Young Solutions Worcestershire is a new breed of charity.
We are enterprising, commercially astute and passionate about ‘Keeping Young People Safe and Involved’.
Our aim is to ensure the safety and involvement of young people in Worcestershire, we do this through engaging them through a variety of initiatives and projects, allowing them to share their vulnerabilities and circumstances.
We find that young people feel most vulnerable when unemployed, therefore we tackle youth unemployment in across the county through bridging the gap between ‘for profit’ and ‘not for profit’.
Involving all young people and tackling youth unemployment requires a holistic approach and demands joint endeavour. We will work towards drawing together the qualities and resources of all – be they private, public or voluntary.
As a local infrastructure charity, we support voluntary and community groups in the area, helping to foster relationships, communication and collaboration.
Our History
Formerly known as the Worcestershire Council for Voluntary Youth Service (WCVYS), we are the voluntary youth infrastructure for the county.
The WCVYS was established as a charity in 1998, following the division of Hereford and Worcestershire into two separate counties, becoming a company limited by guarantee in 2008.
Between its creation in 1998 and 2006, the organisation was at times purely volunteer-run and at other times was supported by paid staff.
Following the appointment of a paid manager in 2006 and the successful tendering for the vInspired volunteering project in 2008, the organisation underwent considerable growth.
As a result of government spending reviews, in 2011 the WCVYS lost a large proportion of its revenue budget and underwent substantial contraction.
Thanks to the work of the team who implemented a number of significant changes and helped to refocus our activities, we gradually restored our levels of activity and were re-named and re-branded as ‘Young Solutions Worcestershire’ in July 2015.
Our Services
Our passion is to ensure that young people in Worcestershire are a safe and that they are listened to.
We are committed to supporting the development of professional, high quality and skilled staff and volunteers across children’s and youth work. To achieve this, we have a variety of services at your disposal.
Advice and Support
Benefit from our expertise including best practice, safeguarding and fundraising.
Development of new groups
Our staff will meet with you, local young people and adults to assist in the formation of a new group.
Local forums
We facilitate and host regular meetings and online groups, offering support, information and networking opportunities.
Professional support
We offer a wide range of support for trustees, management committees and workers around: recruitment and selection; policies and procedures; non line-management supervision.
Creative programmes
We take a fresh-thinking approach to develop engaging programmes
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
We can help our members make safer staffing decisions. Learn more about our DBS.
Representation and Advocacy
We represent the views of children, young people and those that work with them in a range of strategic and decision-making forums.
Grants and Funding
Financial support may be available to support your organisation. See what opportunities exist now.
Our People
We are proud to have a great team of people at the helm of our organisation, steering us to success and helping us to achieve our aims.
Pete Sugg
Chief Executive
Pete Sugg our Chief Officer joined Young Solutions in 2017 having previously had 33 years’ experience in public service in both the voluntary and Public Sector including Redditch YMCA and Worcestershire County Council. Pete has a plethora of experience across the children and young peoples sector in Worcestershire and has a particular interest in disabilities and working with marginalised groups.
Simon Hill
Chair of Trustees
Simon is the Youth Officer for the Diocese of Worcester, assisting churches across Worcestershire and Dudley as to develop youth programs for communities, through training, resourcing and support. I have over 20 years of youth work experience and still deliver face-to-face youth sessions as a volunteer within local churches.
Geoff Taylor-Smith
Treasurer
Geoff has been a trustee of Young Solutions for over 10 years and is currently the Treasurer. As a former senior manager of youth and community work in the voluntary and statutory sectors, he continues to support better outcomes for young people in Worcestershire.
John Duddington
Finance
Gareth Roberts
Trustee
Having worked with young people all his adult life, Gareth is brings a wide range of experience. For a number of years I was the West Midlands Regional Officer for the Scout Association. Part of that role involved work in Hereford & Worcestershire and the start of WCVYS, the predecessor of Young Solutions. My last professional role was as CEO of Blackwell Adventure, an outdoor activity centre near Bromsgrove.
Phil Ashwell
Steve Tominski
Trustee
With a career in the youth service, Steve qualified as a youth worker in 1974, sitting on various management committees, and training panels, as well as mentoring youth workers in training. Steve was also a partnership development worker for the Redditch district, supporting the statutory and voluntary youth groups in area. For over 20 years, he has worked as a volunteer for Friday Fun Club , a youth group for young people with additional needs.
Duncan Berry
Trustee
Duncan spent twenty-three years in commerce in a number of different sectors before moving to the voluntary sector for the past sixteen years, fourteen of which were with YMCA in Worcestershire and the last two with the National Council of YMCAs.
Michael Hunter
Trustee
After over 20 years Michael stepped down as Chairman at the AGM in 2021. He continues to focus his time on Worcestershire strategic partnerships as a voice of the sector including Safeguarding Children Partnership, Children and Young People’s Partnership, Safeguarding Adults Board and Voices.
Administration Team
Our small administration team are kept busy in our Droitwich office. From processing DBS checks to editing the newsletter, the team are on hand to support our project staff, trustees and members at Young Solutions.
Sarah Whitehead
Seek and Reach Co-Ordinator
I am the Seek and Reach Co-ordinator and manage a team of five Key Worker who cover the whole of Worcestershire. I have worked with young people for over 20 years, starting out as a Further Education Teaching Assistant and then going onto gaining a BA Certificate in FE Teaching (14-19 years). I have worked on three European Social Funded projects over the last six years and have always had a passion for supporting the hardest to reach and most vulnerable young people.
Our Members
Our members are very important to us and to the voluntary sector in Worcestershire, and we value everything they do for young people in the county.
Our members come in all shapes and sizes; from very small organisations run entirely by volunteers through to large charities.
No matter the organisation, our members all have one thing in common – their dedication and passion for working with young people, and we are proud to support them.
To join us and become a member, see our membership page.
Our Clients
Over recent years, we have enjoyed sharing our knowledge, guidance and expertise with a variety of clients.
Here is a look at just some of the clients we have had the pleasure of working with.
We have provided assistance on fundraising, contracting and outcomes to:
Worcester Action for Youth; Top Barn, Worcester; Broadway Youth Club; The Lounge, Alvechurch; What’s Your Point, Redditch; Speak Easy Now; Tribe, Malvern.
We have provided assistance on empowering and involving young people to:
Trinity School, Redditch; Baxter College. Kidderminster; South Bromsgrove High School; Regency School, Worcester.
We have provided safeguarding advice, training and auditing to:
Perdiswell Young People’s Leisure Club; Ourside Youth Association; Bewdley Youth Café; Friday Fun Club, Redditch; Dodford Children’s Farm; Kemp Hospice.
Discover More
Become a Member
Discover the benefits of Young Solutions’ affordable membership and sign up now.
Read more
Our Projects
We deliver a variety of projects across Worcestershire with other voluntary, statutory or private sector organisations focusing Youth Unemployment, Youth Engagements and Volunteering & Inclusion.
Learn more
In an Emergency
What to do if you have concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a child or young person.
Read more