Are you providing services to children, young people and families in South Ribble, Preston and Chorley?

NHS Central Lancashire and Lancashire County Council are on the look out for Voluntary, Community and Faith sector providers providing services that may help to PREVENT the following hospital A&E admissions:

Unintentional Injuries to 0-17 year olds

Injuries caused by accidents such as falls, trips, accidents resulting from tools/machinery, drowning, exposure, burns and scalds.

Amy Nicholls, Young Lancashire's star pupil and young apprentice  has scooped a prestigious VQ Hero Award for Work Based Learner of Year award at Preston College.

If you deliver sexual health services or deliver work to vulnerable young people at risk of early sexual activity, we need to hear from you by Monday 5 July!  Read more and download the survey.

A monthly blog has been set up by Young Lancashire to communicate key issues for the VCFS discussed at Children's Trust meetings. Carole Lee will serve as representative to voice the issues of the sector and advocate key issues. The first blog has now been posted click here to view.

If you are interested in receiving the blog direct to you please email: amyn@younglancashire.org.uk

Hi I’m Carole Lee; I am employed by Home-start and have been working there for 14 years, previously working for the Youth & Community Service (now Young Peoples Service). I have also worked for several other voluntary agencies (Relate, Women Centre, Victim Support). Whilst I have been attending the Children's Trust meetings in South Ribble since 2008 I have only just begun to represent the wider sector.

An inaugural meeting of uniformed youth groups across Lancashire, which involved the two Scout Counties, three Guide Counties and Boys Brigade, took place in July. This new gathering, representing over 20,000 young people, appointed a representative to be the channel of communication on behalf of uniformed youth organisations across the county, who will participate in the voluntary sector’s Reference Group. The Reference Group, developed and hosted by Young Lancashire, provides the platform for the voluntary youth sector across Lancashire to engage with Lancashire’s Children’s Trust Boards.

The Department for Education has published statistics on young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) and young people Not in Education or Training (NET). The figures show that 927,000 people aged 16 to 24 - 15.3 per cent - were classed as NEETs between the start of January and end of March. This represented a rise of 32,000 - 3.5 per cent - compared with the last quarter of 2009, but a drop of 6,000 compared with the same period in 2009.

The Children's Legal Centre has launched ‘Lawstuff', a new website with information on the law as it affects children and young people. Visit: www.lawstuff.org.uk

The Centre for Excellence and Outcomes has produced a summary identifying what works in narrowing the gap in educational achievement and improving emotional resilience for children and young people with additional needs. It is based on a rapid review of recent research literature, involving systematic searching, and an analysis of key data. The review focuses on generic issues to do with service organisation and delivery. Literature on teaching interventions has not been considered.

The government has published details of its plans for creating a 'Big Society' and the Cabinet Office has announced that TeachFirst founder Nat Wei has been appointed as government advisor on the Big Society. Also, Public Agency and Community Empowerment Strategies (PACES) has published The Big Society: How Could it Work? The paper examines the big society idea and the rebalancing of responsibilities and control between government and people. It proposes 22 ways in which Big Society needs to be tweaked in order to achieve its intention of strengthening communities while making services more efficient.