Lancashire County Council's cabinet to consider Youth Investment Fund proposals
Two sites that deliver youth support to children, young people and families in Lancashire are being put forward for potential investment to help modernise and improve their services.
The county council is proposing to submit Expressions of Interest to the government's Youth Investment Fund for two Lancashire sites, with a view to submitting full applications.
The aim of the Youth Investment Fund is to renovate existing facilities to improve the health and wellbeing of young people, equip them with skills for work and life and empower them to become active citizens in their communities.
Established by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the fund is part of the government's Youth Guarantee and is the largest investment of its kind in around 20 years. Phase 2 of the fund opened for Expression of Interest applications in August 2022.
Lancashire County Council's Children and Family Wellbeing Service has identified two sites that could be eligible for funding.
They are New Era Children and Family Wellbeing Services in Accrington and Fleetwood Children and Family Wellbeing Services in Fleetwood. Both sites currently deliver a comprehensive to children, young people and their families aged 0-25 years.
If funding is secured, these major refurbishments would enable greater and more efficient use of the buildings, enabling them to expand and diversify the services on offer.
Cllr Cosima Towneley, cabinet member for children and families, said: "This funding, if secured, will modernise and improve how these two sites are accessed and used, allowing services for young people to flourish alongside a wider offer to children and their families
"It would allow our Children and Family Wellbeing Service to expand the number of groups running consecutively alongside other organisations, creating suitable and safe spaces for different styles of intervention to occur simultaneously.
"Ultimately, we want to improve outcomes for young people in Lancashire, and this is just one avenue we are exploring to help us achieve that goal."
The proposals and a series of recommendations are set out in a new report, which will be going to Lancashire County Council's cabinet on Thursday 1 December.
For more information, please select the following link – Cabinet, Thursday 1 December 2022, 2pm