IARS current awareness (updated: 24.03.2011)

Youth Unemployment: As it currently stands about 1 in 5 young people are unemployed in the UK. There has been a recent sharp rise is unemployment amongst young people aged 16-17 years old and there are fears this will rise again in the coming months as the Future Jobs Fund and Educational Maintenance Allowance are cut. IARS is concerned about the long-term negative impacts this will have on the younger generations, combined with the cuts to volunteering schemes like vinspired that often help young people to cope with unemployment. 

Youth Offending: Last month it was announced that The Youth Justice Board would be cutting its funding to Youth Offending Teams by as much as 30% in some boroughs. Boroughs across the country had been warned to expect 10% in cuts, but the final announcements are much higher. IARS is concerned that these cuts are larger than boroughs were prepared for, meaning that Youth Offending Teams may be driven towards focusing on short term targets for young people or favouring to more intensive rehabilitative rools such as Restorative Justice, in order to save money. IARS' supports London Councils' call to government to reverse the decision. 

Equalities: London Councils is hosting an additional consultation period for the London Boroughs Grants Scheme following the High Court Ruling that the original consultation did not meet the standards required under equalities legislation. The new review is currently under way and will end on 8th April. To take part in the consultation visit the London Councils website. IARS will be submitting a response to this, building on the response submitted at the last review. 

Criminal Justice: The Home Office has launched a consultation entitled More Effective Responses to Anti-Social Behaviour which seeks opinions of the government's plans to streamline the toolkit used to tackle anti-social behaviour. The deadline for submissions is 3rd May 2011. IARS will be drawing on key findings regarding anti-social behaviour, and appropriate responses to anti-social behaviour from the Youth Advisory Board's research to contribute to this.

Youth policy: The Positive for Youth Summit took place on 9th March 2011. Organised by seven government departments, the Summit brought professionals from across the youth sector and young people together to debate the key current issues faced by young people and services for young people. IARS used findings from the Youth Advisory Board's research to feed into the discussion regarding the prevention of young people's involvement in crime.

European Policy: 2011 has been launched as the European Year of Volunteering. This is an opportunity to promote the European Policy Agenda on Volunteering which includes objectives for European countries to work towards a common understanding of quality volunteering and improving the legal status of volunteers. IARS is drawing on the success of it's vinvolved funded project, the Youth Empowerment Project, to promote quality volunteering opportunities as part of the European Year of Volunteering. 

The Welfare Reform Bill; was introduced to Parliament on 16th February 2011. Key elements of the Bill include the introduction of Universal Credit, a stronger approach to fraud and error and reforms to Disability Living Allowance. Streamlining of benefits is likely to impact considerably on the lives of many of the young people we work with who have sought to improve their employment prospects and move off benefits by undertaking meaningful volunteering opportunities.