Minute of the YouthLink Scotland Policy Forum meeting held on Tuesday 25th October 2016, Rosebery House
ATTENDANCE
Name / Organisation
Fraser Falconer / Chair
Bob Payne / Vice Chair
Roseanna Macdonald / Scottish Youth Parliament
Brandi Lee Lough Donnell / LGBT Youth Scotland
Jim Devoy / Police Scotland
Vicky Wilson / Fife Council
Emily Beever / YouthLink Scotland
Joe Wilson / Facilitator, YouthLink Scotland Board Member
Apologies
Bridie Ashrowan / Co-Opted Member
Mark Meechan / Falkirk Council
Alison Telfer / Dumfries and Galloway Council
Alistair Macintosh / Fire Scotland
1 / Welcome
Joe welcomed everyone to the annual review meeting.
2 / Policy Forum – Annual Review and Reflections
Brief reminder of the Terms of Reference and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Responding to consultations
  • It would be useful for the Policy Forum to know in advance which consultations were coming up.
  • The group membership needs to grow in order to fill member knowledge gaps, e.g. youth work in schools
  • The group discussed options for digital spaces for allowing wider consultation and discussion with members. Suggestions included using Office 365 functions, a platform like Citizen Space, Basecamp, and Chatter.
Benefits of Policy Forum
  • Police Scotland find membership of the PF useful for improving practice and giving youth work insights.
  • Contributions and links with Fire Scotland around Solihull Approach have been useful.
  • Value of PF is discussion on policy in relation to youth work sector, as opposed to children’s sector. Opportunities arise from this information sharing and collaboration.
  • Another positive is disseminating ideas to sector. Potential for influencing agenda e.g. with teenage brain work.
  • Collaboration at national level is critical for partnership working. Recreating this at local level could improve services and use scarce resources more efficiently.
Improving Communications from PF
  • The group could improve visibility on social media by having a hashtag where members could share thoughts between meetings.
  • Possibility of moving meetings around the country to encourage more diverse membership.
  • Digital space open for discussions is possibility e.g. similar to Scottish Government Knowledge Hub for GIRFEC.
  • Discussion about whether the name ‘Policy Forum’ puts potential new members off joining. Agreement to discuss again once new members recruited. Could be solved with a clear tagline.
Recruitment of New Members
The key sectors new members could be recruited from include:
  • Health
  • Looked after young people
  • Equalities
  • Youth work in schools
  • Youth work practitioners
  • LAYWM network
  • Island/rural communities
  • UK-wide organisations
  • Academics
  • Young people
Key Challenges for PF
  • Expanding membership
  • Communication to wider sector
  • Opening up meetings/general discussions
  • Balancing blue sky thinking and practical work

3 / Themes for 2017
The group reviewed the suggestions for 2017 meetings. It was agreed that a short survey will be circulated to young people (via SYP, LGBT Youth Scotland and others where possible) and youth work practitioners about the topics they would like the Policy Forum to cover.
It was agreed that the relevant UNCRC articles will be noted on future agendas and Equality will be a standing item for each meeting. This will be complemented by asking each contributor to explain how their work furthers the UNCRC and equality.
Provisional themes:
18th January – Health and Wellbeing
  • This meeting will also include a training session for new members.
  • Update on EU/international youth work
  • Input on gender recognition for young people
30th March – Refugee Young People and Loneliness/Social Isolation
  • This meeting will take place in Glasgow
25th May – Year of Young People 2018 and National Youth Work Strategy
Further meeting topics will be decided with new members in relation to survey results.
4 / Minute of Previous Meeting held on 25th August 2016
The minute of the last meeting was approved as an accurate record.
Business Arising
Play Report – Fraser showed the group the printed copies of Playing Together, which will be launched at the Play Scotland AGM on 24th November.
Child’s Rights – The Recognising and Realising Children’s Rights toolkit to be launched at YouthLink Scotland AGM on 23rd November.
Consultations
Social Security in Scotland 28th October
Standards in Schools 2nd November
Impact of Brexit on Higher Education (Erasmus+) 2nd November
Education Governance 6th January
5 / Youth Work Changes Lives Manifesto Monitoring
  • The Policy Forum briefly discussed and updated the YWCL Monitoring framework.
  • There was a discussion on how the PF can ensure it is furthering areas in the monitoring.

6 / Dates of Next Meetings
  • 18th January 2017
  • 30th March 2017
  • 25th May 2017
  • 24th August 2017
  • 26th October 2017