The Government has put Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd and the Cabinet Office in charge of the next phase of cross-government youth policy. It is moving responsibility for youth strategy and policy from the Department for Education.

The new responsibilities will include the statutory duty on local authorities for youth provision in their areas and strategic dialogue with young people and youth sector organisations on youth policy.

This fits with the Cabinet Office’s existing support to young people, including its role co-ordinating business across government, new models of public service delivery, and encouraging more active citizenship. For example, it already has responsibility for National Citizen Service, a programme for 16 and 17 year olds, which focuses on young people taking on new challenges and adventures, learning new skills and contributing to their community.

This week, a campaign to increase the participation of young people in social action was launched by HRH Prince of Wales.The development of this idea was supported by a cross-party review convened by Prime Minister David Cameron. The Government has also published a report on ‘Positive for Youth’ – setting out the progress it has made in placing young people at the heart of decision-making.

The report finds that since the launch of Positive for Youth in December 2011, young people feel a greater sense of ownership, helping make youth services more effective and creating a stronger sense of belonging. The report also shows more young people are participating in youth councils and cabinets, and are playing a greater role in the development of policies.

Edward Timpson, Minister for Children and Families, said: “Positive for Youth set out an ambitious vision for encouraging the whole of government and society to support young people in realising their potential. Over the last 18 months, councils and local and national agencies across the country have been opening the doors to young people and getting them involved, listening to their ideas on how to improve things. The Government will continue to lead by example – improving the way in which we work with young people and giving them give them the tools they need to make a difference.”