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09/06/2010

So the Department for Education has reformed and is back in charge of all things to do with young people.  With £670m to be slashed off the budget immediately, we wait to see what Michael Gove and his team will do. 

Some decisions have been swift - ContactPoint and Child Trust Funds are out; numerous quangos scrapped or scaled down.  But Sure Start and 16-19 funding are ringfenced, for the moment at least.

But this is just the start as the plans for David Cameron's Big Society take more shape. For the next 5 months it's apparently now over to us to tell Whitehall where we want the axe to fall, or not, to rein in the massive national debt.

And whilst we ponder this "once-in-a-generation" opportunity to radically change how our money is spent, staff in children's services around the country are focusing on the next generation themselves and the day to day challenge of providing the best possible start for all young people.
 
Take our 3 finalists for Working with Young People in this year's Council Worker of the Year Awards. 

Social Worker Jo Butterworth from Salford is up for helping young people with learning difficulties cope with growing up - particularly the sensitive and difficult issues surrounding sexual health.

Dave Potter from Rochdale has made sure children who are partially sighted don't miss out on the fun of sport, by setting up special bowling teams for visually impaired kids.

And Kate Wyatt of Forest of Dean who's challenged the stereotyping of asbo teenagers to get young people more involved in shaping their own communities from the outset.

How will future of public sector cuts shape up? The debate will run on way past this year.  But certainly the futures of the kids who've been helped by our 2010 finalists have been transformed by their daily work.  Who's made the biggest difference - here's another one for you to decide.  Watch more on all 3 and vote here now.   

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