Youth centre cuts: Warning that wider community will suffer

Youth centres are currently applying for funding from the Education Authority for 2023/24

Youth leaders have warned the wider community will suffer if planned cuts to youth centres go ahead.

Some have told BBC News NI they will have to reduce both the number of staff they employ and the number of nights that centres can open for young people.

The Department of Education (DE) is responsible for youth services but the Education Authority (EA) provides funding for centres.

The EA has been contacted for comment by BBC News NI.

Youth centres are currently applying for funding from the EA for 2023-24.

But EA guidance documents on the "assessment of need" in each council area in Northern Ireland indicates that many are set to get less funding than in 2022-23.

'Major impact'

Stephen Mallett, from North West Youth Services in Londonderry, said many youth centres in the city were facing cuts to their funding - including one of the largest facilities, St Mary's Youth Club in the Creggan area.

According to EA documents, it received £130,000 in 2022-23, but the maximum available funding it and other centres in the area can apply for in 2023-24 is £102,021.

According to the EA's own assessment of multiple deprivation measures, Creggan is one of the most deprived areas in Northern Ireland.

Mr Mallett said the proposed cut in funding would have a major impact on the area.

"St Mary's currently works with in excess of 180 children and young people per day and opens seven days a week," he told BBC News NI.

"Staffing will suffer the brunt of the cuts and the team will be significantly reduced due to the reduction of the budget, which equates to almost a 24% cut.

"If these cuts go ahead, programming will be reduced to four nights a week, and they will have to limit the number of young people attending per session.

"The number who can attend will be almost cut in half because of staff supervision ratios.

"That's going to have a major impact on young people and additionally the wider community will suffer."

Creggan is one of the most deprived areas in Northern Ireland

Mr Mallett said the situation was "currently being replicated right across the region and it is the voluntary youth sector that's facing the bulk of the cuts with statutory services being relatively unscathed".

"North West Youth Services currently administers 76 staff across 10 voluntary youth programmes in the city," he added.

"I've had to tell them that we can't extend their current contracts beyond 31 March so they're facing a very uncertain future."

Stopped rioters

In Belfast, Stephen Hughes is the leader of the St Peter's Immaculata Youth Centre in the lower Falls Road.

Stephen Hughes said St Peter's Immaculata in west Belfast faced losing a quarter of its funding

Youth workers from the club were among those from both sides of the community who tried to keep teenagers away from rioting in west Belfast in Easter 2021.

The EA's own assessment of the Divis and lower Falls area said that there were a number of "social issues" like:

• Anti-social behaviour

• Interface violence

• Poor mental health

• Poverty

"Youth centres have been acknowledged as safe spaces where young people can meet friends and make new friendships," said the EA's assessment.

"Young people recognise the opportunities they can avail of including participation in programmes, access volunteering opportunities and develop employment skills."

But Mr Hughes said St Peter's Immaculata faced losing more than a quarter of its funding.

He said St Peter's had received more than £130,000 from the EA in 2022-23, but the maximum funding available in 2023-24 is £96,823.

'Facing unemployment'

"The reality is that this will result in us reducing the nights that the centre will be open for young people from six nights a week to four," he told BBC News NI.

"We'll see a removal of detached and street-based youth workers, including those who respond to civil unrest.

"This will directly affect young people in our most vulnerable communities."

He explained that the youth club would be limited to 35 young people per night and would exclude many others with additional needs as it would not have safe ratios of staff to admit them.

"It'll also affect summer programmes, removing educational activities for young people during the summer months when they have most free time," he said.

"Some of our staff are also facing unemployment after 31 March 2023 and that affects their mental health as a result of ongoing financial uncertainty."

The Youth Work Alliance, which represents voluntary youth centres across Northern Ireland has also warned that cuts to funding will have a detrimental impact on the lives of young people.

In the recent budget, the Department of Education was told it needed to make significant cuts to its "current spending trajectory".

The EA has also previously warned that it is facing is facing a "serious degree" of financial risk and budget deficit.