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BYouth Young People's Service

In Barnsley we want all young people to fulfil their true potential and have a bright future. Our BYouth Young People's Service works with young people aged 11 to 19 (or 25 if they have additional needs) to provide universal and targeted support through our centre-based or detached youth work offer.

By helping early when problems arise, we can offer a range of support to prevent any issues getting worse, and bring in the right support at the right time to meet the young person's needs.

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.

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.

Find out about becoming an independent visitor.

Support when a young person has been missing from home or care

When a young person who's been missing is found safe and well by South Yorkshire Police, the BYouth service offers an impartial return home interview within 72 hours of their return. This gives the young person an opportunity to share the circumstances leading up to them going missing, which can help prevent them from running away in the future.

The return home interview officers work closely with other agencies such as the police, social care service and early help service. They can help arrange additional support, as well as provide advice and guidance to the young person and family to build resilience and reduce future risk.

For more information about return home interviews call 01226 753406.

Protocol for missing children

The South Yorkshire children missing from home and care protocol describes:

  • the roles and responsibilities of services, parents, families and carers
  • how the risk to the child will be assessed
  • what the response will be
  • how information will be shared
  • how repeat missing incidents will be prevented
  • additional arrangements for looked-after children

To pass on information about contextual safeguarding to the police, you can fill in the South Yorkshire Police community partnership intelligence form. You should only fill this in if the issue you're reporting doesn't meet the threshold for a referral to children's social care and the child isn't at risk.