DIARY MARKERS*
You may, or may not, have heard about the proposed Statutory Framework for Youth Work in Wales?
If not, or if you need a refresher, more here via the Cabinet Secretary for Education’s announcement on 1 December 2025:
https://www.gov.wales/written-statement-national-body-and-statutory-framework-youth-work-0
As the Statement says:
‘The new framework, comprising statutory directions and statutory guidance, will be brought into force by April 2026. It will place a statutory duty on local authorities to ensure the provision of youth work – this is unprecedented and reflects my commitment to extend the benefits of youth work to more young people. The framework will also introduce a new planning and reporting structure which will enable Welsh Ministers and crucially, young people, to hold decision makers to account for decisions relating to the youth work offer in their area.’
This will bring big changes to the ways in which you will be working and collaborating with local authority youth service teams – whether you already do or if you never have done.
CWVYS intends to help you to navigate this new approach by providing you with webinar and in-person opportunities to discuss and debate the opportunities, barriers, solutions and ways forward – both amongst yourselves and with local authority Principal Youth Officers and their teams plus Welsh Government officials from the Youth Engagement Branch.
Diary markers:
Webinars (for voluntary sector organisations only):
29 January 10am-12 noon
30 January 10am-12noon
10 February 10.30-12noon
11 February 2.00-3.30pm
In-person (for all):
26 February – Swansea
27 February – Cardiff
12 March – north Wales tbc
13 March – mid Wales tbc
‘Meet and Greets’
CWVYS will facilitate online and/or in-person conversations between yourselves and local authority youth service teams to continue, or to start, conversations about collaborative working as part of the new statutory framework. Details to follow.
Next steps
In the coming days and weeks, we will start to roll out more information on the above.