Further to minute 283 (27 November 2009), the Director of Children’s Services presented the proposed commissioning criteria which had been produced following consultation and were to underpin the process for the commissioning of Super Centre Youth Clubs and the provision of Positive Activities for Young People (PAYP). He set out the available funding and commented that guidance produced by the DCSF made clear that it was to support targeted and universal week-end diversionary activities for young people and to positively impact on a number of priorities such as a reduction in teenage pregnancy, first time entrants into the Youth Justice System, a reduction in NEET and family intervention support programmes.

The funding would be allocated through a commissioning process once the criteria were approved. He anticipated that the process would take up to four months with final decisions made by the end of August 2009 and he outlined the key tasks to be completed. He reported that in the first instance the commissioning process would focus on the establishment of the four hubs. Once the hubs had been established a further commissioning round would take place at a future date to identify satellite provision.

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Lifelong Learning commented that Cabinet recognised the important role that youth provision played in enabling young people to realise their full potential and addressing issues such as crime and anti-social behaviour, teenage pregnancy and young people not in employment, education or training.

In order to achieve those objectives, Cabinet wished to improve the offer currently available to young people and the opportunity to do this was now available as a result of additional funding from Government under the Positive Activities for Young People Programme.

Resolved – That Cabinet agrees to –

(i) establish four super youth centres which will be open 6 nights a week. Shaftsbury Youth Club has previously been identified as the location for the super centre serving Birkenhead as part of the process for agreeing Wirral’s ‘My Place’ bid. Cabinet therefore asks the Director of Children’s Services to commission the remaining three super centres for Wallasey, West Wirral and South Wirral;

(ii) continue to operate those youth clubs in the Borough which are owned and funded by the local authority or voluntary youth clubs with staff funded by the Council;

(iii) commission the allocation of funding for the Positive Action for Young People programme using the process and framework outlined in the report of the Director of Children’s Services;

(iv) take no further action on the proposed model for a reconfigured youth service pending a detailed review of the take-up of existing provision in the light of the establishment of the proposed new super centres, together with an assessment of how far existing provision meets the needs of young people and provides value for money.