Inspection report: Lambeth Youth Service

The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) conducts inspections of local authority youth services for young people aged up to 16 under section 38 of the Education Act 1997. For young people aged 16 to 19, the inspection remit is provided by section 61(2) of the Learning and Skills Act 2000. Lambeth is a highly diverse London borough; its population of 266,700 includes 19,353 young people in the 13 to 19 age range. Over 38% of the population is of minority ethnic heritage. The Youth and Play Service is part of the lifelong learning service within the Education Directorate. Youth work is provided through the five town centre areas. The Principal Youth and Play Service Manager carries strategic responsibility for youth work, and has two assistant managers, each of whom is responsibile for youth and play. Approximately 37 full-time equivalent (fte) workers are dedicated to face-to-face youth work. For 2003/04, the youth service budget was £1.4 million. Estimated additional external income of £800,000 is managed by the Education Business Partnership, which is another department within the lifelong learning service. During the inspection week, inspectors carried out direct observation of youth work sessions in a range of settings, sometimes accompanied by peer inspectors. They held discussions with elected members, senior officers and strategic partners. Inspectors met with representatives from the voluntary sector and reviewed service documentation. They also evaluated work identified by the service as being representative of particularly good practice.