Annual report 2009 - 2010

Annual Report

2010

VISION

Youthnet’s vision is of an inclusive and equitable society that values children and young people and actively enables and celebrates their contribution to this.

YOUTHNET STRATEGIC PLAN 2008 - 2011

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YOUTHNET STRATEGIC PLAN 2008 - 2011

VISION

Youthnet’s vision is of an inclusive and equitable society that values children and young people and actively enables and celebrates their contribution to this. MISSION

Our mission is to ensure the development and recognition of an effective and diverse voluntary youth sector that involves, empowers and meets the needs of all young people

CHARITABLE OBJECTIVES

Youthnet is a strategic network of voluntary youth organisations. It exists to represent support and develop the interests and aspirations of its membership, and to promote the independent voice of the voluntary youth sector.

It does this by:

• Providing support to member organisations which in turn advance the emotional, intellectual, physical, spiritual, social and political development of children and young people.

• Providing information, training and guidance, which enhance the effectiveness of member organisations in promoting educational, social and leisure activities for the benefit of young people.

• Consulting with its membership

• Representing the voluntary youth work sector at policy level

• Researching into good practice and innovative youth work

• Providing a grant giving function

VALUES AND PRINCIPLES

Youthnet is committed to:

• The development of confident and skilled children and young people who are able to make informed, critical decisions and exercise their rights as citizens by contributing to and benefiting from a more participatory democracy.

• The principles of equity, diversity and interdependence

• The promotion of a peaceful, just, inclusive and stable society.

• The principle and practice of developing relevant partnerships and working collaboratively

• Being responsive and accountable to its membership

• Recognising, valuing and promoting volunteers and volunteering.

• The promotion and dissemination of learning, effective practice and quality standards.

• Open transparent and accountable processes.

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Contents

Page

Chairperson’s Review 4

Executive Committee Report 6

Youthnet Staff Team 10

Aim 1: Provide an Effective Voice for the Voluntary Youth Sector 11

Aim 2: Support our Members in Effective Organisational Development and in the Delivery of Quality Services to Children and Young People

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Aim 3: To Work in Collaboration with Others to ensure Maximum Benefit for the Voluntary Youth Sector in the Delivery of Services to Children and Young People

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Aim 4: Ensure Youthnet is Fit for Purpose 21

Statement of Financial Activities 23

Balance Sheet 24

Youthnet Membership 25

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Chairperson’s Review

I became involved in youth work in 1969, when I began as a junior leader in a uniformed organisation in East Belfast. During all my years in the sector, it has seemed to me that the role and contribution of the voluntary youth sector has been consistently understated and unreported, as much of what it does, goes unseen by the general public and media. May I take this opportunity to say “Thanks” to all of you for your continued dedication and hard work, which so often goes unsung. Having completed my first year as chairperson there is some uncertainty around the future delivery of youth work in Northern Ireland. One year on, a number of major policy areas still remain unresolved. The Education and Skills Authority, which was an attempt to streamline education administration, still exists only as a concept, due in the main to political differences. I have been extremely disappointed at the lack of progress in this area and although there have been a series of new arrangements for convergence, there remains a sense of confusion in terms of what this delay means for the voluntary sector. In other policy areas, there is still a high level of uncertainty over the future development of the Network for Youth and the outworkings of the proposed, Community Relations Diversity in Education (CRED) policy. In the coming years, the Department of Education will assume a more strategic role in developing policies such as the ‘Priorities for Youth’, while the Youth Council for Northern Ireland (YCNI) and the five Educations and Library Boards (ELBs) will take on more responsibility as funding agents. The implications of these changes for the voluntary and community sector have yet to be determined. The current volatile financial climate and Budget speculation has created concern within the voluntary and community sector about the future financial security of youth provision. Youthnet is conscious as resources decline that there is a responsibility on the sector to look at how it can operate more efficiently. To this end we welcome our recent award from The Building Change Trust and complementary investment by The Youth Council for Northern Ireland, part of which will go towards assisting the sector to explore potential collaborations, support and representational structures and new ways of working. The need for this has been brought more sharply into focus by the cut made to the Department of Education’s Community Relations (CR) budget, the impact of which was experienced in the main by voluntary youth work organisations resulting in significant job losses but more importantly the loss of programmes for children and young people. This was compounded by the decision of the Minister to only resource posts within the statutory sector. On a more positive note, Youthnet continues to provide an active voice in a range of policy arenas and prioritise the delivery of a range of programmes addressing: inclusion, child protection, governance and workforce development. The work of the Youth Service Sectoral Partner Group (YSSPG), with partners in the ELBs and YCNI, continues to demonstrate how effectively the sector can work together, particularly in relation to the development of tools for the sector which demonstrate its contribution to Department of Education Strategic Outcomes. In terms of celebrating success, this past year saw the conclusion of The Big Deal Programme, which consistently delivered excellent outcomes at a strategic level, involving PlayBoard, NI Youth Forum and the five ELBs. The success and impact of

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the Small Grants Programme has been disproportionate to the levels of funding expended. May I extend congratulations to all staff involved. In the light of its widespread success, Youthnet will be approaching the Lottery and other funders to take forward the learning from this programme. In closing, may I take this opportunity to thank Claire Flowers, who is standing down as our Vice Chairperson. I want to publically acknowledge her positive and valuable contribution in this role.

Michael Wardlow

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Executive Committee Report

The Directors

The Directors who served the charity during the period 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010, were (R: Resigned; A: Appointed). Chairperson Michael Wardlow A: 03/12/09 Tony McCusker R: 03/12/09 Vice Chairperson Claire Flowers Girlguiding Ulster Honorary Treasurer Stephen Dowie Executive Committee Members

Thomas Quigley R.N.I.B. John Meikleham Scout Foundation NI Elizabeth McArdle YouthAction NI Bob Adams Belfast Islamic Centre Paul Smyth Public Achievement Carmel McCavana N.I.C.E. Gillian McClay PlayBoard John Peacock Youthlink NI A: 03/12/09 Michele Taylor National Council of YMCA’s of Ireland A: 03/12/09 Jonathan Gracey The Boys’ Brigade A: 03/12/09 Paul McKinstry Challenge for Youth A: 03/12/09 Rainer Pagel Face Inclusion Matters A: 03/12/09

Edel Campbell Face Inclusion Matters R: 03/12/09 Stephen Turner National Council of YMCA’s of Ireland R: 03/12/09 Maeve Heaney Catholic Guides of Ireland R: 03/12/09 Brenda McGrann YouthLink NI R: 03/12/09 Co-opted

Chris Quinn Northern Ireland Youth Forum

Company Secretary

Denis Palmer Charity registration number: XR 15098/LS

Company registration number: NI 16988

Professional Advisors

Solicitors: McKinty Wright, Eagle Star House, 5-7, Upper Queen’s Street, Belfast BT1 6FS Auditors: Fitch Audit Limited, 27-29 Gordon Street, Belfast, BT1 2LG Bankers: Ulster Bank, 161-163 Upper Lisburn Road, Finaghy, Belfast, BT10 OLJ

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Executive Committee Report The Youthnet Executive Committee (who are the named directors, for the purposes of the Companies Act) have pleasure presenting their report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2010. The directors confirm that the Annual Report and financial statements of the Company comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of Youthnet’s governing document and the provisions of the statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” issued in March 2005.

Structure, governance and management

Constitution

Youthnet is registered as a charitable company limited by guarantee. It is constituted under its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 13 October 1983. Youthnet is also a charity and has been formally admitted by the Inland Revenue, as such, for income tax purposes, charity number XR 15098. Method of appointment or election of directors

Executive Committee members and Youthnet Honorary Officers are nominated by respective member organisations and duly elected by Youthnet at its Annual General Meeting. Committee members are appointed for a period of three years. Executive Committee members elected to an Honorary Officers post may extend their tenure to a maximum of six years. Organisational structure and decision making

None of the directors has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the Directors are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up. Youthnet is managed by an Executive Committee. In addition three Honorary Office Bearers are elected to serve on the Committee: these being a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Honorary Treasurer. All the Executive Committee members have been registered as company directors. The Charity Director, Denis Palmer, manages the day to day running of the organisation.

Risk Management

The directors have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, in particular those related to the operations and finances of the company, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate our exposure to the major risks. Objectives and Activities

Youthnet is a strategic network of Voluntary Youth Organisations. It exists to work with and advocate on behalf of its membership, to represent, support and develop their interests and aspirations and to promote the independent voice of the voluntary youth sector. The Youthnet membership covers a wide range of organisations working with children and young people, from long established organisations through to newly emerged organisations. Member organisations work with a diverse range of young people and vary in size, structure and capacity.

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Under Peace III, the Youth Education Social Inclusion Partnership (YESIP) has developed a ‘Young People Building Positive Relations’ project involving ten delivery partners, five partners from within the Statutory Youth Sector and five from the Voluntary Youth sector. Youthnet is the lead agency for the Voluntary Youth Sector.

Youthnet is also currently the Northern Ireland Award Partner for the Big Lottery Children and Young People’s Fund, responsible for managing The Big Deal. Youthnet is the lead body in delivery of The Big Deal Programme and it acts on behalf of the following Youth Service Liaison Forum stakeholders: Education and Library Boards; Youth Council for Northern Ireland; Northern Ireland Youth Forum; and Youthnet. The Big Deal is £4.5million initiative which includes a £1.5million grant-giving programme for children and young people aged 0-25 administered directly by Youthnet and a £3million strategic programme. The strategic programme is delivered through a Participation Hub comprising PlayBoard, the Northern Ireland Youth Forum and the Education and Library Boards. Achievements and performance

A full account of Youthnet’s achievements during the year are outlined on pages 12 to 23 of this report.

Financial Review

The results for the year are set out in Youthnet’s financial statements. Published in this Annual Report is a copy of Youthnet’s Statement of Financial Activities and Balance Sheet for the year ending 31 March 2010 (pgs 24/25). A full set of accounts may be obtained from Youthnet offices on request. Reserves Policy

The directors have established a policy whereby the unrestricted funds not committed or invested in tangible fixed assets (‘the free reserves’) held by the charity should be 4 months of the unrestricted resources expended combined with DE Membership Development monies, which equated to approximately £79,652 in general funds at 31 March 2010. At this level, the directors feel that they would be able to continue the current activities of the charity, in the event of a significant drop in funding. It would obviously be necessary to consider how the funding would be replaced or activities changed if reserves fell below that amount. The directors are also committed to moving the reserves target to 6 months expenditure as above over the next 4 years. As at 31 March 10 free reserves were £103,542, excluding the pension liability and (£711,458) including the pension liability. The directors feel there are sufficient reserves to mitigate immediate or short-term risks in relation to unrestricted funds, but continue to monitor long-term risks to the charity, in particular with regard to the pension liability. The valuation of the company's pension scheme at 31 March 2010, for the purposes of FRS 17, showed a funding deficit of £815,000. This deficit represents the difference between the liabilities of the pension fund and the value of its underlying assets; it does not represent an immediate commitment, as the cash flow required to meet the deficit relates to future pension contributions. Therefore, this liability is expected to arise over the long-term rather than the immediate future. The valuation of the pension schemes assets under FRS 17 is different from the triennial actuarial valuation which determines the contributions required to reduce the deficit. Current financial projections indicate that Youthnet will be able to make these contributions as they fall due.

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Statement of Directors’ responsibilities

The directors (who are the directors of The Voluntary Youth Network for Northern Ireland for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under the law the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). The financial statements are required by law to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of the company for that period. In preparing these financial statements the directors are required to:

� Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently

� Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent

� Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.

The directors are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 1986. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence fort taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Approved by the board on 16 November 2010 and signed on its behalf by:

Company Secretary

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Youthnet Staff Team

Director Denis Palmer

CORPORATE AFFAIRS TEAM

Claire O’Hare Deputy Director (Corporate Affairs)

Linda Gordon Communications Officer

Leeanne Holmes Finance Officer (Corporate/ The Big Deal)

Sean Seamus O’Hara Finance Officer- Maternity Cover (Corporate/ The Big Deal)

MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Mary Field Deputy Director (Membership Development)

Jenny Roberts Development Officer – Child Protection

Chris Flack Development Officer

Amanda Stephens Development Officer- Inclusion

Ben Ewan Development Officer- Inclusion Susan Conlon Project Officer

STRATEGIC FUNDING PROGRAMMES Desy Clayton Strategic Funding Programmes Manager (Peace III / The Big Deal)

Pauline Murray Project Officer - Peace III

Niamh O’Carolan Project Officer - The Big Deal

Shona Ennis Administrator (Peace III/ The Big Deal)

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Aim 1

Provide an effective voice for the voluntary youth sector Key Activities

During the year we have continued to engage in the Department of Education Advisory Group to inform the development of Priorities for Youth. It is anticipated that DE will be issuing its policy for consultation in the New Year. As part of this process Youthnet will be submitting an infrastructure paper to the Department, highlighting the contribution and potential roles for Regional Voluntary Youth Organisations in supporting front-line delivery. On behalf of DE the Youth Council for NI established a working group on the Network for Youth. This provided an opportunity to take forward key learning from The Big Deal Programme. The establishment of the network is interlinked with the establishment of ESA. However, the sectoral partners, YCNI, ELBs NI Youth Forum and Youthnet are keen to take forward discussions addressing youth participative structures within the ELB convergence framework. The Youth Service Sectoral Partners Group (YSSPG) has continued to meet and this year and has focused on: • discussions relating to commissioning of services;

• promoting the model, ‘Shaping the Future of the Youth Service’; and

• the development of a framework against which youth organisations can demonstrate how their delivery meets educational outcomes.

Youthnet also responded to policy consultations representing membership views in relation to:

• Cohesion, Sharing and Integration

• Community Relations, Equality and Diversity in Education

• DCMS Lottery Shares Consultation Response

• Review of the Small Bus Permit (Section 10B) scheme (Road Safety Division Department of the Environment)

Youthnet supported members, affected by the cut to Community Relations funding from the Department of Education, to draw together information on the impact of the loss to voluntary youth organisations and the children and young people with whom they work. Youthnet met with the DE Permanent Secretary and the Director of Children, Communities and Families to discuss the cuts and present the evidence from member organisations. This information was also used to support Youthnet’s response to the Programme for Cohesion Sharing and Integration and the Department of Educations Community Relations, Equality and Diversity Policy. Staff and volunteers from Youthnet and its member organisations are supported to contribute to a range of structures to engage with policy makers and take forward issues impacting on the voluntary youth sector and children and young people.

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Youthnet representatives continue to play an active role in the Youth Work Training Board and continue to work on a range of issues including the development of a qualifications framework for youth work and the recognition of accredited programmes by the Training Board. DE has recognised that the voluntary sector workforce including volunteers falls within the broad remit of the DE workforce. The Youth Service Liaison Forum has established a sub group to take forward discussions on workforce development. The group has engaged with LLUK and it has been agreed that the statutory and voluntary workforce will be mapped, development needs analysed and from this a Workforce Development Strategy will be presented to DE and DEL by March 2011. Through funding secured by LLUK a consultant has been appointed to take forward this work. Youthnet is part of the partnership on the Management Group of the Curriculum Development Unit (CDU) where the Lead Partner is the NEELB. This year the unit has been working on the development of a framework for Quality Assurance and Youthnet is represented on the Steering Group. A Quality Assurance framework will be piloted with a range of groups supported by CDU and Youthnet staff between now and the end of March 2011. Through the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Education Stakeholders Forum we have represented the views of the voluntary youth sector to the Home Office review of the Vetting and Barring Scheme. Youthnet participates in the Safer Belfast Anti Social Behaviour Forum which has been set up as part of a Belfast City Council pilot project called Safer Belfast. The forum works in an oversight capacity in order to review the work of funded projects and staff based in Community and Youth Centres across the city. Action plans have been drawn up with community groups and members of the public for nine pilot areas, these plans vary according to specific issues affecting the community, however, all projects have five main aims. These are: education and awareness of ASB; diversionary activities and programmes; the environment; the application of park bye-laws and general ASB enforcement. We continue to engage in the Equality Coalition and this year the coalition has been involved in a project to engage public sector organisations in reviewing their Equality Schemes in light of changes made to the process by the Equality Commission. Enforcement schemes and guidelines are being re-drawn across public bodies as a result of the new model equality scheme developed by the Commission which has come from a review of their work and management of Section 75. We are represented on the Child Poverty Alliance which continues to work for the production of a Child Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland. As a result of lobbying from across the sector OFMDFM have committed to drawing up a Strategy for Northern Ireland with the formal consultation period set to take place in early 2011. The Faith Based Interest Group has spent much of this year working to formalise the group. They have agreed their Terms of Reference and elected David Brown, Church of Ireland Youth Department, as Chairperson. The group have been engaging with the Department for Social Development’s Faith Forum which has been formed by the Voluntary and Community Unit and hope to engage further with the Forum through its Children and Young People working group.

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The group submitted a response to the DUP manifesto for Faith Communities and hope to use this paper to engage other political parties in discussion about the contribution of the Faith Sector in the community.

The Youth Arts Network is seeking to formalise their structures and have agreed a Terms of Reference and continue work to widen their engagement across the voluntary youth arts sector. It is hoped that the group will be in a position to officially launch the network to coincide with the beginning of the Lottery Arts Project if the funding application is successful.

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Aim 2

Support our members in effective organisational development and in the delivery of quality services to children and young people. Through active consultation over the last two years with the membership, the need to strengthen and develop support and representational structures for local youth providers has been identified. To progress this work Youthnet made a successful application to the Building Change Trust and will begin to facilitate a process of ‘Exploring Change’ across the network in the New Year. Funding from the Trust will be complemented by funding from the Youth Council for Northern Ireland. This will provide the sector with a real opportunity to demonstrate its role in providing effective support to local provision and explore collaborations and new ways of working.

During the year we provided intensive support to member organisations on complex human resource issues. Access to professional Human Resource practitioners has also been identified as a priority by member organisations taking part in the recent infrastructure study. Youthnet would be keen to develop its support to members in this area and will actively pursue this through the ‘Exploring Change’ process. We continue to be actively involved in the Developing Good Governance Group. The aim of this group is to proactively lead on and facilitate initiatives to improve the governance of voluntary and community organisations in Northern Ireland.

• A number of awareness raising events have taken place during the year to highlight the benefits of the Code of Good Governance and The DIY Committee Guide (www.diycommitteeguide.org).

• This year the Group has also developed a self assessment tool to complement the Code. The Governance Health Check is a practical resource to assist management committees to work towards adhering to the principles of the Code and is available to download from the above website.

We continue to coordinate and support the Child Protection ‘ Keeping Safe’ training team and there is increasing demand for training from smaller groups. Three new trainers are currently undertaking the ‘Train the Trainers’ course. We were disappointed this year that the work we had completed in preparing specific guidance for the youth sector in relation to the Vetting and Barring Scheme had to be put on hold as a result of the Home Office review of the scheme. Through the Education Stakeholder Group for the scheme we have contributed to the review and the outcome should be published in December. It is likely that the Review will scale back the scope of the scheme and we will continue to promote good practice in relation to supervision and management along side criminal record checks. We also continue to carry out Criminal Record Background Checks, through Access NI and provide support and guidance in the interpretation of disclosures.

A partnership formed by Youthnet, the Youth Council of Northern Ireland and the Education and Library Boards submitted a bid to the Arts Council for the delivery of a pilot Youth Arts Project. The project seeks to explore the benefits, learning and experiences from combining youth arts practice with youth work practice in delivering programmes that will work with children and young people in creative ways.

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Work has started on the formal planning for the project, this includes drawing up tender documents and contracts for the training and delivery elements to ensure the project can begin at the earliest opportunity if funding is made available. It is planned that work will be delivered through a number of partner schemes that will combine arts organisations and youth work organisations selected from an Arts bank database created through the project Youthnet has continued to work in partnership with the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) through the Peace 3 Inclusion Project, to support the development of inclusive practice in youth work settings. Work on a North/South basis in this area includes:

- A diversity audit conducted with Monaghan County Youth Service using the ‘Access all Areas’ diversity toolkit (supporting lead partner NYCI to deliver this)

- Cross-border Intercultural training in the border regions

- Development of an all island resource – ‘Access all areas’ diversity toolkit

A cross border conference on ‘Developing Inclusive Youth Work Practice’ was held in the autumn. Delegates from North/ South attended the conference and were invited to examine their policy and practice and identify next steps towards creating a more inclusive youth setting.

Youthnet will be following up on the learning from this event in partnership with the National Youth Council of Ireland in 2011. Youthnet have continued to build the capacity of youth organisations to deliver quality cross-community and cross-cultural programmes through a number of partnership projects that aimed to improve trust and tolerance among children and young people and the staff and volunteers who work with them at local level. The Boys Brigade NI and Scouting Ireland have been facilitated to deliver a joint civic leadership training programme to young leaders from both organisations to develop their leadership skills in exploring diversity and address equality issues. Youthnet have also worked with Shared Futures UK to support the members of the Black Minority Ethnic (BME) Interest Group to deliver a project with young people, staff and volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds. A residential and series of follow-up sessions supported young people to develop a resource to encourage the welcome and inclusion of young people from an ethnic minority in youth services and in society generally. A web page is under construction, developed by a working group of young people, to form part of a wider resource developed for practitioners working with those who are new to Northern Ireland or from an ethnic minority. (This resource is being coordinated by Diversity in Action NI – a partnership project with Banardos and NCB NI)

Youthnet in partnership with the Community Relations Council and member organisations organised a conference ‘Breaking Barriers through Youth Work’, that sought to highlight the contribution of youth work to community relations and peace building. Several member organisations were involved in planning and developing this conference. In preparation for the conference, Youthnet facilitated voluntary youth organisations engaged in community relations work with young people to deliver a residential for young people that identified community relations issues affecting them in their local area. This process was filmed and provided an input at the conference.

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We have received excellent feedback on the conference and a full report is available on Youthnet’s website.

Since September 2009 Youthnet has carried out LGBT Awareness Raising to 751 participants. We continue to facilitate training with the PSNI new recruits and also deliver full-day LGB Hate Crime awareness raising training in partnership with The Rainbow Project to serving officers. During the year over 80 youth workers participated in ‘Outstanding Youth Work’ the LGBT two day training programme. We will be following up on this training in 2011 to determine the extent to which those who have been trained are using the training in their work with young people and others in their organisation. During the year we worked with NICIE and Tacade in their ‘Supporting Schools to Tackle Homophobia’ programme which involved six integrated schools (both primary and post-primary) in Northern Ireland. Youthnet contributed to training at one school and facilitated workshops at an anti-homophobic bullying training day/conference organised by NICIE. Youthnet research and resources were used during the training. Youthnet continues to facilitate the Transgender Peer Support Group, (Oysters). The group contributed to ‘The Luck of the Draw’ - A Report on the Experiences of Trans Individuals Reporting Hate Incidents in Northern Ireland, available on the OFMDFM website. This is the first major research on Trans issues in Northern Ireland and was funded by OFMDFM. As a follow up to this research a Trans Forum has been developed to specifically address some of the recommendations from the research and allow discussion of Trans issues so that service providers could be better informed of some of the barriers. Through involvement in the group Oyster members have grown in confidence as demonstrated by their participation in several Trans Awareness Workshops delivered to external agencies. Youthnet arranged and hosted a North /South LGBT Youth Worker Conference. The conference was attended by 12 professionals who work with LGBT young people directly or through training, lobbying and advocacy etc. The aim of the Conference was to share practice, resources and information and to establish a network for sharing information in the future. The conference also enabled participants to identify ways of working together in partnership in the future.

We continue to support the development of the Voluntary Sector Youth Workers Association. They have established five local hubs in Ballymena, Belfast, Downpatrick, L/Derry and Lurgan to provide local support, advice and association. Meetings for the hubs will be organised for December 2010 and a conference for workers will take place in the New Year.

A Communications sub-group was formed in April 2010 to begin the process of reviewing Youthnet’s Communications Strategy. Part of our ‘Exploring Change’ project funded through, The Building Change Trust will involve working with member organisations to carry this work forward. The primary method of communication with members continues to be email and the most frequent contact with members is through Epipe – the weekly e-newsletter. During the year, 48 editions were circulated. Anyone with an interest in the voluntary youth work sector in Northern Ireland can sign up to receive Epipe via the Youthnet

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website and a number of new signups for the service are received each week. During the year we also sent 44 topic specific emails to members covering a range of issues, consultations, policy responses and legislation updates. NI Assembly news is a new e-newsletter, sent only to member organisations, to keep them up to date with Assembly news. The weekly newsletter includes a selection of written and oral answers and information on selected committee meetings. The volume of information is such that it is narrowed down to feature information relevant to those in youth work settings, although full links to the relevant web pages are provided so that readers can follow up or read further. 28 editions were sent during the year.

The Youthnet Facebook page was established in June and the number of followers has continued to grow. It is a quick and easy way to circulate information on Youthnet’s activities to a diverse range of people and ensure that the profile of the voluntary youth sector is kept to the fore as many member organisations also use the page to promote their work. A redevelopment of the Youthnet website is planned for the new-year to compliment and facilitate new representative structures and support mechanisms as they emerge under the ‘Exploring Change’ project. The new website will also host a database of Creative Arts Resources to support the Lottery Arts Project. The website is currently kept up to date to ensure that relevant information on all aspects of Youthnet’s and the voluntary youth sector is available to a wide audience. The site received just under 20,000 hits during the year.

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Aim 3 To work in collaboration with others to ensure maximum benefit for the voluntary youth sector in the delivery of services to children and young people.

Peace III

Youth Education Social Inclusion Partnership (YESIP) Under Peace III, the Youth Education Social Inclusion Partnership (YESIP) has developed a ‘Young People Building Positive Relations’ project involving ten delivery partners, five partners from within the Formal Youth Sector and five from the Non-Formal Youth sector. Youthnet is the lead agency for the Non-Formal sector. The past year has seen significant development across the YESIP Peace III Programme with all project partners now fully operational, while venues for partner meetings are rotated to ensure that all participants have the opportunity to showcase their achievements and offer mutual support and collaborative opportunities. Strategic links continued to be developed, particularly at a cross-border level. June 15 2010, YESIP hosted a major conference facilitated by the National Youth Council of Ireland at the Canal Court Hotel, Newry. The purpose of the Conference was to share learning and best practice regarding participation and intercultural youth work, North/South of the border.

The Big Deal Programme

The Big Deal Programme is a £4.5m youth sector partnership initiative resourced by the Big Lottery Fund. Working across three flexible age-bands, 0–10, 11–16, 17–25, the Programme had a number of elements:

� the Small Grants Programme; � the Children and Young People’s Forum; � a policy and research Initiative; � a series of Participation Initiatives; and � the Play Quest Programme.

The aim of The Big Deal Programme was to encourage children and young people to become involved in participatory activities which enhance their personal and social development and to have the skills, knowledge and opportunities to make informed choices about their lives and demonstrate their positive contribution to family and community life. The last element of The Big Deal Programme concluded in October of this year. Small Grants programme Over the life of the Small Grants Programme (Sep 06 – Sep 10), 128 children and young people (aged 7 – 25yrs) from across Northern Ireland, participated in 80 panel meetings and allocated a total of £1,492,080 to 723 projects. As a result of this over 36,000 children and young people participated in the planning and delivery their own projects. Children and Young People’s Forum (CYPF) The Children and Young People’s Forum sought to establish participative structures for children and young people in each ELB region of Northern Ireland. At its conclusion in September 2010, the CYPF had a membership over 200 young people.

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These young people provided feedback and opinions to a range of statutory bodies on subjects such as road safety, policing, school meals and best use of schools. The CYPF was also the recruitment and support mechanism for the Small Grants Panels. Participation Initiatives The Northern Ireland Youth Forum (NIYF) in partnership with the Education and Library Boards (ELB’s) delivered four programmes targeted primarily at young people in the 11-16 and 17-25 age groups. These included:

• Democracy Works?

• Transitions

• Making it Happen

• Organisational Change These programmes were designed to achieve greater participation of children and young people as decision-makers in their own lives and in the activities and services in which they take part. The initiative also sought to strengthen the concept of participation within organisations which provide services to children and young people. A set of training materials for volunteers and youth workers was produced and have have been distributed at a series of promotional events since the 11 – 25’s programme concluded in October 2010. Over 10,000 children and young people participated in the 11-25s programmes. Play Quest Programme (0 – 10 Years) The Play Quest Programme, delivered by PlayBoard, focused on the engagement and participation of children through the medium of play. The Play Quest Team worked with schools and other organisations working with children and young people to promote and embed the principles and values of effective participation. The Play Quest Programme concluded in December 2009. Over a 3 year period Play Quest delivered programmes to over 20,000 children in schools and playgroups across Northern Ireland. This programme also formed important linkages with the 11-25’s programmes to develop initiatives such as “Transitions” which allowed children to explore issues around transfer from primary to secondary level education. Learning from the Programme culminated in the development of a set of training materials and a DVD offering advice and guidance to play work practitioners. The end of The Big Deal Programme was marked by a major celebration event at Belfast City Hall, 8 October 2010. The event was attended by children and young people who had benefited from the Programme as well as Belfast’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Pat Convery and representatives from Youthnet, PlayBoard, The Big Lottery Fund and Northern Ireland Youth Forum. Youthnet is currently focused on capturing and promoting the impact and legacy of the Programme. To this end, all individual components of The Big Deal have been independently evaluated. In addition, an over-arching Impact Study was commissioned to reflect the impact of the Programme as a whole and to capture the key areas of learning. This study will be available in the new year and will be taken forward to the Department of Education, the Big Lottery fund and the broader youth and community sector.

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The Department of Education Voluntary Youth Sector Outreach Initiative which seeks to facilitate the inclusion of young people from marginalised groups is entering its final phase of funding under the existing agreement. Further funding for 2010 – 11 was allocated to the following organisations:-

• Belfast and Lisburn Women’s Aid

• Belfast Islamic Centre

• Gay Lesbian Youth NI

• Public Achievement

• YouthAction NI

These organisations have developed a range of outreach programmes to engage and support young people in their thematic areas of expertise and have also developed programmes to include ethnic minority groups. During the year we invited applications from organisations to target children and young people with disabilities and the following organisations were successful.

• Positive Futures (learning disability)

• Lisburn YMCA (learning disability)

• Mencap (learning disability)

• RNIB (sensory impairment) This targeted intervention has been highly effective in addressing need and bringing forward the voice of marginalised groupings. Youthnet will be active in highlighting the effectiveness of the initiative to lobby for continuation of a similar initiative.

The King George VI Youth Awards provides funding for youth work activities for young people aged 14-21. The Awards Panel received 50 applications during the year and of these, 33 grants ranging from £100 – 500 were awarded by the Panel.

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Aim 4 Ensure Youthnet is fit for purpose

Governance A range of support systems and processes exist to ensure that Youthnet’s governing body is effective and fully supported at all times. During the year:

• 6 new members joined the Executive Committee. Inductions were carried out in line with National Occupational Standards for Trustees, Companies Act 2006 and The Code of Good Governance;

• The Executive Committee met 7 times;

• Committee received 6 comprehensive reports detailing staff activity;

• All funding streams are linked to a regular system of reporting and 4 quarterly detailed and summary financial reports were presented to Committee;

• The annual Operational Plan was agreed in April and staff work-plans developed; 4 Quarterly Operational Plan Monitoring Reports were submitted and reviewed;

• An Executive Committee Skills Audit was carried out and skills gaps identified; and

• The Finance and Personnel Committee met 3 times.

Youthnet commenced its Strategic Planning process for the period 2011 – 2014 in February 2010 with a Staff/ Executive Residential. Initial medium – long-term priorities were identified and analysed. A Strategic Planning Working Party was also established in June to review Youthnet’s Aims and Objectives. The Committee determined the need to stall further progress until its application to The Building Change Trust had been considered. It is anticipated that key priorities and support needs for the voluntary and community youth network will be identified through this project.

Human Resources Youthnet staff and volunteers benefited from the following training opportunities: � Peacemaking and Peace building - Exploring the lessons from NI (1) � Measuring Your Impact training (1) � Conducting Employment Investigations (2) � Islam for Service Providers (1 staff/ 1 Committee member) � HR Seminar (1)

The Senior Management Team has maintained a watching brief on all relevant legislation, policy and good practice and a number of actions have resulted:

Policies and Procedures Developed: -

• Exit Interview Procedure

• Internal Investigation Procedures Policies and Procedures Updated: -

• Maternity, Paternity and Adoption policy

• Sick Absence Policy

• Recruitment of Ex-offenders Policy

• Access NI Disclosure Policy

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Financial Administration and Resources Youthnet has continued to review its systems and procedures throughout the year to ensure maximum accountability and effectiveness and ensure that resources achieve maximum benefit for the organisation, its funders and its membership. To this end the following policies and procedures have been reviewed and updated:

• Management Accounting processes and budgetary control systems;

• Youthnet reserves policy;

• Pension policy and procedures;

• Apportionment policy; and

• Maintenance of accounting records and asset management.

Youthnet was successful in its recent application to The Building Change Trust (outlined earlier in this Report). The Youth Council for Northern Ireland (YCNI) awarded complimentary funds to carry forward this work. YCNI have also offered Youthnet additional monies this year to focus on Governance’ development work with the membership. We also continue to be the lead agency for the Voluntary Youth Sector in the Youth Education Social Inclusion Partnership (YESIP) Peace III project ‘Young People Building Positive Relations’.

Renewed funding for the current financial year also includes:

• Department of Education (DE) Cross Sectoral Child Protection Initiative monies.

• DE Outreach Initiative.

• DE Membership Development.

Information and Internal Communication Systems Maintenance of IT systems was ongoing throughout the year to ensure the integrity and security of the network:

• A six monthly review was carried out of Youthnet’s IT disaster recovery plan.

• Server maintenance plans were implemented as appropriate.

• Staff were also encouraged to share files and folders and further develop Youthnet’s intranet.

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VOLUNTARY YOUTH NETWORK FOR NORTHERN IRELAND (A company limited by guarantee)

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2010

Restricted Funds 2010

Unrestricted Funds 2010

Total Funds 2010

Total Funds 2009

Note £ £ £ £ Incoming resources Incoming resources from generated funds:

Core funding 2 - 113,196 113,196 103,594

Other voluntary income 2 2,970 4,820 7,790 10,817

Investment income 3 58 265 323 819

Incoming resources from charitable activities 4 1,670,770 - 1,670,770 2,091,018

Other incoming resources 5 - 5,317 5,317 -

Total incoming resources 1,673,798 123,598 1,797,396 2,206,248

Resources Expended

Costs of generating funds: Costs of generating voluntary income 6 7,909 6,205 14,114 14,984

Charitable activities 13 1,623,571 98,308 1,721,879 2,138,273

Governance costs 9 23,376 15,208 38,584 47,953

Total resources expended 12 1,654,856 119,721 1,774,577 2,201,210

Net incoming resources/ (resources expended) before revaluations 18,942 3,877 22,819 5,038

Gains and losses on revaluations of investment assets

-

(538,000)

(538,000)

(122,000)

Net movement in funds 18,942 (534,124) (515,181) (116,962)

Total funds at 1 April 2009 318,159

(177,334) 140,825 257,787

Total funds at 31 March 2010

337,101 (711,457)

(374,356) 140,825

All activities relate to continuing operations

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VOLUNTARY YOUTH NETWORK FOR NORTHERN IRELAND (A company limited by guarantee)

BALANCE SHEET

AS AT 31 MARCH 2010

The Financial Statements were approved by the Board, 16 November 2010 and signed on their behalf:

Michael Wardlow Stephen Dowie Director Director

2010

2009

Note £ £ £ £ Fixed Assets Tangible assets 16 23,843 33,555 Current Assets Stock 17 400 400 Debtors 18 197,436 205,611 Cash at bank and in hand 427,243 482,536

625,079 688,547 Creditors : amounts falling due within one year 19 (208,280) (315,277)

Net current assets 416,799 373,270

Total assets less current liabilities 440,642 406,825

Provisions for liabilities

Other provisions 20 (815,000) (266,000)

Net assets (374,358) 140,825

Charity Funds

Restricted funds 21 337,101 318,159

Unrestricted funds

General and designated funds 103,541 88,666

Pension liability (815,000) (266,000)

(711,459) (177,334)

(374,358) 140,825

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YOUTHNET MEMBERSHIP 2010 Full Members

Action Mental Health – VOTE Project An Munia Tober Army Cadet Force Association The Beat Initiative Belfast Community Circus School Belfast Islamic Centre The Boys' Brigade British Red Cross Brook, Belfast The BYTES Project Cathog Catholic Guides of Ireland Challenge for Youth Chinese Welfare Association Church of Ireland Youth Council Cinemagic Clubs for Young People Contact Youth Co-operation Ireland Corrymeela Community Cruse Bereavement Care – Young Cruse Project Department of Youth & Childrens' Work (Methodist Church) Disability Action Youth Project Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme Extern Face Inclusion Matters Forthspring GLYNI The Girls' Brigade Girls Friendly Society GirlGuiding UK, Province of Ulster Harmony Community Trust Hope UK Hostelling International Include Youth Mencap Mulholland After Care Services Multi Cultural Resource Centre NIACRO National Children’s Bureau NI National Council of YMCA's of Ireland New Life Counselling NICH S NI Children’s Enterprise NI Council for Ethnic Minorities NI Deaf Youth Association NI Forces Youth Service NI Scout Council Northern Area Sea Cadets Ogras Oh Yeah Music Centre Ltd Opportunity Youth Playboard

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Positive Futures Presbyterian Youth Department The Prince's Trust Public Achievement Rathbone RNIB The Rainbow Project St Columb’s Park House St John Ambulance Scout Foundation Northern Ireland Share Centre Springboard Opportunities Limited Terry Enright Foundation The Spirit of Enniskillen Trust Voice of Young People in Care VS B – Young Citizens In Action Women’s Aid Federation Northern Ireland – Young Person’s Development Project Young At Art Young Farmers Clubs of Ulster YouthAction YouthCom Youth Initiatives Youth Link NI Affiliate Members Belfast City Council Belfast Education & Library Board NI Citizen’s Advice Bureau NSPCC NUS/USI North Eastern Education & Library Board The Police Service of Northern Ireland – Community Involvement Branch Probation Board for Northern Ireland South Eastern Education & Library Board Southern Education & Library Board Western Education & Library Board

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YouthNet 5th Floor, Premier Business Centres 20 Adelaide Street BELFAST BT2 8GD

Tel: 028 90331880 Fax:028 90331977

Email: [email protected] Website: www.youthnetni.org.uk Registered in Northern Ireland as The Voluntary Youth Network for Northern Ireland Company limited by Guarantee (NI 16988) Inland Revenue Charity number: XR 15098/LS

European Union Programme for Peace and Reconciliation 2007-2013, Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland (PEACEIII)