Children and teenagers in Nottingham are set to get wider access to youth workers, practical guidance and enrichment activities as part of a major expansion of youth support across the city.
The plans will place 40 Youth and Development Workers in neighbourhoods, schools, community spaces and street-based settings, giving young people more ways to reach trusted adults close to home. Nottingham City Council says the wider offer will sit alongside a new enrichment programme covering music, arts, sport and leadership opportunities.
The work forms part of a wider £7.6 million frontline services investment focused on supporting residents and communities during cost-of-living pressure and improving access to help where it is most needed.
Forty youth workers across neighbourhoods
The expanded youth provision is designed to bring support into the places where young people already spend time, rather than relying only on formal appointments or central services.
Youth and Development Workers will operate across Nottingham neighbourhoods, with activity based in community venues, schools and on the streets. The council says the aim is to help young people access support when they need it and in settings that feel familiar.
The offer is expected to include guidance from trusted adults, help with confidence and wellbeing, careers advice, practical support and safe activities in local community settings. For families, that could mean easier access to early help before problems become more serious.
Street-based and neighbourhood youth work can also give services a clearer picture of what young people are experiencing locally, including barriers linked to poverty, school attendance, safety, isolation or lack of affordable activities.
Music, sport, arts and leadership access
Alongside the youth worker expansion, the Nottingham enrichment programme will increase access to activities that are often harder for children from lower-income households to join.
The first phase is expected to support more than 1,000 children and young people. The programme will focus on three main areas: music opportunities across the city, a new leadership programme for children and young people, and wider awareness of arts, sports and other enrichment activities through schools, families and community partners.
The music element will include support during key transition points in education, when children can lose access to activities because of changes in school, timetable, transport or family finances.
The leadership programme is intended to help young people develop confidence, skills and aspirations. The council says the wider enrichment offer will work with schools, community organisations and delivery partners to remove financial and practical barriers that stop some children taking part.
Those barriers can include fees, equipment, travel, lack of information, or families not knowing which opportunities are available locally. The programme will initially focus on children and young people least likely to engage in enrichment activities.
Families least likely to access activities will be targeted first
The council’s stated aim is to create more equal access to opportunities that can support wellbeing, school attendance, attainment and future plans.
For parents and carers, the practical impact will depend on how the rollout is shaped in each neighbourhood and school. The council says activity will be tailored to the needs of local communities, meaning provision may vary by area depending on existing youth services, school partnerships and local demand.
The approach also reflects a wider shift towards placing frontline support closer to residents. In youth services, that can mean earlier conversations with young people who may not otherwise ask for help, and more routes into positive activities before disengagement becomes entrenched.
The enrichment programme will also build on Nottingham’s existing network of cultural, community and educational partners. That could include organisations already delivering music, sport, arts or youth development work, although specific delivery partners have not yet been listed in the source announcement.
Rollout planned over the coming months
Councillor Linda Woodings, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said the investment was aimed at expanding trusted support and practical help close to home.
“We’re expanding youth support across our communities so that more young people can access trusted adults, practical help and positive opportunities close to home,” she said.
She added that music, sport, arts and leadership activities could help children build confidence, develop skills and raise aspirations.
The expanded youth provision and Nottingham enrichment programme will be rolled out over the coming months. Activity will be shaped with schools, community organisations and delivery partners across the city, with the first phase expected to reach more than 1,000 children and young people.
Source: Nottingham City Council
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This report is based on Nottingham City Council's published announcement and keeps the figures, roles and rollout details within the stated source material.
- Confirmed the planned number of Youth and Development Workers as 40.
- Checked that the wider investment figure is stated as £7.6 million for frontline services.
- Verified that the enrichment programme is expected to support more than 1,000 children and...
- Checked that the rollout is described as taking place over the coming months across Nottin...
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- Nottingham City Council
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- Nottingham
- Updated
- 2026-06-03 18:12
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