Young people to have their say on services

Young people will be given the chance to win music vouchers for airing their views on youth support services in Swansea.

As part of plans for Local Democracy Week next week, a special web-based questionnaire is being set up to help under 19-year-olds have their say on support and activities they have now and what they would like to see in the future.

Any youngster who takes part can have their name entered into a prize draw where there will be two prizes of £25 worth of music vouchers.

Local Democracy Week 2009 will take place from October 12 to October 18.

The Local Authority is one of hundreds of Councils across the UK taking part in the campaign all about getting young people more involved with, and aware of, their local Council.

Studies have shown most young people do not view local politics as a dominant force in their daily lives.

Research for the Local Government Association by Ipsos MORI shows that just a quarter of 11 to 16-year-olds believe that their local Councillor is the best person to approach in order to change something in their community.

The online survey of young people's views is just one of the Council's plans for the week.

It comes as Councillors from Swansea Council's Children and Young People Overview Board review youth support services across Swansea.

Some of the questions Councillors are asking as part of the review are:

• How do we ensure that we minimise the barriers to young people accessing youth support services?
• What are and where are the gaps in service provision?
• What can we do to ensure that the authority and its partners are building youth support provision that is fit for purpose for the future.

They also want to make sure that the Council and other organisations in the city are working in a joined-up way to ensure the best possible outcomes for our young people.

So far the board has visited Blaenymaes Youth Centr to meet staff and young people.

Now, as part of Local Democracy Week, they plan to gather evidence from young people themselves through a questionnaire available online from Monday October 12 at www.swansea.gov.uk/scrutiny

Views are being sought from children and young people of any age up to 19 years old.

The review is due to be completed in February 2009 when a report with the Board's conclusions and recommendations will be forwarded to the Council's Cabinet for agreement.

Cllr Newbury, Swansea Council's Children and Young People Overview Board Chairman, said: "We need to understand the barriers some young people have to accessing services in Swansea and how we can draw in those harder to reach young people.

"Active involvement of young people in the development of the services they receive will be key to informing future policy direction."

Details of Local Democracy Week nationally are available at http://localdemocracy.lga.gov.uk