Nursery World - Young People's Fund

One of the key issues that didn't get much attention at the launch of the recent Green Paper was the announcement of a new Young People's Fund - to be kick-started by the New Opportunities Fund to the tune of 200m. While details are sketchy, the tone of the announcement once again puts young people at the centre - and will provide funding for new services and activities for young people.

While details are sketchy, the tone of the announcement once again puts young people at the centre - and will provide funding for new services and activities for young people.

The good news is that the needs of older children and young people are being recognised. As we begin to develop integrated services which place the child at the centre, we must not forget that these services need to reflect every stage of a child's life, not just the formative years. With 50 per cent of children in out-of-school clubs aged eight years and over and 22 per cent aged over 13, we need to strive to ensure the needs of older children are met alongside those of the younger. Only 12 per cent of 11- to 16-year-olds attend a youth club or after-school club and this is a statistic we need to tackle head-on to ensure that older children aren't left out of the loop.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included