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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.

Report snapshot
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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

Key Metric 1 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 2 All surveyed organisations agreed they now place greater priority on youth voice; 73% attributed this directly to their work with YFNW
Key Metric 3 Qualified youth workers in Manchester increased by approximately 60% through YFNW-facilitated Level 2 and 3 training bursaries over the period

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

Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
8,033 children, adults and families affected by a disappearance helped in 2022/23
Key Metric 2
35,064 TextSafe® messages sent to missing children and adults; 2,960 Suicide Risk TextSafe® messages to high-risk individuals
Key Metric 3
40% of Lost Contact tracing cases successfully resolved; 1,000+ multi-agency professionals trained
30th anniversary year: over 10 years and £10 million raised by players of People's Postcode Lottery for Missing People's services
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
CHF 3 million+ total programme funding raised in 2025 — a record — with CHF 1.3 million redeployed directly to YMCA National Movements
Key Metric 2
2.5 million people reached through digital skilling initiatives via HP partnership across 30 YMCA partners since 2021
Key Metric 3
37,000 people directly reached per Community Wellbeing project (1.3 million indirectly); 85 new Change Agents enrolled from 44 countries
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
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
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 2
149 parents and carers supported across 44 online and in-person groups; 3,500+ participants in training and workshops across 97 sessions
Key Metric 3
96% of young people said Allsorts groups had been of help; 75% said coming to Allsorts improved their overall wellbeing
Won Investing in Children's Member of the Year Award for extensive youth voice integration; 100% of Summer Programme participants enjoyed activities
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
33,600+ people directly supported; 52,000+ indirectly supported (2025)
Key Metric 2
£19.6M raised in fundraising income, up £3.4M on 2024
Key Metric 3
352 socially isolated people supported by community outreach (up 11%)
97% of caseworking enquiries received tailored intervention; 95% beneficiary satisfaction