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 | Policy |
Our policies and opinions are formed from our face-to-face work with young women and the research we conduct. We respond to government consultations to help change national policy to benefit young women. Here are some of our views:
YWCA updates calls for changes to the national minimum wage
YWCA has updated our calls for changes to the national minimum wage that will benefit young women. Read the new document here.
YWCA response to the youth crime action plan
The criminal justice system is often designed for men and lets young women down. YWCA wants to make sure that young womens needs are considered so we
responded to the new youth crime action plan.
YWCA response to a consultation on the draft apprenticeships bill
YWCAs More than one rung campaign looked at young women going into apprenticeships. The government is now drafting a bill to make apprenticeships work. We gave them feedback and called for more to tackle inequality. Read our response here.
YWCA responds to the Welsh Assembly Government's inquiry into the Parenting Action Plan
The National Assembly for Wales' Children and Young People Committee is holding an inquiry into the Welsh Assembly Government's Parenting Action Plan which was published in 2005. The Plan sought to make sure that parents in Wales got the advice and support they need. The committee wanted evidence on what works and what doesn't. This is our response.
YWCA responds to youth alcohol action plan
The Government wants to tackle youth binge drinking and the associated problem, like crime, that are linked to it. YWCA delivers a number of successful projects that reduce alcohol abuse and we wanted to tell government about them, and make sure young women were considered in the proposals. This is our response.
Reducing the number of young people in Wales not in employment, education or training (NEET)
YWCA works with the most disadvantaged young women including many who are NEET. We are able to offer the Welsh government useful solutions to supporting NEET young women back into employment and education. Read our response here.
Appendix 1: Challenging gender stereotypes
Appendix 1: Herio ystrydebau rhyw am waith
Low Pay Commission (LPC) looks at apprenticeships and national minimum wage
At the moment apprenticeships are exempt from the national mnimum wage. In England, apprentices must get paid a minimum of 80.00 but in Wales there is no minimum. We think both are too low and that this has to change. We have been talking to the LPC about this. Read our response here.
Promoting achievement
The government is planning a new strategy to change education qualifications. This will have an impact on Apprenticeships and the basic level one skills YWCA provides. This is our response.
Participatory budgeting
YWCA supports new proposals to introduce participatory budgeting but we want to make sure disadvantaged young women get a say. Read our response to the CLG participatory budgeting here.
Raising expectations: enabling the system to deliver
The government is proposing changes to the Learning and Skills Council and the way education is funded. YWCA wants to build strong partnerships and make sure young women get the best from these changes.
Read our response here.
Community Cohesion
The government is looking in depth into community cohesion and how community groups should be funded. We want to make sure that any funding changes do not have a negative impact on the most disadvantaged young women.
Read our response to communities and local government consultation on community cohesion funding here.
Improving skills in Wales
The Welsh Assembly Government is writing a strategy to improve people's skills in Wales. YWCA wants to be sure that young women benefit from this. Here's what we told them. to the Government's strategy.
Please read these appendices alongside the above document:
Apprenticeships review
The Government wants apprenticeships to be one of the main educational options for people aged 16 to 18. They plan to make many more apprenticeships places available. YWCA is keen to see this work for disadvantaged young women, so as part of our More than one rung campaign we have written a response to the Government's strategy.
Please read these appendices along side our response:
Young women offenders
YWCA works with young women to help reduce the risk of offending and re-offending. Much of this work is with the National Offender Management Service. They are developing an action plan for working with third sector organisations like us. Read our response here.
Local Strategic Partnerships
YWCA centres work with Local Strategic Partnerships to make sure young women have a voice. Here we respond to a consultation about how to make those working relationships better.
The Government is proposing changes to education and skills legislation through a new Bill. YWCA wants to see these proposals working for the most disadvantaged young women, especially when it comes to careers advice and guidance. Read our submission to the Education and Skills Bill Committee here.
Young mums and education
The education and skills agenda is changing. We want to make sure young mums get the best deal out of the changes. Here is a briefing on their needs.
Staying safe
The Government wants to make sure children and young people are safe and that communities take responsibility their safety. YWCA looked at the specific needs of young women and responded to the governments consultation here.
Support not sanctions: our response to 'In work better off'
YWCA is very concerned about proposals to reduce lone parents entitlement to Income Support when their youngest child is aged 12 and eventually 7. This fails to recognise the very valuable caring responsibilities of lone parents, which can increase as children enter youth. We feel these punitive measures serve to stigmatise lone parents, over 90% of who are female. Read why we think support, not sanctions is the way to go.
TUC Commission on vulnerable employment
We have responded to a consultation run by the TUC Commission on vulnerable employment. Earlier in 2007, the Commission investigated the causes of, and solutions to, unfair treatment at work in the UK. Here is what we said.
Response to Work and Pensions Committee
We responded to the Work and Pensions Committee inquiry into alleviating deprivation, improving social mobility and eradicating child poverty here.
Low pay commission
Read what we recommended to them here.
Priorites for women
We have recently responded to the Women's Ministers consultation on priorities for women. Here's what we said.
Reviewing discrimination law
The Government is reviewing our existing equality legislative framework. They are now proposing a Single Equality Act (SEA) covering all equality issues. YWCA wants to make sure gender is high on the agenda. Here is our response.
Skills for girls
The Leitch Implementation Plan, published iN july 2007 announced a number of initiatives to give people greater choice over their learning. Read our response to World Class Skills: Implementing the Leitch Review of Skills in England.
Let's make it work for girls
Read our response to House of Commons Education and Skills Committee report into Post 16 Skills.
Work, skills and training
We have written this memo to the Parliamentary Education and Skills Select Committee asking them to consider how girls from poor communities get careers advice, guidance and work experience.
Raising expectations
Here is YWCA's response to the DfES consultation Raising expectations on education for people over the age of 16. We want better careers advice and guidance, financial support for training and education and to target the most excluded and disadvantaged young women.
Why we are women-only
We work with girls and women aged 11 to 30. This is the age range where there is greatest need and where we can make the greatest difference. Read this information sheet to discover why we only work with girls and young women.
Quality standards for information, advice and guidance
Read a summary of our response to the DfES consultation on quality standards for information, advice and guidance for young people.
Women and Work
The Trade and Industry Select Committee is deciding how to implement the Women and Work Commission recommendations. YWCA has responded to make sure the needs of young women are considered. Read our response here.
Low pay and minimum wage
Read our response to The Low Pay Commission consultation on the National Minimum Wage here.
Women and Work Commission’s report
YWCA welcomes the Government’s action plan in response to the Women and Work Commission’s report. However, YWCA calls for more attention to the specialist support needs of disadvantaged young women. Read a summary of our response here.
Welfare reforms not fair for disabled young women
YWCA have joined 26 other organisations, with an interest in the welfare of children, young people and disabled people, to express their concern about a particular element of the welfare reform green paper. Read our letter of response here.
Getting equal
YWCA has responded to Getting Equal: Proposals to outlaw sexual orientation discrimination on the grounds of goods and service. We believe that people should have equal protection from discrimination on grounds of their sexual orientation as they are afforded for their race or gender. Read our full response here.
Equalities review
The Government have been asking: What does equality mean and how do we measure it?
Which groups of people are experiencing the most inequality, and What do we need to do about it? Their review says that becoming a mother is an experience in a woman’s life that often triggers inequality and we agree, but we are very concerned that young motherhood has not been singled out as a very important trigger for inequality. Read our response here.
Women's Budget Group
YWCA fed into the Women's Budget Group response to the Budget 2006. Read the response here.
YWCA response to Welfare Reform Green Paper
YWCA welcomes measures to increase support available to lone mothers who want to enter work, including a network of extended schools and children’s centres to help with childcare. But we are concerned that the Work-Related Activity Premium is a sign of ‘creeping compulsion’ to enter work.
Read our full response here and a summary of it here.
YWCA response to promoting gender equality
We reponded to a government consultation proposing that the public sector has duty to promote gender equality. Read our response here
Youth Matters
Read a summary of YWCA's response to the government's consultation on the future of youth services. We ask that young women's unique needs are not overlooked. After all, we think young women matter.
YWCA response to the consultation on the content of 2011 census
We responded to the recent consultation on the content of the 2011 census. We want to make sure that that sexual orientation is included and ethnicity would include Gypsy and Traveller people. Read our response here
What young women want from government
In the run up to the 2005 General Election, we asked young women what they would like the new government to do for them. Read about what young women want here.
Paying the price - prostitution
YWCA responded to the Government's call for ideas to tackle prostitution and the harmful practices associated with it. We believe that young women who are selling sex need support to protect their health and safety, help them to find ways to leave prostitution, escape violence, get off drugs and get education, training and employment.
Click here to download a pdf of what we believe
Women and work
YWCA responded to the new Women and Work Commission's call for evidence about the impact gender has on education, training and employment.
Click here to download a pdf of YWCAs views
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