Staff left anxious for future after receipt of protective notice letters from Education Authority

January 24th: Unite Regional Officer, Taryn Trainor, who represents the union’s membership in the Youth Service sector called for all Assembly parties to commit themselves to the long-term funding of this vital service:

“Youth Services provide vital outreach to young people, in particular those most ‘at risk’ of social exclusion. There is a particular need for such interventions in our society, where youth service workers engage directly with those most likely to get sucked into anti-social behaviour and inter-communal disputes.

“Workers across the sector recently received protective notice letters warning them that their employment was under threat as a result of uncertainty over continued funding for this vital service.

“While we remain alert as to the threat posed by short-term funding decisions, Unite welcomes the clarification issued by the Education Minister, Peter Weir that he has not proposed to withdraw or reduce funding at this stage.

“It is critical that all Assembly parties commit themselves to the long-term funding of Youth Services. It is not acceptable that workers and service users are left in uncertainty at this time of year when annual funding decisions are up for renewal.

“We urge parties to adopt a long-term approach to investing in our young people, providing job security for staff and a guarantee of continued outreach to those most ‘at risk’”, Ms Trainor finished.