Councils fail to involve voluntary sector in youth services commissioning

The report, which evaluated different approaches to commissioning young people’s services’ in 12 councils, found a number of local authorities hold "poorly informed views" about the potential for using new youth service providers, including charities and public sector social enterprises.

According to the watchdog, only five of the 12 local authority areas visited had sufficiently well-established commissioning arrangements for youth services.

This is despite the fact that local authorities across the country are currently in the process of reviewing their provision of support to young people, as part of wider government reforms to public services.

Many councils are considering moving away from providing youth services directly to commissioning provision instead.

"Insufficient consideration had been given to engaging alternative providers from the voluntary and community sector, charities, or other arms of the public sector such as social landlords," the report said.

"Only three local authorities had worked collaboratively with neighbouring authorities to carry out joint commissioning."

Ofsted also warned that councils are cutting vital commissioning jobs.

"In too many instances the officers assigned to manage a portfolio of youth services work were inexperienced in commissioning processes," the report explained. "Innovative examples of contract design were seldom in evidence."

The report added that wider cuts to youth services had hampered councils’ ability to plan and monitor youth provision.

However, all 12 areas visited by the watchdog did make an effort to involve young people in the planning and design of local youth services.

For example, Merton Borough Council held focus groups with young people to identify the services they wanted. Young people then visited providers who reached the final tendering stage to talk directly to service users and meet the staff.

Ofsted chief inspector, Miriam Rosen, said youth service commissioning must reflect local circumstances and priorities, and take account of existing relationships, available resources and geography.

"Local authorities should take a lead role in creating a shared approach to commissioning," she said. "In a time of rapid change and reducing budget, maintaining local networks of practitioners and other local organisations will be extremely valuable."