Organization for Youth Education & Development (OYED)

Laws Concerning Youth in the United Kingdom

Laws Concerning Youth in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom, comprised of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, puts significant emphasis on the promotion of youth empowerment. All four countries have recently developed new youth work strategies; in England this has been underpinned by recent legislation. The United Kingdom does not have a single written Constitution, the last is drawn from a multiplicity of written documents, legislations, binding precedents, so on and so forth.

With regards to legislation aimed at youth empowerment, one may find general Acts and Orders that focus on this topic. For example, The Education Act of 1996 placed a statutory duty on local authorities to provide youth services for young people. Similarly, Section 507B of the 2006 Education and Inspections Act placed responsibility on local authorities to secure young people’s access to positive activities and facilities for them. 

In addition, it is worth noting that although the Parliament of the United Kingdom does not have a Ministry of Youth, the Parliament devolves youth issues through the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in England, the Department of Education and Lifelong Learning in Scotland, the Department for Children and Lifelong Learning and Skills in Wales, and through the Department of Education in Northern Ireland.

Changes to government departments in June 2007 meant that for the first time, all policy regarding youth are being brought together in one department. Moreover, the UK manages other national public bodies which are in turn directly concerned with the development and implementation of youth policies. These include, but are not exclusive to; the Department of Culture, the Department of Work and Pensions, the Department for Communities and Local Government as well as the Home Office.

The UK does not have any sort of parliament commission in charge of Youth Issues. Nonetheless, there is an intrinsic and tight framework of youth welfare services which comprises a variety of both public and private actors. The majority of work aimed at the empowerment of young people is provided by the voluntary sector which obtains funding from the government. For example, the youth service provides opportunities for all young people in the target age of 13-19, and for targeted groups in the 11-13 and 19-25 age range, to develop personal and social skills. The youth service is a complex network of providers including community groups, voluntary organizations and local authorities. As explicated by the briefing on British youth policy provided by the global youth policy database, the vital diversity of the different providers of youth services is underpinned by having a shared set of youth work values in place.

The data below comprises highlighted binding legislations such as Acts, Regulations and Orders intended at empowering the young people of the United Kingdom.


2013

  • 2013 No. 1721 The Transfer of Functions (Youth Leisure time activities) Order
    This Order was made under Section 1 of the Ministers of Crown Act 1975. It transfers certain functions relating to local authorities’ duty to secure leisure-time activities for young persons, from the Secretary of State to the Minister for the Cabinet Office. Promote the well-being of persons aged 13-19 (and persons aged up to 25 with learning difficulties) by securing access to sufficient educational and recreational leisure-time activities, so far as is reasonably practicable.

2010

  • 2010 c. 9 Child Poverty Act
    The Secretary of State must, as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of the 2010 target year and in any event not later than 30 June 2012, lay before Parliament a report on whether the 2010 target has been met.

2009

  • 2009 c. 22 Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act
    An Act to make provisions about apprenticeships, education, training and children's services; to amend the Employment Rights Act 1996; to establish the Young People's Learning Agency for England, the office of Chief Executive of Skills Funding, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation and the School Support Staff Negotiating Body, and to make provisions about those bodies and that office; to make provisions about the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; to make provisions about schools and institutions within the further education sector; to make provisions about student loans; and for connected purposes.

2006

  • 2006 No. 2804 (W. 243)  The Youth and Community Work Education and Training Regulation
    It prescribes education and training provided by, or on behalf of, an institution within the higher education sector in Wales for the purpose of enabling persons to become youth and community workers, or as further training for persons who are youth and community workers. The effect of the prescription is that this kind of education and training is brought within the remit of the Chief Inspector under section 75 of the 2000 Act.

2004

  • 2004 c 31 Children Act
    Amongst other characteristics, the Act places a duty on local authorities to make arrangements through which key agencies cooperate to improve the well-being of children and young people, and widen services’ powers to pool budgets in support of this
  • 2004 no. 2101 The Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) (Student Accommodation) Amendment Order
    This Order amends the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) Order 1997 and the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) (Scotland) Order 1997, which confer on rent officers functions in relation to the determination of eligible rent for the purposes of claims for housing benefit under Part VII of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992. This Order amends the definition of “assured tenancy” in each of the 1997 Orders to include, within that definition, tenancies granted to students, in particular by educational institutions, so that a rent officer may take account of rent levels in student accommodation when making determinations for the purposes of those Orders. A full regulatory impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as it has no impact on the costs of business.
  • 2004 No. 1708 The Social Security (Students and Income-Related Benefits) Regulation
    The income-related benefits regulations are amended to increase the amounts of grant and loan income to be disregarded in respect of travel costs and the cost of books and equipment (regulation 2). Regulation 3 amends the income-related benefits regulations to disregard payments made to any student as part of his grant income, in respect of child care costs of a dependant child. Regulations 4 to 6 amend the income-related benefits regulations to disregard from the calculation of income or certain capital payments made under certain legislation to a person taking part in secondary or further education.
  • 2004 No. 1658 The Education (Grants For Disabled Postgraduate Students) Regulation
    Regulations are amended so that it no longer excludes from grant eligibility students who are in receipt of any allowance, bursary or award of similar description from the British Academy (regulation 6). Consequential amendments are made to paragraphs (1) and (7) of regulation 2 (regulation 5). Regulation 9(2) is amended to increase the maximum level of grants from £5,370 to £5,500.
  • 2004 No.709 W.76 The Care Council For Wales (Specification of Student Social Workers) Order
    This Order specifies student social workers for the purposes of section 56 of the Care Standards Act 2000. Section 56 requires the Care Council for Wales to maintain a register of social workers and social care workers of any other description specified by the National Assembly for Wales by order.

2003

  • 2003 No. 1701 The Social Security Amendment (Students and Income-Related Benefits) Regulations
    A regulation to extend the time period within which a person may make an application for the repayment of Class 2 contributions, from December 31st to January 31st following the end of the relevant tax year.

2001

  • 2001 asp 6 Education (Graduate Endowment and Student Support) Scotland Act
    An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provisions for the payment by certain persons of the graduate endowment; to make provisions in relation to the use of income arising from the graduate endowment for the purposes of the financial support of students; to make further provisions as respects financial support for students; and to make provisions exempting students from liability for council tax.

2000

  • 2000 No. 1411 The National Minimum Wage (Increase In Development Rate for Young Workers)
    These regulations, which came into force on June 1st 2000, increase the minimum hourly rate of the national minimum wage applying to young workers who have reached 18 but are not yet 22, from £3.00 to £3.20. The regulations contain a transitional provision in which the increased rate applies in relation to all pay reference periods beginning on or after June 1st 2000.
  •  2000 asp. 8 Education and Training (Scotland) Act
    An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provisions for the payment of grants in relation to the education and training of certain individuals.

1998

  • 1998 c. 30 Teaching and Higher Education Act
    An Act to make provisions for the establishment of General Teaching Councils for England and Wales and with respect to the registration, qualifications and training of teachers and the inspection of such training; to make new provisions with respect to grants and loans to students in higher or further education and fees payable by them; to make provisions to the funding of higher education institutions and certain further education, and other matters relating to further and higher education institutions; to enable the higher and further education funding councils in Scotland to discharge certain functions jointly; to enable young persons to have time off work for study or training; to make provisions with respect to the inspection of training and careers services provided in pursuance of arrangements or directions under the Employment and Training Act 1973; to provide that the Scottish Further Education Funding Council shall be a relevant body for the purposes of section 19(5) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and for connected purposes.