The Church Times have picked up some of the debate this week about the proposed cutting of the national youth adviser and national children's adviser posts and the subsequent creation of a "Going for Growth" post (plus consultancy work). I attach the article if you would like to read it and are unable to get a copy of the Church Times.
Some of the argument has centred on this being not in fact a cut .... as it is a worker plus consultancy work which will equal the previous two posts. I'm not sure this argument coheres well, even less so given that examples of potential consultancy work include 'data collection' and 'regional conferences' that would seem to be more efficiently done by regional youth advisers in post.
church Times article re cuts.bmp
Here is a Youtube take on how strongly the feeling on this is:
"The idea that cutting the provision of youth services is ever a true economy – never mind the ethics of it – should be (but isn't always in practice) manifestly indefensible."
You may like to throw this little quote into the mix. Rowan Williams in The Guardian, 5th December 2011, how soon they forget. This is obviously one of those parenthetical practical situations.
What is this Going for Growth nonsense? Where is it available?
Neal,
Good to hear from you. The document itself has some great stuff to say, you'll find it here:
http://www.going4growth.org.uk/downloads/going4growth.pdf
Thank you, will scrutinise.