Youth Matters: What the New National Youth Strategy Means for Young People and Youth Work
On 10 December 2025, the UK Government published Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy — the first dedicated national youth strategy in over a decade. The Youth Matters plan sets out a bold vision to improve outcomes for young people across England and Wales, with a strong focus on skills, wellbeing, opportunity and community involvement.
The strategy recognises the vital role of youth work, mentoring, safeguarding and trusted adults in supporting young people to thrive — particularly those facing disadvantage, harm or exclusion. It also highlights the importance of sustained investment, workforce development and partnership working to ensure young people receive consistent, high-quality support.
At Forward Ever Inclusive Education, our work supporting young people through mentoring, safeguarding training and professional development aligns closely with the aims and priorities set out in Youth Matters. We welcome this renewed focus on youth services and the increased recognition of the essential role that trained adults and youth organisations play in helping young people reach their full potential.
What the Strategy Says
The strategy has been developed in collaboration with more than 14,000 young people and sets out how Government, local authorities, charities, and community partners will work together over the next decade to:
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- Support young people to have skills and opportunities to succeed in life.
- Increase access to trusted adults, youth work, and safe places for young people to engage with their communities.
- Strengthen youth work standards, training pathways, and support for professionals and volunteers working with young people.
The strategy emphasises three key shifts: delivering support locally, working collaboratively, and empowering young people to shape the decisions that affect their lives. This approach recognises that young people are more connected than ever, yet often feel isolated and unheard, and that investment in youth services, places to go and trusted adults can make a meaningful difference.
A Renewed Focus on Youth Work and Trusted Adults
The strategy places strong emphasis on:
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- Access to safe spaces and trusted adults
- Strengthening youth work and mentoring
- Improving training, standards and support for professionals working with young people
- Supporting early intervention, prevention and wellbeing
- Listening to young people’s voices and lived experience
These priorities reflect what youth organisations and communities have long known: young people are best supported when adults around them are trained, consistent and able to build meaningful, trusting relationships.
Why This Matters
For many years, youth work and youth services have faced significant funding pressures. Local youth centres have closed, roles have been cut, and vital prevention and support services have been diminished. The new strategy seeks to reverse this trend by backing youth services with sustained investment and clearer standards for the workforce.
Importantly, the strategy recognises that adults who support young people – whether through mentoring, youth work, safeguarding or training – are central to long-term positive outcomes. By strengthening training, qualifications and support for professionals and volunteers, this approach aims to ensure that young people get the consistent, high-quality guidance they deserve.
This aligns directly with the work we do at Forward Ever Education, where we provide mentoring and deliver accredited training programmes on safeguarding, youth mentoring and trauma-informed practice. We know that well-trained adults make a real difference in young people’s lives — from helping them feel safe and supported to enabling them to build confidence, resilience and opportunity.
A Message from David Willians, CEO of Forward Ever Inclusive Education
Having worked within the Youth & Community sector in the UK in excess of three decades I have seen many transformations of the services that endeavour to support young people. Like many other professionals in the sector I witnessed the devastating impact funding cuts had on a cross section of young people including looked after children, children in care, young people with a range of additional needs, young people in the youth justice system and young people in general.
These ridiculously deep cuts to the sector’s funding left skeletal to non-existent budgets resulting in youth space closures, reductions in staff and a decimation of youth services nationally. Young people were left with limited brave spaces to congregate, limited activities and minimal support. With advancements in technology that enable children and young people to access excessive amounts of information in unhealthy ways and the increase in poor mental health; the need for effective youth services, youth mentoring programmes and appropriately trained staff could not be greater.
As an organisation we welcome the new strategy and will support its implementation in any way we can. We remain committed to creating brave spaces for young people, equipping professionals working in the sector with essential knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet the needs of young people and advising organisations on the most effective approaches to engaging with young people.
What This Means for the Youth Sector
The publication of Youth Matters has been widely welcomed by charities and youth organisations across the country as an important step in recognising the value and impact of youth work after many years of underinvestment. For too long, youth services have been required to do more with fewer resources — limiting capacity, increasing pressure on staff and volunteers, and leaving some young people without the consistent support they need.
By acknowledging the importance of youth work and committing to improved funding, infrastructure and long-term planning, the strategy marks a significant shift in how youth services are valued at both local and national levels. It creates new opportunities to strengthen delivery, expand provision and improve access to support for young people across communities.
Crucially, Youth Matters also places strong emphasis on training, qualifications and workforce development. By prioritising the skills, wellbeing and support of the professionals and volunteers working with young people, the strategy provides a clear roadmap for delivering safe, effective and trauma-informed practice — strengthening outcomes for young people and building more resilient youth services for the future.
How Forward Ever Education’s Work Aligns with the Strategy
Forward Ever Education exists to support young people and the adults who work with them. Our work aligns closely with the priorities outlined in Youth Matters.
Youth Mentoring and Direct Support
We provide 1–1 youth mentoring support for young people who need additional guidance, stability and advocacy. Mentoring is tailored to the individual needs of the young person and focuses on building confidence, resilience, accountability and positive relationships.
Young people can be referred to our mentoring support through:
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- Schools and education settings
- Police and youth justice services
- Social services and foster agencies
- Other professionals working with young people
- Parents, carers and families
Mentoring relationships are grounded in safeguarding, trauma-informed practice and a deep understanding of the challenges young people face in their communities.
🔗 Learn more about our mentoring service
Training the Youth Workforce
Alongside direct work with young people, we deliver professional training and CPD to those working across education, youth services, social care and community organisations.
Our training supports the strategy’s focus on workforce development and includes:
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- Safeguarding young people
- Youth mentoring fundamentals
- Trauma-informed approaches
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
- Prevent and contextual safeguarding
- Managing behaviour that challenges
Training is available online, remotely facilitated, or in person, making it accessible to organisations with limited time and resources.
🔗 Learn more about our training and courses:
Programmes, Projects and Community-Based Delivery
Our projects and programmes are designed to respond to real needs identified by young people and the professionals supporting them. We work collaboratively with partners across education, justice, health and community sectors to deliver impactful, locally informed support.
🔗 Explore our projects and programmes
Supporting the Delivery of Youth Matters
The ambition outlined in Youth Matters will require strong collaboration between government, local authorities, charities and community organisations. For this strategy to succeed, delivery must be rooted in lived experience, safeguarding excellence and trusted relationships with young people. Forward Ever Inclusive Education is committed to playing its part — by supporting young people through mentoring, strengthening the skills and confidence of professionals, and contributing to a youth sector that is better resourced, better trained and better equipped to meet young people’s needs.
Looking Ahead
Young people deserve access to high-quality support, safe spaces to grow and opportunities to shape their communities. The ambition outlined in Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy represents a significant moment for the youth sector — and for organisations like ours committed to empowering young people and the adults who support them. Forward Ever Inclusive Education is ready to play its part in helping to deliver these goals through training, mentoring and capacity building that meets the needs of young people and professionals across the country.
Get Involved and Find Out More
If you work with young people, are supporting a young person who may benefit from mentoring, or are interested in youth work training, we’d welcome a conversation. You can also stay up to date with developments around Youth Matters and its implementation by signing up to our mailing list or connecting with us on social media.
To learn more about Forward Ever Education and how we work, explore the links below: