This study explores four key questions:

Estimates of youth work's impact have been drawn from existing published studies. Where data on the long-term impact of youth work is limited, we have made conservative assumptions in the modelling. The methodology and detailed modelling, including a list of studies and assumptions, can be found in the full report.

‍What resources are being spent to deliver youth work?
What are the direct economic benefits and broader social impacts?
What is the return on investment for government spending?
What additional data are required to refine the modelling in the future?

What is youth work

‍Youth work supports a young person’s personal, social, and educational development. It provides a safe place to help young people to:

‍Explore their values, beliefs, ideas, and issues; Develop their voice, influence and place in society; and/ or Learn a set of practical or technical skills/competencies that enable them to realise their full potential.

‍Youth work is delivered by many types of providers, including: national uniformed organisations (e.g. Scouts, Girlguiding), faith-based organisations, local authorities, the voluntary and community sector, and organisations with embedded youth workers (e.g. schools). It also involves a wide range of activities (e.g. open access youth clubs; outdoor learning; creative activities, like theatre and dance; physical activities, like football).

These activities can be considered a means to an end – developing a trusting relationship between a young person and youth worker who can support their personal development – not the end in itself. All youth work aims to ensure that young people are safe and heard, have opportunities to connect to others, and opportunities to explore issues that matter to them, with the support of a trusted adult. Crucially, youth work activities are carried out on young people’s terms.

Youth work can sit alongside, or as part of, many other services specifically for young people (e.g. schools can have embedded youth workers). In addition, many other public services also serve young people (e.g. welfare system). The complexity and interdependency of the system supporting young people, combined with limited data on long-term impacts, make it challenging to attribute outcomes and impacts to particular youth work interventions.

‍Return on investment

‍Our analysis shows that youth work is likely to deliver high value for money for the UK taxpayer, through the positive effects that it has on young people in terms of mental health, wellbeing, education, employment and other areas.

Youth work supports young people with the issues that matter most to them, rather than working in single issue siloes. This leads to benefits on multiple outcomes and helps other services and sectors to become more effective (e.g. by improving the appropriateness of referrals to specialist services).

‍See the report for detail on the benefit¹

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