Community & Social Justice Education & Young People 2025
Youth Focus North West

The Impact of Youth Focus North West in Greater Manchester 2017–2023

Youth Focus North West (YFNW) is a Greater Manchester youth work infrastructure organisation that since 2017 has played a pivotal role in embedding youth voice and youth leadership across the Combined Authority's health, policing and children's services. This independent qualitative impact evaluation covers 2017–2023 and draws on 21 stakeholder interviews, a focus group and survey. Key outcomes include a 60% increase in qualified youth workers through YFNW-facilitated training, adoption of the Lundy Model of Child Participation across GMCA systems, and the establishment of the Greater Manchester Youth Combined Authority — considered the strongest of its kind nationally. YFNW holds seats on major strategic boards and has shifted youth voice from a tokenistic agenda item to a core governance requirement.

View Report
Report snapshot
8 Views

📋About

Facilitation and convening of the Greater Manchester Youth Combined Authority (GMYCA); Young Inspectors programme for health services; Bee Heard mental health youth forum; Greater Manchester Mental Health Youth Board development; Lundy Model of Child Participation training and adoption across GMCA services; workforce development bursaries; Youth Alliance Greater Manchester cross-sector partnership; advocacy on health, policing and children's boards Custom geography from upload: Greater Manchester, UK

📊Key Metrics

70% of surveyed stakeholders agreed that capacity for youth work in terms of knowledge, skills and staff had grown since YFNW increased its presence in 2017 Key Metric 1
All surveyed organisations agreed they now place greater priority on youth voice; 73% attributed this directly to their work with YFNW Key Metric 2
Qualified youth workers in Manchester increased by approximately 60% through YFNW-facilitated Level 2 and 3 training bursaries over the period Key Metric 3

✅Key Outcomes

  • Lundy Model of Child Participation adopted across Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, GMCA Children's Plan and BeeWell survey commissioning — embedding young people's rights into statutory decision-making
  • GMYCA successfully challenged the Combined Authority's proposal to make the Our Pass (16–18 free travel pass) conditional on acceptable behaviour — a direct policy win driven by young people
  • YFNW secured seats on the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Executive, Mental Health Board, Systems Change Board and GM Police Advisory Board — embedding youth voice at the highest strategic levels

📍Geography

North West

Related reports

All Community & Social Justice reports →
2025 Enhanced
World YMCA

World YMCA Annual Report 2025

CHF 3 million+ total programme funding raised in 2025 — a record — with CHF 1.3 million redeployed directly to YMCA National Movements
Key Metric 1
2.5 million people reached through digital skilling initiatives via HP partnership across 30 YMCA partners since 2021
Key Metric 2
37,000 people directly reached per Community Wellbeing project (1.3 million indirectly); 85 new Change Agents enrolled from 44 countries
Key Metric 3
5,000 jobs to be created under Igniting Youth Futures (USD 5.2 million Accenture/Macquarie-funded); 750+ young people already reached at year-end
Community & Social Justice Global
View
2025 Enhanced
Allsorts Youth Project

Allsorts Youth Project Annual Report 2023–24

95 individual young people in under-16s groups; 85 in over-16s groups; 42 in Transformers (trans/non-binary); 114 young people supported through 385 one-to-one sessions
Key Metric 1
149 parents and carers supported across 44 online and in-person groups; 3,500+ participants in training and workshops across 97 sessions
Key Metric 2
96% of young people said Allsorts groups had been of help; 75% said coming to Allsorts improved their overall wellbeing
Key Metric 3
Won Investing in Children's Member of the Year Award for extensive youth voice integration; 100% of Summer Programme participants enjoyed activities
Community & Social Justice Youth Work
View
2024
Bromley Mencap

Bromley Mencap Impact Report 2023–2024

2,499 new referrals (up 298 on previous year); 1,164 members as of 31 March 2024; 6,807 people supported through telephone helpline and professional meetings; £2,407,297 total income
Key Metric 1
£817,000 in welfare benefits secured (up £200,000 on previous year); 442 people supported by Education and Employment Service; 554 young carers supported (up from 437); 170 families received 6,120 hours of Short Breaks support
Key Metric 2
74 Supported Internship students (up 70% over 2 years); 65 people matched with job coaches (up 80%); 541 autistic young adults on Autism Pathway; 607 adults with physical disabilities supported
Key Metric 3
Demand for job coaches up 80% year on year; 25% increase in young carer referrals; 50% increase in leisure activity attendance; Training Centre: all learners achieved nationally recognised qualification credits within first two terms
Community & Social Justice Disability
View