Partners seek local views to shape youth services over the next decade
The Wirral Youth Alliance has launched a borough-wide survey to establish a clear picture of what youth provision exists across Wirral and where support is needed. The initiative, created in partnership with WirralCVS, Wirral Council Youth Services and Together Wirral Churches, invites young people, parents, carers and organisations to feed into planning for services over the coming years.
Alliance members say there is currently no single, comprehensive record of activities, projects and support available to young people in the borough. The new mapping exercise is intended to identify gaps, recognise strong practice and help partners design a more joined-up, sustainable offer for children and young people.
Who is being asked to take part?
The survey is open to young people aged 11–19 and to those up to 25 with additional needs. Local statutory services, voluntary groups and community organisations that deliver youth work are also being asked to complete the survey. A programme of workshops across the summer will make sure young people’s views are central to the work ahead.
- Primary aims: to map existing provision, identify gaps and reach communities currently underserved.
- Participants: young people, parents/carers, statutory services and voluntary providers.
- Timescale: workshops through the summer with a report due towards the end of 2026.
Local organisations joining the effort
Members of the Alliance include a mix of youth clubs, faith groups, charities and council services. Those organisations already involved will help distribute the survey and take part in follow-up workshops that place young people at the heart of decisions.
| Lead partners | Examples of member organisations |
|---|---|
| Wirral Youth Alliance; WirralCVS; Wirral Council Youth Services | The Hive Youth Zone; Equilibrium North West; Shaftesbury Youth Club; WEB Merseyside; Neo Community; Gautby Road Community Centre; Together Wirral Churches Forum; Wirral Youth for Christ |
Adam Mellor, chief executive of Shaftesbury Youth Club and chair of the Wirral Youth Alliance, said the project offers an opportunity to translate the ambitions of the National Youth Strategy into meaningful local action. He emphasised the importance of hearing from young people who do not currently use established youth provision.
“We have an opportunity to turn the ambitions of the National Youth Strategy into meaningful local action that improves young people’s lives over the next ten years,”
Mr Mellor added the survey is a chance to engage those who do not attend places such as The Hive or Shaftesbury so local planning reflects the needs of all communities across the borough.
What the survey will inform
Findings from the mapping exercise will be used to:
- produce a baseline of current youth provision across Wirral;
- highlight communities and demographic groups not currently reached by existing services;
- identify effective practice and opportunities for development;
- inform a long-term, sustainable approach to youth support across the borough.
Workshops are planned over the summer months to ensure young people can contribute directly to the recommendations. A report drawing together survey results and workshop outcomes is expected to be published towards the end of 2026, which partners say will guide strategy and commissioning conversations in the years ahead.
This mapping exercise arrives at a time when many local authorities and voluntary providers are reviewing youth services to secure sustained funding and improve outcomes for young people. By seeking a broad range of voices, the Wirral Youth Alliance hopes to produce a plan that is both practical and rooted in young people’s lived experience.
Local organisations, parents and young people can access the survey and information about the workshops via channels run by Alliance members and Wirral Council Youth Services.
