in the National Youth Bureau and as a youth policy advisor to NCVO before entering Parliament. He has also previously chaired the all party parliamentary group for the voluntary sector.

The full list of new Cabinet appointments can be found hereThe Brothers Bloom