As the national body for youth work in England, the National Youth Agency (NYA) is undertaking a national census of all youth provision and out of school activities. This is the first time such an ambitious project has been attempted and will act as a baseline of data to support future decision making about support for young people in England.
The National Youth Agency have set out the following as a rationale for the Census:
What is the Census for?
There are lots of great youth services, charities, community groups and others providing much needed support for young people across England. We just don’t know where you all are, what you do and what help is needed. Why does this matter? The Census will give us the essential information to invest in young people and out of school activities. It will inform policy-makers, service providers and funders as part of Covid-recovery and over the long term, to provide resources, training and opportunities across communities.
Who needs to take part?
We want to hear from all organisations and groups who deliver or support youth services and out of school activities. You provide places to go and things to do, to have fun and learn new skills, and services which support particular needs; with youth workers and volunteers who advise, guide and help create opportunities with young people. If there is anyone else you know of who also works with young people in this way, let them know about the Census too.
We are collecting data centrally from the Scouts, GirlGuides, Woodcraft Folk, YMCA, the Girls Brigade, the Boys Brigade, and National Federation of Young Farmer’s Club, therefore if you belong to one of these groups you do not need to complete the census.
What information is needed?
For some organisations, we will have pre-registered information from other public sources. You are asked to check that information is up to date and amend if needed.
For all, we would like to know more about which communities and areas you work in, the type of activity or service you provide, and some detail on the make-up of your organisation such as the number of paid staff or volunteers.
This is not a test! There may be some questions you don’t know the answer to, or that do not apply to your work. There will be an opportunity skip or to save and return if you need to check information and answer.
We know your time is precious. If you run more than one service or from multiple locations, it may take you a little longer to answer the questionnaire. We are keen to hear from you, don’t give up. You can complete the questionnaire in more than one go, just save and return to answer in full.
To help you fill in the questionnaire, there is some information you will need to have to hand. This includes:
The location of the venues or areas you work in regularly, by post code (or named location)
The number of employed staff or volunteers, full time or part-time, and qualified youth workers
The type of service or activity, and age ranges of the young people you support
Your current budget or planned expenditure and income sources
Organisation details, for example if you have a charity or company registration number
If you need further information, including a copy of the questions within the census please check out the NYA’s FAQ page.
For more information and to complete the Census - follow this link