Digging into the National Youth Strategy: Next Steps for the Youth Sector

The National Youth Strategy is finally here – a long-awaited moment for a sector that has spent years calling for a joined-up, long-term approach to supporting young people. 

But publication is only the beginning. The real test now is implementation: how commitments translate into action locally, how young people and youth workers remain at the heart of delivery, and how the Government is held to account over the next decade. 

Since the Strategy launched at the end of last year, we’ve been speaking with our network about what it means in practice, what’s encouraging, and where there are still big unanswered questions. This blog brings together those conversations – setting out UK Youth’s assessment of the Strategy against our 10 tests, sharing what we’ve heard from grassroots organisations, and outlining how we’ll continue working with the sector to push for delivery that genuinely improves young people’s lives. 

Whether you’re feeling cautiously optimistic, deeply sceptical, or somewhere in between, this is about what happens next – and how we move forward together. 

Network Engagement Sessions 

UK Youth hosted sessions with our network to talk about what to expect in the National Youth Strategy before it was published, our response to it and next steps for the sector following publication.  

You can watch back the most recent session here and view the slides here.

UK Youth’s 10 tests 

At our network engagement sessions, we outlined that UK Youth had set the government 10 tests for the National Youth Strategy in terms of what we wanted to see from it to be successful for young people and the youth sector.  

So far the following tests have been met: 

1. A genuinely cross-government strategy 
The Strategy has been positioned as being cross-government, with DCMS leading with clear links to work across departments playing a role in supporting young people. This represents a positive shift, although questions remain about how this collaboration will continue in the implementation phase of the Strategy. 

2. Co-produced with young people 
Over 14,000 young people contributed to the consultation, meaning the Strategy has been shaped by young people’s lived experiences through the Deliver You campaign where UK Youth played a key role.  

3. A stronger voice for youth workers and sector organisations 
For the first time ever, the Strategy explicitly recognises youth workers as the people holding a fragmented system together. This is a major step forward and recognition that the sector has fought hard for.  

Youth workers’ role in supporting belonging, safety, wellbeing and empowerment is threaded throughout the Strategy, reinforced by the announcement of £15 million to strengthen and develop the youth sector workforce. 

Sector organisations, including the Back Youth Alliance (which UK Youth provides the secretariat for), played a key role in shaping the Strategy alongside government. 

4. Increased resource for youth work 
The Strategy has signalled renewed investment into rebuilding the infrastructure and workforce of a sector that has faced devastating cuts since 2010. While this does not reverse previous damage, it is an important acknowledgement of what is needed and mark the beginning of long-term, not one-off, change. 

5. Youth work recognised as part of the solution 
The Strategy positions trained and trusted adults, like youth workers, as essential to helping young people feel a sense of belonging. The evidence base makes clear that having a trusted adult who listens can be transformative for a young person’s wellbeing and can strengthen inter-generational community cohesion.  

There is still a question mark over whether the following remaining five tests have been met: 

6. How will the Strategy’s commitments work for communities locally – and equitably? 
The Strategy places a strong emphasis on local delivery in its key messaging ‘from national to local’, with Local Authorities playing a key role. While place-based approaches have potential to transform communities for the better, many youth workers are rightly concerned about postcode lotteries, given how uneven youth provision already is across the country. 

Local Youth Transformation Pilots, delivered by UK Youth, NYA, DCMS, Regional Youth Work Units, Young People Foundation Trusts and Street Games will test new approaches, aiming to rebuild a high-quality, needs-led youth offer and re-establish strong local leadership in youth services. However, there is still a lack of clarity about how government will step in if local provision isn’t meeting young people’s needs. Whilst the Strategy states government will ‘take firm action where provision for young people is not meeting our expectations’, further detail is needed around how this will work in practice.  

7. Recognition of the essential role of youth sector infrastructure  
The Strategy recognises the importance of strong youth sector infrastructure, but beyond the three-year £5million funding for local partnerships and digital infrastructure, there is limited detail about long-term investment. Without this, it’s hard to see how collaboration, workforce development and quality can be sustained over a longer duration.  

8. More specific approaches are required to tackle the challenges the sector is facing 
The Strategy clearly identifies the challenges young people face and outlines potential solutions, but youth workers want to see more detail on how partnerships will work in practice and local delivery models.  

9. How will the Strategy be measured and what does accountability look like?  
Government has committed to a shared outcomes and metrics framework, which is welcome. What’s still missing is clarity on timelines, review points and transparent reporting – including how progress will be shared with the sector and the public. 

10. When will the full implementation plan be published? 
While the Strategy includes clear actions and reflects cross-departmental ministerial involvement, a clear implementation roadmap with milestones and regular updates is still to come. 

Our Network’s Feedback on the National Youth Strategy  

Amplifying the voices of grassroots organisations

You told us: 

• A strong local youth work offer must be an anchor for the National Youth Strategy. The Strategy should act as a catalyst to drive provision locally and raise the sector’s profile amongst policymakers and decision makers. 
• Partnership working between Local Authorities and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisation needs to be more efficient. More detailed mapping indicating the remit of Local Authorities and VCSE organisations can reduce the potential risk of a postcode lottery impacting on the Strategy delivering for young people.  
• Grassroots and VCSE voices must shape the implementation of the National Youth Strategy. It is essential that Local Authorities work with sector partners in the co-design, delivery and evaluation of the National Youth Strategy. 
• It is essential to draw on existing sector expertise and not reinvent the wheel. Many providers have knowledge and local networks that should be recognised and built on to ensure any implementation of the Strategy does not exclude VCSE organisations. 

Inclusion and access gaps must be addressed 

You told us: 

• Whilst the Strategy focuses on the need for inclusion, it does not yet fully reflect the intersectional barriers faced by many young people from marginalised communities. Inclusion is essential to the successful delivery of the Strategy and must not be treated as an ‘add on’. 
• Distance, transport and digital access are structural barriers that the delivery of the National Youth Strategy needs to address. 
• Inclusion for young people with SEND must align with the expected reforms to the SEND system and be reflected within the delivery and evaluation of the Strategy. 

The Strategy must deliver long-term change and the sector is ready to play an active part in delivery 

You told us: 

• Short-term pilots filling stop gaps and competitive funding rounds will not empower the Strategy to deliver on its promises to young people and the sector over the full ten years, as these would not provide the stability needed to build trusted relationships, a skilled workforce and sustainable provision for young people. 
• There is a strong and genuine appetite across the sector to help deliver the National Youth Strategy. Grassroots organisations, national charities and specialist providers bring trusted relationships, local insight and delivery expertise, and are ready to work alongside government and local authorities. 
• For the Strategy to succeed, the sector must be treated as a delivery partner, not just a stakeholder. This must include fair access to funding, meaningful involvement in local decision-making affecting communities and clear accountability from the outset. 

What happens next? 

UK Youth’s ten tests will form the basis of an ongoing assessment of the implementation of the National Youth Strategy over the next ten years.  

We will continue to use our network’s feedback and push for answers to your questions in our engagement with Government and policymakers. This will focus on the need for clear accountability, evenly distributed investment across local areas, long-term investment in youth sector workforce and infrastructure and the need for an implementation plan with specific timelines against commitments made within the Strategy. 

Guided by the views of our network, we will convene our colleagues and partners, share learnings from place-based programmes, amplify the voices of grassroots organisations and emphasise the need for the Strategy to make genuine long-term change in the lives of young people.  

Regional Roadshows: what does the National Youth Strategy mean for your area? 

Alongside our partners at DCMS, NYA and the Regional Youth Work Units we’ve been delivering Regional Roadshows that are taking place across England between now and March. 

These roadshows are an opportunity to: 

• share regional insight and evidence 
• build cross-sector partnerships with national and local youth sector colleagues 
• discuss the lived experiences of young people in your area and; 
• play a key role in co-designing and evaluating the National Youth Strategy as it continues into an implementation phase. 

You can sign up to Regional Roadshows in your area here.

How can the National Youth Strategy deliver for your local area? 

You can share your thoughts around how to make the National Youth Strategy work for you locally here.  

Send a letter to your local MP asking for their support in local implementation. You can download a template here.  

UK Youth will continue to share feedback with our network and influence the development of the Strategy over the coming weeks and months.

We will work together with our network to continue to build momentum and put pressure on the Government to deliver for the youth sector and young people.