The Social Cost of Youth Work Cuts – Preventing Youth Offending Through Youth Work

The NYA has published its latest report The social cost of youth work cuts: Preventing youth offending through youth work. The study analyses 74 sources of academic literature and evidence, with key findings highlighting the importance of youth work and partnership working across services working with children, including youth organisations.

The report finds that:

• Young people themselves are crying out for safe spaces with 24% of young respondents to a recent survey reporting that they do not have a safe space to go to where they feel they belong.
• For every 1,000 children in the population, 4.6 are still in the youth justice system, and their needs are becoming increasingly complex.
• Youth work saves £500 million on public spending through crime reduction alone and social return on investment research reveals that £1 investment in youth work is estimated to return £3.20 – £6.40 of value.

Download the report.