Every secondary school in England will have the opportunity to establish a community sports club, as part of a new strategy to encourage young people to play sport for life, Liberal Democrat Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced today.

The move is a key part of a £1 billion, five-year youth and community sport strategy that will deliver on Lord Coe’s 2012 Games bid promise to inspire a generation to get involved in sport. The funding is predominantly from the lottery with £200 million being exchequer funding.

“We need a radical change in policy to address the deep-seated problem of people dropping out of sport when they leave school,” said Mr Hunt. “Our bold approach will see money going to organisations that deliver on youth participation, but also withdrawn quickly from those which fail to meet agreed objectives.”

Ensuring long term sports participation

Delivered by Sport England, the strategy will see new school-based sports clubs established with links to sports’ national governing bodies.

•£100 million will be invested in creating the clubs and tackling the drop-off in sports participation that can happen when young people leave school. Of this, £50 million will be invested to boost sport provision at further education colleges and universities

•The funding will also provide a full-time sports professional within at least 150 further education colleges, to drive forward innovative sports provision

•Around £450 million will go to sports governing bodies between 2013 and 2017 for their whole sport plans

•Around 60% will benefit young people aged 14-25 so that sports are completely focussed on helping to drive a sporting habit for life. The remaining 40 per cent will be aimed at the rest of the population. Funding to governing bodies will be on a payments-by-results basis with sports that fail to deliver putting their public funding at risk

School Games investment

The UK’s Olympic and Paralympic sporting legacy was also given a huge boost today when Sainsbury’s pledged a £10 million package to support the new School Games Competition over the next four years. A further £14 million from the Department of Health and £8 million from Sport England will extend funding for School Games organisers from two to four years (up to 2015).

Sponsorship from adidas means that the 1,600 young athletes will also be provided with sports kit. Sainsbury’s recently announced David Beckham as its new Active Kids programme ambassador.

Further information

•Sports strategy news release and publication

•See photos from the launch event in our flickr photostream

•Sainsbury’s £10 million School Games investment news release

•About the School Games

•Jeremy Hunt’s speech

•Written Ministerial Statement

Four major groups representing British businesses have given their support to the Youth Contract, a £1billion scheme launched by Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to get young people earning or learning.

Support for the plan to tackle youth unemployment comes from The Confederation of British Industry, British Chambers of Commerce, British Retail Consortium and Federation of Small Businesses, who will also urge their members to back the initiative.

Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government are determined to tackle the growing problem of youth unemployment, which Nick Clegg described as “an economic waste and a slow burn disaster”. The aim of the Youth Contract is to ensure that all jobless young people are earning or learning again before long-term damage is done. Over three years, the Youth Contract will provide at least 410,000 new work places for 18 to 24-year-olds into work.

The Youth Contract includes:

• 160,000 wage subsidies and 250,000 new work experience placements.

• There will be at least 20,000 more incentive payments to encourage employers to take on young apprentices.

•There will be a new programme to help the most disengaged 16 and 17-year-olds – getting them back to school or college, onto an apprenticeship or into a job with training.

Nick Clegg said:

“Supporting people into work is my priority for 2012 and helping young people get proper, lasting jobs is especially important.

“The Youth Contract will make sure every unemployed young person starts earning or learning again before long term damage is done, but government can’t do this alone, we need businesses to play their part too. That’s why the support of the Confederation of British Industry, British Chambers of Commerce, British Retail Consortium and Federation of Small Businesses is such good news.”

The Deputy Prime Minister is hosting a roundtable discussion with business leaders, including senior representatives from some of the UK’s top businesses including Marks and Spencer, John Lewis, BT and Asda, to hear from them about how they offer young people work, training and apprenticeships in their organisations and discuss the Youth Contract.

Nick Clegg will also launch a new website – dwp.gov.uk/youth-contract for employers across Britain to sign up to the Youth Contract.

CBI Director-General, John Cridland, said:

“The Youth Contract is good news for young people up and down the country. It will encourage firms to give a young inexperienced person a chance so that the scourge of youth unemployment can be tackled.

“We sincerely hope that employers of all sizes looking to hire staff will see the Youth Contract as a real incentive to invest in our young people.”

Dr Adam Marshall, Director of Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

“Youth unemployment is a huge challenge for Government and business alike. Firms up and down the country are concerned about the record numbers of young people currently out of work, and tell us they are ready to do their bit.

“That’s why we warmly welcome the Youth Contract, which will help growing businesses offer more young people real jobs and work experience. We will work closely with the Government to ensure that these initiatives help to overcome the obstacles that stop young people and potential employers from connecting.”

Director General of the British Retail Consortium, Stephen Robertson, said:

“Nearly a million young people are employed by retailers in the UK and they’re keen to take on even more. The sector employs a quarter of all 20 to 24 year olds who are in work and the proportions are even higher for teenagers. Retail also has an excellent record on staff development and is one of the highest spending sectors on training per employee.

“The Government’s focus on helping young people into work and training has the potential to make a real and very welcome contribution to reducing youth unemployment. There needs to be an accompanying set of initiatives to drive growth which will help create new jobs for people of all ages.”

Mike Cherry, Policy Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses, said:

“Youth unemployment continues to be a major problem and so we welcome the Government’s Youth Contract initiative. Small businesses want to create jobs but need help overcoming the risks associated with taking on staff, especially in the current climate. We also need to see enterprise education in schools and colleges so that young people are given the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in the world of work.”

Interim figures released by the University and College Admissions Service suggest that school leavers have not been put off applying to university by the introduction of higher tuition fees this year, although this might not apply to older students.

From October, English universities will be allowed to charge undergraduates from the UK and European Union up to £9,000 a year to, compared to the previous limmit of £3,375. The increase caused widespread concern that poorer students in particular would be discouraged from applying for university.

The Ucas figures show that the number of British 18-year-olds who have already applied to university for 2012 is 2.4% lower than the figure for last year, but according to official population projections, this figure is roughly equal to the demographic fall in the number of people in that age bracket.

The interim Ucas figures account for the number of applications received by mid-December and they should improve by January 15, which is the deadline for most courses.

Mary Curnock Cook, Ucas chief executive, said:

“Evidence of a late surge … is now emerging.”

“Applicants are taking longer to research their choices but the applications flow has speeded up, as these statistics show. It remains too early to make predictions about the final year on year figures but we will be able to get a clearer picture after the deadline has passed.”

Previous rises in the level of fees have not had a long term effect on the number of application, with prospective students continuing to apply in increasing numbers.

While the application rate for younger students appears to be stable, the number of applications from mature students from the UK and abroad has fallen by 13%. This has reduced the overall volume of applications by 6.4%, and the number of non-EU applicants, who are not affected by the new rates of fees, is 13.3%.

Les Ebdon, chair of the Million+ universities think-tank, and vice-chancellor of Bedfordshire university, said:

“Ministers need to launch a campaign to ensure that older students understand the [student] loan system and the opportunities available.”

“A failure to do so will overshadow the success the government has had in persuading younger applicants that university remains one of the best career moves that they can make.”

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This month the fostering team has been awarded full marks in all aspects of their service. Ofsted inspectors gave North East Lincolnshire Council an overall ‘Outstanding’ rating, awarding top marks in each of their individual inspection criteria

In their report Ofsted inspectors praised the high quality of care that local foster carers provide to the children they look after, noting how outcomes for these children are generally very good. They praised local carers for making sure that the children in their care grow up emotionally strong and able to lead fulfilling lives.

The report reads:

“Young people benefit from an outstanding service that improves their life chances. Young people have access to excellent health services, which means that all of them, in particular children and young people with complex health needs, develop stable and improved health. Young people say they feel safe and the service takes its safeguarding role seriously so that young people are protected effectively from harm.”

Inspectors also praised the fostering team for helping young people to find these safe, secure and loving homes and for the support they offer foster carers.

Children in care can sometimes come from difficult backgrounds and may have challenging needs and behaviours. Foster parents can have a profound effect on a child’s life. A loving, safe and secure home, with clearly defined boundaries, can provide the perfect environment for a fostered child to find their own identity and mature in to a happy and successful adult.

Ofsted also commented: “Positive relationships, trust and respect developed between carers and young people provide an excellent foundation that enables young people to talk to carers about any of their concerns or worries. Carers are trained in safeguarding children and young people, they take their role very seriously and communicate with the fostering service should concerns arise. Young people benefit from carers who understand and carry out their responsibilities to keep them safe and well.”

Fostering is just one of the three council services that recently achieved an ‘Outstanding’ rating for their work to support vulnerable children. Earlier this year the Adoption service and Cromwell House (which offers respite and residential care to children with disabilities and additional needs) both received similar glowing reports following their own inspections.

During an inspection Ofsted examine a number of different criteria. All three of these services received full ‘Outstanding’ marks in all of Ofsted’s inspection criteria and this achievement puts them amongst the best of the best in the United Kingdom. It is incredibly rare for a service to receive top marks across the board like this.

The council is dedicated to making sure that all of our children and young people have the same chances in life. Everyone should be able to grow up in a secure and loving environment. A well supported foster family can make all the difference to someone’s life.

It isn’t every day that three services manage to wow Ofsted like this, but it perfectly illustrates how determined our staff are to make a real difference in our community. It’s a fantastic success story for the local area and I’m keen to see us continue to do our best for the most vulnerable members of North East Lincolnshire.

The fostering team is always looking for new people to become foster carers. If you feel you have the patience and compassion to support a child or young person, contact the team for some informal advice on: (01472) 325545

If your children receive or have received Free School Meals the Children’s Society want to hear from you.

As a result of an overhaul of the welfare system, the eligibility criteria for receipt of Free School Meals is currently being reconsidered by the government.

In order to feed in to the development of a new system The Children’s Society want to hear from parents of families who are (or have previously been) entitled to Free School Meals.

The Children’sSociety want to hear about your expeiences and views about creating a new system – regardless of whether you took up your entitlement or not.

Free School Meals currently provide a crucial form of support for children in a large number of low income families, ensuring that around one million children receive a nutritious lunchtime meal.

However, receipt of Free School Meals is currently beset by stigma, and many children in low income families are not entitled to receive this support because their parents are in work.

If you are a parent whose children are or were entitled to Free School Meals, we would be extremely grateful if you could complete our online survey.

The government is set to announce that up to half a million more children from disadvantaged backgrounds will benefit from the pupil premium.

The premium of £488 per child is given to schools in addition to their main funding.

At present the pupil premium only applies to children who are currently receiving free school meals, but in future anyone who has been registered for free meals in the past six years will be eligible.

The children’s minister said it would help schools tackle inequality.

The pupil premium was a key part of the Liberal Democrats’ last general election manifesto, and was adopted by the Conservatives when they entered coalition.

The government said it was increasing the availability because research shows that children who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in their school career had consistently lower educational attainment than those who never have been eligible.

It also said secondary school pupils were less likely than those at primary level to be registered for free meals even when they were eligible, and those children would be picked up by the new approach.

Children’s Minister Sarah Teather said:

“In a fair society, it is the government’s responsibility to close the gulf in achievement, where the poorest children are less likely to leave school with five good GCSEs than their less-deprived classmates.

“[The pupil premium] will help schools tackle the inequalities that have been a part of our state system for far too long. Thousands of children will finally be getting the extra support they need to succeed.”

Ms Teather will also tell Parliament on Monday how much the pupil premium will be increased to in 2012-13 as well as the total amount that will be allocated.

Total funding for the scheme in 2011-12 is £625m and is due to rise to £2.5bn a year by 2014-15.

Latest research carried out by The Children’s Society reveals that 100,000 children in the UK run away from home or care every year, which is the equivalent of one child every five minutes.

More than a quarter of these children has been the victim of a harmful or dangerous experience.

For more information about The Children’s Society’s Make Runaways Safe campaign please visit www.makerunawayssafe.org.uk.

The Children’s Society has commented on the Government’s Missing Children and Adult’s strategy which was published today (Dec 5th)

The Policy Director for the Children’s Society, Enver Solomon, said:

“The Government is to be commended for shining a light on an issue which, in most local areas, is given too little attention despite the massive scale of the problem. Hundreds of children go missing or run from home or care every day across the country. Yet way too often their behaviour is ignored or considered to be a nuisance, rather than a cry for help.

“The Government is now sending a clear message to all professionals that this is unacceptable. It is clear that every time a child runs away they should be protected and their families given the help they need to make sure it doesn’t happen again and again.

“The Children’s Society is campaigning for a national safety net for child runaways. This strategic framework is telling local authorities and the police very clearly that they need to provide this safety net. There are examples of where this is being done very well in some parts of the country. But The Children’s Society knows from its own work that there needs to be a step change in culture and approaches.

“When a child goes missing this must be seen as a priority child protection issue by everybody who works with children. To make this a reality the new strategy must be translated into meaningful action in every police force and every local authority.”

Liberal Democrat MEP for South East England Catherine Bearder, welcomed news the Chocolate maker Nestlé will work with the Fair Labour Association to clamp down on child workers on cocoa farms supplying its factories.

Nestlé is one of the world’s biggest cocoa buyers, but company bosses have acknowledged their slow progress on eliminating child labour.

Executive Vice President Jose Lopez said:

“Child labour has no place in our supply chain. We cannot solve the problem on our own, but by working with a partner like the Fair Labour Association we can make sure our efforts to address it are targeted where they are needed most.”

The European Parliament is working towards a new international cocoa agreement, which aims to regulate the industry, and moves are also being made to address the problem of child labour in cocoa fields as part of the agreement.

Catherine Bearder said:

“This is good news. Nestlé is waking up to the fact more needs to be done to stop the use of child labour in its supply chain. We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to child exploitation.”

The FLA will start work on stamping out child labour in Ivory Coast in January and will receive funding from Nestlé for the project.

Last year Catherine Bearder called on the European Commission to stop human trafficking in the West Africa cocoa industry. She also wanted to make sure children were not being used on farms in countries such as Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Catherine Bearder added:

“The EU is doing great work to try and stop exploitative child labour. But we also need to deal with the problem of child trafficking at the same time, otherwise children will continue to be exploited.”

For the first time the Princes Trust TEAM Programme will be delivered in Grimsby and nine local young people are lucky enough to be taking part.

The programme, delivered at Peaks Lane Fire Station, is helping students to build self confidence, motivation and the skills needed to gain an education, training placement or employment as well as offering them an opportunity to recognise their own learning whilst gaining a nationally recognised qualification.

The team of nine, aged 17 – 26, will coordinate a community project to redesign the Princes Trust classroom to open it as venue for other local community groups to use, raising the funds themselves. They will also take part in team building activities and work placements.

The qualification, delivered in partnership with Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, is a 12 week personal development programme that aims to re-engages young people and encourages them to think about their future.

In final week of the programme, which will take place in December at Grimsby Town Football Club, the team will deliver a presentation where each member will speak about their experiences throughout the programme to members of the community, family and friends and potential employers.

Rich Fowler, Team Leader from Humberside Fire and Rescue Service said:

“These young people have come together from a range of diverse backgrounds to complete this intensive work-based learning programme and have so far excelled in all areas. This is the first time this type of programme has been introduced in Grimsby and we hope to build upon its success with two further programmes in 2012.”