A new Youth Charter will be developed to set out a vision for young people over the next generation and beyond.

The announcement was made last month by Mims Davies, Minister for Sport and Civil Society.

It is hoped it will help address the recent decline in the number of people taking up youth work training and give youth workers the skills they need to best support young people.

It follows a roundtable the Minister and Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, had with the youth sector, sports bodies, charities and creative organisations last week as part of the Prime Minister’s Serious Youth Violence Summit to tackle knife crime.

Mims Davies, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, said: “This is an important commitment to a generation for a generation. The Youth Charter will be a clear message to young people: we back them and are listening to them.

 “We’re determined to support young people in reaching their full potential. This charter will set out how.”

Denise Hatton, Chief Executive of YMCA England and Wales cautiously welcomed the charter:

“It’s important to remember we have been here before on a number of occasions with government, where Ministers promise one thing to young people and deliver something completely different.

“Over the past decade, young people have borne the brunt of cuts to services they depend upon to live fulfilled lives. Any Youth Charter created must also focus on how local and national government can reinvigorate those service and opportunities that have been lost which were previously the backbone of a young people’s development.”

The charter will build on the existing support and range of innovative projects currently supporting young people across the country. This includes £90 million from dormant bank accounts that is being used to help some of the most disadvantaged young people into employment.

The Government is also investing £80 million from Government and the National Lottery Community Fund in the Youth Investment and #iwill funds.

The Government has also pledged to renew specific youth work qualifications that were due to expire in 2020, subject to a business case, and review the youth work training curriculum.

Bristol already has its own Children’s Charter which was launched in July 2018. It consists of ten pledges made by organisations from across the city to set the rights and best interests of children as a priority for decision makers in Bristol.