Snapshot NSW Youth Sector 2020

The youth sector in NSW is committed to working with young people and delivers important services that assist young people to achieve social, economic and cultural participation and wellbeing. However, the sector is increasingly under strain to support the growing numbers of young people experiencing crisis. Current resourcing is not sufficient to meet the persistent and growing demand for services. These services intervene at a critical point in the lives of young people and we risk losing a generation of young people who are at the centre of key structural changes in society if they can not access opportunities and help at the right time. Those who work in the sector call for new policy approaches to address the drivers of homelessness, mental health concerns, and learning and working in a changing world. The data reported here shows that the youth sector workforce is committed, skilled and effective at working with young people who are in need. The report shows that young people seek out youth services and want help to address basic and unmet needs. Workers report that their work makes a positive difference to the young people they work with, although there are misconceptions about the practice, value and impact of youth work as a profession. Those working in the sector highlight there is a need to improve the understanding and value of the NSW youth sector and more can be done to conceptualise and monitor the impact and change the sector contributes to in the short and long term.