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Introduction

Bobby Kennedy said

"the world’s hope .... is to rely on youth. The cruelties and obstacles of this swiftly changing planet will not yield to obsolete dogmas and outworn slogans. .... It demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease."

If I am elected First Minister in May 2007 I will lead a government that spends its time focusing on the positive contribution that young people make. We must devote more energy to developing and helping young people – not demonising and blaming them.

I will lead a government that invests in all our young people, starting with our youngest children and continuing as they progress through school into training and work. There is no investment that is more important to our nation’s future.

I will lead a government that does more for young people: capturing their imagination, sparking their enthusiasm, giving them a voice, listening to their views, getting them involved. If we can inspire young people, give them the creativity and the confidence to challenge what they see and to dream great things, then they will have the power to influence their own lives, their own futures.

Positive proposals

If I am elected First Minister in May, for the first time in Scottish history a government will bring forward a piece of legislation to guarantee a positive role for young people; to give them the power and influence to get things done for their own lives and their communities.

That’s why I am publishing this consultation paper today. A paper that will become a flagship piece of legislation brought forward by my government, lodged with Parliament in June 2007. It will include a range of policies aimed at helping our young people to achieve their potential, to become more creative and entrepreneurial, to give them real power and to offer them new, exciting opportunities.

We think young people matter - do you?

That is my pledge to the young people of Scotland and to their parents and grandparents. This consultation paper sets out in more detail what the Bill will involve.

We think that young people matter.

The group targeted by the Bill

There are more than 1 million young people under the age of 18 in Scotland and a further half a million between the ages of 18 and 26. Together they make up just under a third of the population of Scotland yet their voices are not often heard. The media portrayal of young people is too often as the problem facing society. Yet they offer the solutions to the problems we face.

Scotland competes in a global economy. Our million under 18s in face stiff competition from the 100 million in America, the 300 million in China and the half a billion in India. As a small nation we cannot afford to lose the potential of even one young person.

In 2005 there were 54,386 babies born in Scotland. By the end of the term of the next Parliament they will be in their first or second year of primary school. That is why the Scottish Liberal Democrats are proposing radical new action on early years education to give our children the best possible start. Our plans for early years education will be set out in full in our manifesto.

This consultation paper is, therefore, primarily about young people rather than our youngest children. These are the people who will benefit immediately from the Future of Scotland Bill. They will pave the way so that by the time the 54,000 born in 2005 are officially ‘young people’, they will have stronger rights, be more involved in decision making, have greater access to activities, leisure, learning and better opportunities in life.

Policy Objectives of the Bill

The Future of Scotland Bill will introduce a number of measures and changes to make Scotland better for young people. The overarching objective of the Bill is to improve the lives of young people in Scotland and ensure that their place in Scotland’s future is valued and recognised.

The Bill has three objectives:

1. To ensure that young people have genuine access to power and a clear set of rights
2. To ensure that there is sufficient provision at national and local level to guarantee the proper representation of young people and to co-ordinate policy
3. To ensure that young people have genuine access to a range of core services and activities designed to improve their lives and help them to meet their potential.

Consultation

A copy of this consultation paper will be sent to all the main children’s and young people’s groups, including the Scottish Youth Parliament and the Scottish Children’s Commissioner, ahead of the Scottish Parliament elections.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats will ensure that following the election, the government launches a major engagement exercise with young people themselves and key stakeholders to discuss the proposals for the Future of Scotland Bill. It is vital that young people themselves are given the chance to shape these policies so that they are relevant and make a real positive difference to their lives.

This Bill must ‘belong’ to young people across Scotland. It must deliver policies which are for them, not done to them. There must be a strong role for the Scottish Youth Parliament in debating and considering the draft Bill. Additional resources will be made available to key youth groups and agencies to facilitate the wider engagement needed with young people across Scotland.

Furthermore, engagement must not end with the start of the parliamentary process. This Bill will be unique in that it will progress through two parliaments at the same time – the Scottish Youth Parliament will be given support to continue its scrutiny of the plans all the way through the process. This should include joint evidence and question sessions between members of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Youth Parliament committees. The views of the Scottish Youth Parliament will carry considerable weight in the consideration of this Bill.

Part 1 – Rights to Decision Making

Involving young people in decision-making should begin at an early age and should continue throughout, and in every sphere, of their lives. This right to be involved in decision making and to have genuine access to power must be entrenched in all levels of the community and of government. Young people across Scotland must have the opportunity to influence the decisions that affect them in their schools, their communities and at a national level.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
The Bill will require an Annual Report to the Scottish Parliament from the Minister for Young People and the Children’s Commissioner for Scotland on how the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is being implemented in Scotland. The Scottish Executive will be required to produce an Annual Report on the wellbeing of children in Scotland which compares our performance to nations across the world, measured against the Index of Child Wellbeing. This will include a report on progress made implementing the measures in the Future of Scotland Bill.

Children’s Rights Impact Assessment

Pending the successful conclusion of a consultation on the matter, the government will introduce Children’s Rights Impact Assessment requiring the Executive to present to the Scottish Parliament an assessment of how new legislative and policy decisions impact on the rights and wellbeing of children across Scotland.

Pupil Councils

In order that children and young people have a say in the things that affect them from an early age, there should be a pupil council in every school. The Bill will introduce a statutory duty on local authorities to ensure that a pupil council operates in every school, unless, by a vote of pupils at that school, young people themselves decide they do not want one.

Youth Councils

Youth Councils with real powers of scrutiny over the council activities that affect young people most should be established in every council area. The Bill will introduce a statutory requirement for local authorities to establish and fund at least one Youth Council in their council area. This will also require the local authority to agree a youth engagement strategy with the Youth Council to ensure the widest possible engagement with young people using innovative new techniques. Local authorities will be encouraged to develop Youth Forums across the council area to gauge the views of young people in all parts of the authority area.

The Bill will also consult on the options to give Youth Councils specific powers of scrutiny. This could include a right for a representative of the youth council to sit as an ex-officio member of the relevant Children’s Services Committee or equivalent. We will also consult on the need for a requirement to demonstrate the full involvement of the Youth Council in decisions.

We will make it a requirement for local authorities to actively involve young people in the development of the Children’s Services Plans that direct so much of a council’s approach to children and young people. And we will also issue guidance on the active participation of young people in Community Planning Partnerships giving Youth Councils the right to participate in their local Partnership.

Votes at 16

The Scottish Parliament does not have the power to lower the voting age for Scottish Parliament and council elections to 16, but the Scottish Liberal Democrats are committed to make strong representations to Westminster to amend the Scotland Act to give the Scottish Parliament the power to change the voting age.

Quangos & NDPBs

The Bill will introduce a new duty on all government agencies and NDPBs to engage with and consult young people where their activities have an impact on young people’s rights and wellbeing. This will be backed up by guidance on new models of involving young people. Boards and Accountable Officers will be required to demonstrate in their Annual Reports how they have actively engaged with young people and have put plans in place to broaden the age structure of boards, including training and support for young members.

Scottish Youth Parliament

The Scottish Youth Parliament is continually developing as an organisation and a forum for young people to have a say. The next step in its development is to increase its funding and role in the wider legislative process. Funding will be committed to allow the SYP to increase its activity and work towards nationwide elections. We will ensure that the Scottish Youth Parliament is consulted on Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive decisions relating to young people.

We will consult on the options for giving the SYP a more formal role in the work of the Scottish Parliament and Executive including:
giving the SYP the power to request the attendance of Executive Ministers on a quarterly basis to answer questions in front of the SYP or its committees.
a formal route for the SYP to introduce up to 1 Bill (sponsored by a committee or MSP) in each parliamentary session.

Part 2 – Rights to Youth Work Opportunities and Activities

Duties to support youth work services

We want to make youth work provision a greater political priority. We will consult on the effectiveness of a new statutory duty on Ministers and on local authorities to support youth work provision, both directly and in full partnership with the voluntary sector, to a defined minimum standard. We want to expand provision to the point where every young person who wants to can access high quality and regular youth work activities. It is vital that organisations are helped to spread good practice across Scotland.

The expansion of youth work opportunities and activities must be supported by additional central resources, directed both to Local Authorities and through the main national providers. The duty on Ministers and Local Authorities could include minimum requirements relating to the availability of a range of services to meet local young people’s needs, the quality of premises and the need to ensure the provision of adequate training support.

Support for Youth Work

We will work with the national voluntary sector organisations, with local authorities and young people’s groups to develop and implement the new National Youth Work Strategy. This will be supported by a duty on Local Authorities to encourage Local Youth Work networks and other non bureaucratic arrangements. We will bring together all those with an active interest in youth work to ensure that the voice of youth organisations and of young people is effectively heard in local community planning mechanisms.

Building the Capacity of the Voluntary Youth Work Sector

We will work to build the capacity of the voluntary sector to provide more youth work opportunities and activities. We want to focus particularly in areas which are currently poorly served to build the recruitment, training and support of volunteers.

Super youth clubs

We will pilot three ‘super youth club’ facilities to establish large scale youth facilities covering a wide catchment area, providing a wide range of activities and youth services that are beyond traditional youth facilities.

Turning schools into genuine community hubs
Our increasingly new and refurbished schools offer the perfect opportunity for new and exciting leisure opportunities in all parts of Scotland. The New Community Schools project has now been mainstreamed, however it is important that it continues to receive the required priority. We will consult on the need for local authorities to publish plans to increase significantly the use of school facilities in their area at evenings and weekends over the term of the next Scottish Parliament.

Outdoor activity

A great many young people grow up in an urban environment with no experience of gardens, wild areas or farmland. Yet opportunities for outdoor activities are known for their contribution to personal development, team building, social skills, practical problem-solving and self esteem. Every young person in Scotland will be entitled to two weeks of outdoor activity during their time at secondary school, allowing them to learn new skills and better understand their environment.

Leisure opportunities

The Bill will introduce new funding to support local schemes that reduce the cost of sport and leisure access for young people. Projects aimed at increasing use of leisure facilities during school holidays will be prioritised. As part of this scheme and our commitment to make Scotland a science nation, charges for young people to access Scotland’s science centres will be removed.

Support for sports clubs

We will make the required legislative changes to herald a sports club revolution in Scotland. In order to build capacity in the sector, local authorities will be assessed on how they contribute to the development of sports clubs, rather than just facilities. We will encourage the development of sustainable sports clubs, rather than just teams, including multi-sport and age group clubs, run on democratic principles and ensuring the representation and involvement of young people at all levels.

We will provide additional support to sports clubs who increase their work with schools to provide further physical activity opportunities. This will include sport in the PE curriculum and extra-curricular activities to meet a new long term target for every child to get 1 hour of physical activity every day. We will amend the legislation relating to the transfer of assets to community ownership so that in those cases where the community can manage sporting assets effectively, there is no disincentive to do so.

Young Opportunity Fund

The Bill will require the Scottish Executive to ensure that adequate provision is made for a new Young Opportunity Fund. This Fund will provide new investment to ensure that every local authority area in Scotland has at least one YouthBank. These YouthBanks will be run by young people for young people and will provide small grants to fund their good ideas - whether they are more youth cafes, skateparks, buying new sports equipment, improving leisure activities, or other local improvements and small projects. This pledge will help give young people a real say in what happens in their communities for the benefit of everyone.

Amend the Anti Social Behaviour Act

A recent Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration report stated that “a lack of structured leisure activities was cited in social work reports as a factor contributing to offending behaviour for 59% of the sample.”

That’s why the Bill will bring forward important amendments to the Anti-Social Behaviour Act. We will strengthen the requirement to ensure that adequate alternative facilities are provided and that approaches such as greater use of ‘outreach’ youth workers are among the first attempts to deal with problems of anti social behaviour. This will involve a higher level of funding for successful alternative activities such as midnight football, basketball leagues, youth cafes and other innovative approaches.

The Bill will also ensure that young people are closely involved in the development of local anti social behaviour strategies and will update the ASB Act to integrate the work done by local authorities on local ASB strategies with the new National Youth Work Strategy. We will consult on whether this is best achieved through a network of local youth work partnerships in each local authority area.

International trips

In the modern world, an international perspective for our young people is more important than ever. Scotland has a responsibility to ensure that all young people have the opportunity to visit a foreign country before they leave school. The Bill will place a duty on local authorities to ensure that every young person is given the opportunity of at least one overseas trip during their secondary schooling.

Guidance will be provided to local authorities on achieving this entitlement through working with youth work organisations, expanding international youth exchange visits, building on existing school trips, and twinning youth services with overseas partners. We will make additional financial support available to ensure that young people from low income households also have this opportunity.

Youth and International co-operation

Government agencies will be asked to build links with international partners in order to develop opportunities for young people in Scotland to work in international organisations. A new unit within Project Scotland will be established to manage this programme of student exchanges as part of an overall expansion to Project Scotland.

We will support the 2-day world youth assembly held prior to the Civicus World Assembly including training and support for young people from Scotland to play their part on this world stage.

Support for volunteering

We will support volunteering in all its forms to encourage ongoing activity as well as one off gap year projects. We will introduce a new national youth leadership programme to train tomorrow’s leaders today backed up by a new national centre for youth leadership.

Youth Community Enterprises

The Bill will also pave the way for the introduction of Youth Community Enterprises - a new form of non profit distributing business to include young people in a wide range of community activities. We will consult on changes that can be made to public procurement to support the development of YCEs in providing services to local authorities.

Increased research on young people’s issues

The Bill will require greater research into issues facing young people including pathways into education, training and employment. This will include further research on the outcomes for young people leaving school.

Abolition of graduate endowment

Scottish Liberal Democrats in government have already delivered the abolition of tuition fees and the reintroduction of grants. The next step for student funding is to take further action to reduce the burden of debt for young people and ensure that fear of debt is not a barrier to an excellent education. We will ensure that Scottish graduates no longer have to pay the graduate endowment and will maintain the fund that supports those students in most need through maintenance grants and bursaries.

Conclusion

These proposals form the core of the Scottish Liberal Democrat agenda for young people. When we launch our fully costed manifesto we will also publish details of the financial package to implement its provisions. However our full manifesto will contain further commitments not listed here including support for looked after children, the children’s health agenda, and education reforms.

Please send us any comments you have on the proposals for the Future of Scotland Bill to: brightfuture@scotlibdems.org.uk