To receive a report from the Corporate Director of Children’s Services.

The Service Manager of the Youth Engagement Service went through the slides circulated with the agenda. The presentation covered the vision of the service, the street talk service, how street talk fed into the rest of the services, locality projects delivered in 2020/21, Youth Provision case studies, feedback from young people and parents, partnerships and the wider youth offer, Serious Youth Violence, Gaps and Issues within the Service, Objectives of the service and timescales for achieving them, and the final section covered some of the successes the service had achieved. The Service Manager of the Youth Engagement Service provided additional details and depth to each slide as he went through the presentation. Following the conclusion of the slides the Service Manager of the Youth Engagement Service informed the Committee that the Council had passed their major accreditation for information advice and guidance, which included the street talk service.  

Councillor New asked whether it would be possible to have some focused information about the work being done within the localities especially around county lines. Councillor New also asked whether there was a qualification people could work towards. The Service Manager of the Youth Engagement Service responded that more detailed information was available through the monthly monitoring, which he would be happy to supply to ward Councillors.    

The Service Manager of the Youth Engagement Service informed the Committee that the service was aware some of the young people they worked with were being exploited across county lines and the service picked this up by linking with the Youth Justice and community safety teams. The Service Manager of the Youth Engagement Service asked which park knives had been found and stated he would pass the information onto the community safety team.

The Service Manager of the Youth Engagement Service informed the Committee that he was currently in discussion with Trafford College with a view to possibly offering a qualification. The Corporate Director of Children’s Services added that the Youth Justice Service, the missing service, and the specialist complex safeguarding team were being brought together into a vulnerable adolescent’s service. The Council were providing a series of programmes and support within schools around violence reduction, which was being led by the violence reduction coordinator.   

Councillor Maitland asked about nitrous oxide cannisters and whether any work was ongoing around the dangers of nitrous oxide. The Service Manager of the Youth Engagement Service responded that all the staff in the service were trained in discussing drug and alcohol misuse with young people and were passing on messages about the risks to young people. The Council had a joint approach with Early Break and could refer young people into that service.  

Councillor Bennett raised concerns about the lack of work being done within Sale Moor and asked what work was planned to be done in the area. The Service Manager of the Youth Engagement Service agreed that not enough work had been done within Sale Moor and assured Councillor Bennet that it was an area they were looking to address. The Service Manager of the Youth Engagement Service expressed that the service did not have very strong links within the Sale Moor community and asked that Councillor Bennet share any contacts she was aware of.   

Councillor Blackburn asked whether the youth services were linking in with Amey and the police to share information about where the hotspots for nitrous oxide use were. The Corporate Director of Children’s Services responded that the service shared data and mapping with the police along with regular meetings and panels with Council and Police representation.

RESOLVED:

1)    That the update be noted.

2)    That monthly monitoring data be shared with ward Councillors who requested it.

3)    That the Service Manager of the Youth Engagement Service pass the information from Councillor New onto the Community Safety Team.

4)    That Councillor Bennet pass on any contacts for the Sale Moor area to the Service Manager of the Youth Engagement Service.