Youth workers should possess a licence to practise, says Blacke

Fiona Blacke told last week's Transforming the Youth Workforce conference in London that the creation of a youth worker register would help services to integrate with other parts of the children and youth sector.

She said the proposed register would apply to all youth workers, including those in the voluntary sector. It would mean "anyone working with young people would need to be Criminal Records Bureau checked and have a degree or some form of higher education qualification".

Blacke added that the register, coupled with common training for everyone working with young people, would reduce conflicts caused by service integration.

David Hunter, chief executive of Lifelong Learning UK, said that introducing a licence to practise would be essential if the youth sector was serious about its professional status.

He said a scheme requiring professionals to be licensed would help safeguard children, benefit workers wanting to develop their careers and bring youth workers into line with professions such as social care.

But Nichola Brown, workforce development officer at the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services, said introducing a register could deter huge numbers of volunteers and undermine the sector.

"A licence could lead to a two-tier system and the demise of the workforce," she warned. "It could strangle the voluntary sector. Third sector youth services rely on at least half a million volunteers and anecdotal evidence suggests forcing them to have a licence will put many people off."

Blacke said she believed the majority of youth workers would welcome a professional register but that a clear working definition of what the profession does was needed first.

She added that integration doesn't happen by accident and that a shift in culture is critical in making multi-agency working happen.