The Children & Young People Scrutiny Committee are scheduled to meet to review the council's youth offer, and to receive a briefing on the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The committee will also review its updated work programme.

Youth Offer

The committee is scheduled to review the council's youth offer, including the funding available to support youth activities such as youth clubs, education, training and employment.

A report on the Youth Offer describes the development of a youth offer in Telford and Wrekin. The council has a statutory duty, as outlined in Section 507B of the Education Act 1996, to ensure that sufficient educational and recreational leisure-time activities are available for young people.

The proposed strategic Youth Offer is scheduled to be built around a three part concept:

• Youth Activities (universal): Broad, inclusive opportunities delivered by a range of providers, such as urban games and funded through various funding streams.
• Youth Clubs (targeted): Youth work-led provision targeted at priority groups based on a new commissioned model using additional investment. This proposal will enhance the current offer providing targeted support though a commissioning model that supports long-term planning, quality assurance, and local innovation, drawing on insights from the Local Needs Youth Officer Assessment (LNA), national best practice, and extensive engagement with young people, providers, and community stakeholders.
• Youth Support (specialist): specialist-based support delivered through Family Hubs and partner organisations, using existing services.

The report notes that over 85% of a young person's waking hours are spent outside of school and formal education, and that the quality and accessibility of recreational and educational leisure-time activities during these hours have a profound impact on young people's development, well-being, and life chances.

The council is scheduled to discuss a commissioned youth offer model to ensure provision is:

• Targeted: Focused on areas of most need and vulnerable groups, based on Local Needs Assessment data.
• Sustainable: Moves away from short-term grants to multi-year contracts, enabling continuity and long-term planning.
• Quality Assured: Embeds safeguarding, monitoring, and outcome-based delivery into provider contracts.
• Flexible: Allows services to adapt to local needs and feedback, supported by digital tools and ward-level insights.
• Empowering: Supports local innovation and enables providers to access external funding, reducing pressure on council budgets.

The delivery of the Youth Offer is scheduled to be supported by a mixed economy system, with teams across the council, including Safer Stronger Communities, Community Support, Family Hubs, and Children's Safeguarding, contributing to youth provision through funding, training, quality assurance, and direct delivery. The Youth Development Officer is scheduled to play a central role in building capacity, supporting providers, and ensuring youth voice is embedded in service design.

The Youth Offer is also scheduled to be embedded in the council's wider ambition to become a Child Friendly Borough, as outlined in the Children and Young People's Strategy 2025– 2028, and directly supports the priorities of the Telford and Wrekin Health and Well-being Board.

The council is scheduled to engage a wide range of partners in shaping the Youth Offer, from schools and colleges to voluntary providers and statutory services, and will include a co-produced digital information platform to allow young people to access information about local youth activities and services.

The strategic actions underpinning the proposed Youth Offer are designed to complement existing provision, not replace it, and focus on:

• Maintaining and enhancing the current Youth Activities and Youth Support offer
• Building and securing youth work-led Youth Clubs, that provides provision through a commissioning model
• Finalising the Local Needs Assessment (LNA)
• Embedding youth voice through the Voices in Unity group
• Strengthening internal coordination across council services
• Implementing a borough-wide data system to monitor impact

Youth work-led Youth Clubs are currently delivered across multiple areas in Telford and Wrekin, with a range of providers including 4 All Foundation, SYA, and local town and parish councils.

Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill

The committee is scheduled to receive a briefing on the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill outlining the reforms to Children's Social Care and the Families First Partnership Programme.

Work Programme

The committee is scheduled to review the updated Work Programme for the Children & Young People Scrutiny Committee.