During the course of the inquiry, the committee identified several key issues that needed urgent and radical action by the Welsh Government. These were a lack of strategic direction and leadership from the Welsh Government, the sector and young people not being sufficiently involved in developing policies, and the need for greater collaboration between the statutory and voluntary sectors to make the most of scarce resource. Deputy Presiding Officer, an area of major concern was in the balancing act that local authorities faced funding open-access services and targeted interventions for specific groups who require additional support. We were told that the diversion of funding to target young people who are not in education, employment or training has posed a serious risk to open-access services. We also heard that this shift fundamentally undermines the principle that young people’s engagement with youth services must be based on their own choice rather than a requirement that is placed upon them.

Contributors to our inquiry also expressed concern that the impact of the reduction in funding is being felt disproportionately by certain groups of young people. One example that was cited by many contributors was the impact on Welsh language provision. We felt strongly that the Minister must address the need for more strategic and joint working between the statutory and voluntary sectors. We feel this is a significant barrier to delivering a universal youth work offer. It is also preventing the best use of increasingly scarce resources.

I was pleased to see that the Minister has already committed to refreshing the statutory guidance in place and, in doing so, undertaking a review of the current strategy. It is also welcome that the Welsh Government will develop and publish a detailed action plan by March 2017. The committee was clear that an action plan is necessary to translate the high-level policy ambitions into reality. Deputy Presiding Officer, an updated youth work strategy is a step in the right direction, and I hope it will create the much-needed framework for local authorities and the third sector to work together effectively. This will be a major step towards creating the service that our young people are entitled to.

As part of developing that common purpose for youth service delivery, the committee recommended the Minister develop a national model for youth work. We heard compelling evidence making the case for a national model to drive forward youth work policy and implementation. This is something we believe would create greater collaboration, reduce duplication and enable better workforce development opportunities. The Minister has responded positively to this key recommendation, and we look forward to hearing further detail as plans develop as part of the refresh of the national guidance.

Members recognised the importance of localism in designing services around the needs of communities, and we are confident this would achievable while striving for greater consistency. In the vein of driving greater collaboration, the committee were eager to see an effective mapping exercise taking place to understand where gaps in provision occur. We hope Welsh Government will further consider the use of local sufficiency assessments taking place at local authority level and informing the national approach. Making sure that all young people in Wales are able to access well-resourced youth services is crucial to support them to reach their full potential.

I want to conclude with a striking comment from a young person, who told us:

‘There should be more of them across Wales. Need more money to grow more services—too many being cut by councils. Not all my friends can attend them as they live in the sticks. Youth workers are amazing and they really help us—they are life-savers.’

I think you will agree that this makes the need for radical change all the more real. In closing my statement today, I would just like to thank again the huge numbers of young people who took the time to respond to our survey. Members were so moved by the enormous contribution made by people who work in youth services across Wales. I very much look forward to Members’ contributions this afternoon and to revisiting this vital issue regularly with the committee in the course of this Assembly. Thank you.