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BYouth Young People's Service
In Barnsley, we want every young person to achieve their full potential and enjoy a bright future. Byouth Young People’s Service, supports young people through education, learning and into adulthood by providing personal and social development opportunities.
We deliver services in schools, youth centres and communities through outreach and detached youth work. Our activities are engaging, supportive and structured, helping young people build confidence, improve wellbeing, develop new skills and access opportunities that support success in education, training and employment.
Youth work is built on trusted, voluntary relationships. It provides young people with a safe and supportive environment during a key stage of their lives, helping them overcome challenges and make positive choices for their future.
Community services
Our BYouth communities team provide services for young people whose needs can't always be met by family or universal services. Support may be provided in our BYouth centres, or as part of an outreach service.
Our BYouth centres in Barnsley are in the following areas:
Barnsley town centre (Ozone at Barnsley Football Club)
Cudworth
Dearne
Hoyland (Komplex at Kirk Balk Academy)
Penistone
Wombwell
We deliver targeted twilight and evening youth support through these centres, along with outreach sessions if a need has been identified in the community.
Community sessions
Our evening and group sessions can explore a range of issues including:
building self-esteem, confidence and resilience
general wellbeing and promoting positive mental health
work around feelings, emotions and associated behaviours
promoting positive social and peer relationships
risk taking behaviours such as sex, drugs and alcohol
personal safety, child exploitation, online safety, and healthy relationships
personal and social development - signposting to find work, education and training opportunities, and building life and work readiness
positive focused activities, eg stop smoking, anti-bullying week, and seasonal events
study and education support
promoting positive citizenship and enabling young people to have a voice
Our youth services are delivered by a team of professionally qualified youth workers, who promote young people’s personal and social development. This enables young people to have a voice, influence and place in their communities, building resilience, character and giving them the confidence and life skills they need to live, learn, work and achieve.
The BYouth communities team also offer bespoke programmes, often with other agencies or services, to meet the needs of young people in the community. Our offer is based on group work practice, and programmes are delivered to focus on a particular theme or issue.
Support in schools
We've a range of BYouth Programmes that are issue based and are designed to be delivered in a group work setting within secondary schools but that can also be adapted to primary schools and community settings. Each topic covers key areas of the National Youth Work Curriculum such as:
healthy relationships
staying safe
substance awareness
online safety
confidence, self- esteem and resilience
Mentoring
Growing up can be challenging, and many young people face barriers that impact their confidence, wellbeing, and future opportunities . Mentoring in youth work is a relationship-based approach that supports young people through consistent, trusted adult guidance. It focuses on building a positive connection between the young person and the youth worker, creating a safe space for growth and reflection.
The BYouth Mentoring programme offers:
reliable, caring support from trained adult role models
opportunities to build resilience and develop essential life skills
encouragement to explore potential and set personal goals
engaging sessions that may include activities, reflective conversations, and links to the wider community
Detached youth work
Our detached youth work offer provides responsive street based youth work teams across the borough, particularly where there are concerns around anti social behaviour. Our service works with other key agencies where there is an identified need to provide young people with positive alternative activities within their community.
Barnsley Youth Alliance
The BYouth Service are a member of Barnsley Youth Alliance which is a collective of youth work organisations from across the borough who work together with a shared passion for supporting young people.
By building strong connections between alliance members, we encourage collaboration, shared learning, and support. This helps keep the youth sector creative, strong, and able to adapt to what young people and their communities need.
Services for young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)
We provide youth support and services for young people with additional needs on a referral basis.
For more information contact the Wombwell BYouth Centre/South Family Hub by emailing byouthenquiries@barnsley.gov.uk or calling 01226 753406.
Services for LGBTQ+ young people
We deliver group sessions around Barnsley for young LGBTQ+ people aged 13 to 19 to meet each other. These groups operate on a referral basis.
For more information contact the Wombwell BYouth Centre/South Family Hub by emailing byouthenquiries@barnsley.gov.uk or calling 01226 753406.
Listening to young people
There's lots of opportunities for young people to get involved and have a say in how services are delivered for them. Our youth voice and participation workers encourage young people to exercise their rights and take part in the decision making processes which affect them.
Youth Council
Barnsley Youth Council are a group of local young people who are elected by their peers to represent the views of other young people locally, regionally and nationally.
The Youth Council work closely with Barnsley Council and other service providers to ensure that young people’s views are taken into account when services and facilities are being designed or changed.
Youth forums
There are a number of issue-related forums where young people with a common interest can socialise with their peers whilst informing service delivery and improvements.
For more information contact the Wombwell BYouth Centre/South Family Hub by emailing byouthenquiries@barnsley.gov.uk or calling 01226 753406.
Participation services for children in care
BYouth provides a number of participation and support services for children who are in care.
Care4Us Council
The Care4Us Council is made up of young people who are either in care or are leaving the care system. Their purpose is to work with corporate parents and other services to make a difference by talking and listening to young people and their care experience.
Members also have the chance to get involved in fun events and activities, as well as regional work to make wider changes.
Children's rights and advocacy
At some point in their care journey, a young person may need help from an independent professional (an advocate) to help them navigate issues that can come with being a child in care or a care leaver. BYouth provides Barnsley’s Children's Rights and Advocacy Service to help children in care understand and influence decisions made about their care.
If you're a young person who would like some help from an advocate, or a professional working with a young person, you can contact the advocacy team by emailing childrensrightsadvocacy@barnsley.gov.uk for more information.
Independent visitors
Independent visitors can befriend and support a young person in care with access to positive activities, guidance and advice. They can offer a long-term, stable and supportive relationship to a young person. They'll act in the best interests of the child in care, and can act impartially on their behalf.
Our independent visitors team offer a service for children in and care leavers to match them with adult volunteer mentors. The team work on a referral basis, ensuring that young people are matched to an appropriate and suitable mentor.
For more information
Call 01226 753406 or