Mary Field
Deputy Director
Membership Development
The Voluntary Youth Sector
Network
Youthnet as Umbrella body for 75
member organisations
- Youth Work Organisations
- Organisations delivering youth work
projects
- Thematic organisations delivering
youth work projects
Key Functions
• Advocacy
• Support and Development
for effective practice
Advocacy
Engagement with stakeholders to ensure work responds to members
and influences internally and externally
• Member Organisations
• Other Voluntary Organisations
• Government Departments
• Statutory Agencies
• Politicians
Advocacy
• Participation in various committees and
working groups
• Developing written papers on current
issues
• Consultation with members
• Responding to consultations through
written responses and attendance at
events
Examples of Participation
DE – Advisory
GroupPriorities for
Youth
Steering
Group Review
of National
Occupational
Standards
Equality
Coalition
Interest
Groups
Youth Service
Liaison Forum
Influencing
and
Developing
Policy
Youth Service
Sectoral
Partners
Group
Youth Work
Training
Board
Members
YESIP
North South
Working
Group
Voluntary
Youth
Workers
Association
YCNI
International
Committee
Youth Safety
Network
Joint
Education
Consultative
Forum
SVG
Education
Stakeholders
Forum
Curriculum
Development
Unit
Support and Development for
Effective Practice
• DE Voluntary Youth Sector Outreach
Initiative
• The Big Deal
• Peace III
• Child Protection
• Governance
• Measuring Impact
Voluntary Youth Sector Strategic
Outreach Initiative
• Young people as victims of domestic
violence
• Minority Ethnic Communities
• Disability
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender
Over the past three years …
• In the region 4,000 children and young
people participated in programmes
• Approximately 3,000 training and
development sessions delivered to young
people
• 3,500 training sessions delivered to staff
and volunteers on diversity issues
Voluntary Youth Sector Strategic
Outreach Initiative
Culturally
sensitive training
materials
Peer
Leaders
Training
“Through the Initiative
we were able to develop
a flexible innovative
programme and
resources which will be
Domestic Violence
Programmes and
training materials
for young people
of future benefit across
the youth sector”
LGBT ‘OUTstanding’
Youth Work Training
Support
groups for
Parents
Sexual Health
materials and
Programmes
Learning disability
Peace III
• Training focusing on EDI and Training the
Trainers for work with children
• EDI training for future leaders, Community
Relations practitioners and community
leadership
• Addressing homophobia and race hate
• Developing inclusive youth work practice
• Empowering young men to contribute positively
to communities
• Range of seminars and interactive
discussions on inclusive youth work North
South
• Sharing learning on inclusive practice
• Summarising learning into resource
publication –series of tips for youth work
practitioners in creating a welcome and
inclusive space for all children and young
people regardless of difference
‘No place like home’
• Project involving 6 voluntary youth organisations
to identify the experiences of children and young
people new to NI or from a minority ethnic
background.
• Children and young people suggested ways in
which adults could be more welcoming and
inclusive – resulting in the publication of ‘Top
Tips’ for youth workers.
Child Protection
Supporting Child
Protection
Training in
RVYOs
Delivering Child
Protection
Training to Local
Providers
Criminal Record
Background
Checking –
Access NI
Over the past three years….
More than 1,300 staff
and volunteers have
participated in Child
Protection training
We are volunteer led
and having the support
of Youthnet in
processing checks and
helping with queries has
been invaluable”
Over 3,200 Access NI
applications
processed for
approximately 200
groups.
Governance
Participation
in Good
Governance
Group
Development
of
Governance
Resources
Delivering
Governance
Training
Over the past three years….
• Code of Good Governance
for Northern Ireland
• Bespoke web side to
support code
diycommitteeguide.org
• Governance Health Check
• Developed a Governance
training programme for the
voluntary youth sector
“We found the training
allayed many
misconceptions and
gave clear guidance on
our roles and
responsibilities”
“The Health Check was
an excellent way of
identifying our training
needs “
Communication
• Youthnet website – www.youthnetni.org.uk
• Weekly e-mail news bulletin Epipe
circulated to a wide range of recipients
• Youthnet Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youthnet-NI/
• Members information e-bulletin – regular
topic specific emails
• New website under construction – in response to
feedback the new site will have, for example, a training
opportunities database and searchable events diary.
• Youthnet piloting a bespoke Customer Relationship
Management (CRM) Programme an integrated
database which will allow for example:– Collation, tracking and analysis of operational outputs making
reporting easier
– Enhanced systems for communication with stakeholders
Building Change
Measuring
Impact
Education
Outcomes
Quality
Assurance
SROI
Governance
Child
Protection
Inclusive
Youth Work
Outreach
Advocacy
North South
East West
Consultation
The Big
Deal
Networking
Peace III
Collaboration
Support
‘Exploring Change’
Local
Stakeholder
Groups
Collaboration
Support
Communication
Strategy
Sharing
services
and
resources
Working
together to
support local
provision
Advocacy
Measuring Impact
NYCI/Youthnet
Educational
Outcomes
Outcomes
Impact
Measuring
Impact
Framework
(YSSPG)
YESIP
NYCI Youthnet
‘How do we
know it is
working’
Conference
Quality
Assurance
Framework
(CDU)
Outputs
NEXT STEPS
• Engagement with the sector in responding to ‘Priorities
for Youth’
• Engagement with the sector in developing models of
collaborative support for local provision
• Engagement with the youth sector in the development of
sub regional stakeholder groups
• Working to test and promote the CDU Quality Assurance
Framework
• Working with YSSPG in the development of an
Outcomes Framework
• Continued work with NYCI on Impact Measurement
Framework