Purpose

The Young Futures Programme is a key part of the delivery of the Safer Streets Mission. Under this programme the government will intervene earlier to ensure children and young people who are facing poorer outcomes and are vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way. The programme also aims to create more support and opportunities for them in their communities. The programme consists of the establishment of Young Futures Prevention Partnerships; these partnerships will identify children and young people vulnerable to being drawn into crime and ensure access to appropriate support, including via upcoming Young Futures Hubs and other appropriate interventions and services.

Panels should reach those who are otherwise ‘unseen’ and meet the needs of those who are visible but not adequately supported, or who have been identified but lack access to appropriate services. This crucial function hinges entirely on seamless coordination with existing multi-agency relationships. All VRUs have been asked to deliver on these priorities in 2026/27.

Streetgames have a longstanding partnership with GM VRU, having delivered capacity building in the community sports sector for several years to increase the sector’s ability to prevent and reduce young people’s involvement in serious violence.

What StreetGames (SG) will deliver as a result of this commission:

Continual assessment of each LA looking at the following:

• Current level of PIED referrals and mechanisms
• Expected engagement into intervention: understanding need from under-represented groups (e.g. ethnicity / female) access
• Current capacity within sport system at appropriate levels
• Current and potential connectivity to receive PIED referrals
• Current outcome measurement being captured at delivery level

Invest into capacity of providers to build the following:

• Embedded Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) systems with capacity to measure shared outcomes
• Capacity to engage in communities of practice building consistency across all panels
• Management of referral system
• Capacity to build engagement plans and strategies (e.g. Children and Young People meeting with LTO in advance of attendance)

Identified lead organisations with capacity to represent Local Authority sports offer on PIED panels will act as the referral conduit, supported by SG system, recognising the future need to empower greater community led approaches to this work.

What StreetGames will produce:

• Consistent level of monthly/quarterly monitoring reports
• Strengthened networks at LA level connected into stat services across PH continuum
• Learning, guidance and possible support, for GM to share more widely across local sectors and beyond

In all of the above, Streetgames will be expected to consider the role of arts & culture alongside existing sport engagement, with arts & culture organisations to be brought into referral pathways for Prevention Partnerships. This sits alongside existing VRU work to capacity build in the arts & culture sector in respect of developing interventions as a referral pathway for young people.

Decision

The VRU wishes to award Streetgames £110,000 to provide intervention support & capacity building in respect of Prevention Partnership panels (previously known as PIED) across GM following the additional awarding of £200,000 to the GM VRU from the Home Office for Young Futures spend in 2026/27. StreetGames were awarded £110K in 2025/26 and this will allow continuation of the programme.