Open Access Youth Provision Grant

The Wakefield Children and Young People’s Partnership 'Children and Young People’s Plan 2022-2025' outlines Wakefield Council’s commitment to improve outcomes for Wakefield’s children and young people, their families, and their communities.

It's the Council’s ambition to create a district where children and young people’s rights are respected, and their voices are heard. The Council recognises that the delivery of these outcomes requires excellent universal services that build resilience and provide important protective factors.

As part of the development of universal support, Wakefield Council is providing up to £240,000 of grant funding to support the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector to deliver open access youth provision for children and young people aged 11 – 17 years (up to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)). Funding will support the delivery of open access youth provision across each of the following areas:

• Castleford, Airedale, Pontefract and Knottingley
• Normanton, Featherstone and the South East  
• Wakefield Central, North West and the South West

Project Overview

Recipients of the grant funding will deliver open access youth provision across the district, working with Wakefield Council and other partners, to create and deliver on a youth offer that includes:

• at least one weekly open access youth session at each of the three Youth Hub sites or at an agreed alternative site
• online district wide Youth Club to reach young people who are not ready to attend open access and prepare them to attend other offers when they have built their confidence
• a mixture of twilight and evening (after 6pm)youth sessions, to cater for differing age groups (11 – 17 years (up to 25 with SEND))
• provision delivered from a variety of settings including the recipient’s own location/premises
• a flexible range of provision to meet the needs of children and young people aged 11 – 17 years (up to 25 with SEND) (for the avoidance of doubt individual youth sessions do not need to accommodate the whole age range);
• regular youth voice sessions, to work with young people around youth participation and involve them in the planning, delivery and evaluation of sessions and services, and promote / support the involvement in the Council’s Build Our Futures Youth Summits.
• delivery of the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award programme from within one open access session in each of the Youth Hub areas.
• outreach to support new open access start up and regular attendance at open access sessions
• working in accordance with the values and principles of ‘good youth work’ and incorporate elements of the National Youth Work Curriculum, as outlined by the National Youth Agency
• referring and signposting children, young people and families to the range of support services available through the Wakefield Families Together partnership; and compliance with safeguarding policy and practice  

Organisations can apply to work in more than one area. Projects are expected to start in April 2025.

Recipients will build on existing strengths of support delivered within the community already and encourage new ways of responding to community issues and children and young people’s needs and vulnerabilities.

Information Session

We're holding an Information Session on Monday 10 February 2025, 1pm to 2pm on Microsoft Teams. This will be an opportunity to hear from Nick West and the Service Senior Youth Workers from the three Youth Hub areas about the fund, and ask any questions you have.

JOIN HERE: Please use this link to join the Teams meeting.

How to Apply

Complete and submit your application by 9am on Monday 24 February 2025.

‍This fund will be distributed through Wakefield District’s Third Sector Framework, a fair, open and transparent way of distributing funding to VCSE organisations across Wakefield District. So to apply for the Open Access Youth Provision Grant, you need to:

1. Complete the Application Document, which you can download below. Return completed applications to grants@nova-wd.org.uk
2. Apply to become a member of the Third Sector Framework, if you are not already one.

‍Details on the evaluation process can be found in the Application Document and on our Applying for Funding page.

Any questions?

Please read through the Application Document and attend the Information Session. We’re happy to help if you have any questions, please get in touch:

• For questions about the grants: nwest@wakefield.gov.uk or 07879855834
• For questions about the Third Sector Framework: framework@nova-wd.org.uk or 01924 367418