Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has established a ratio for youth worker to young people to deliver safe services.

There are no statutorily defined supervision ratios for youth work. Youth work is varied, with many factors regarding the group and programme influencing appropriate provision in any area.

DCMS funds the National Youth Agency to support the youth workforce to deliver safe services, through setting professional standards, qualifications and a curriculum for youth work. The funding has supported a national safeguarding hub, which provides bespoke safeguarding training, resources, tools and advice and increased the number of qualified youth workers, boosting the number of professionals able to support and safeguard young people.

The Department for Education also published guidance in October 2020 aimed at enhancing safeguarding for children attending out-of-school settings, which includes youth clubs.