Wiltshire and Swindon Youth Partnership

What is the Youth Partnership?

The Wiltshire and Swindon Youth Partnership (WSYP) connects voluntary, community and statutory organisations to create a stronger, more coordinated youth sector.

It grew out of the Wiltshire and Swindon Youth Work Network, established in 2020 to help youth organisations collaborate and share learning.

Since December 2022, partners have worked together strategically to:

• Strengthen connections across the youth sector
• Build organisational capacity
• Increase access to training and skills development
• Address local shortages of skilled youth workers
• Improve the overall youth offer across Wiltshire and Swindon

Our long-term vision is simple: to ensure young people across the county can access high-quality youth provision, now and in the future.

How is the Partnership supported?

Ongoing support is funded by:

• Wiltshire Council
• The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner

This funding enables us to continue developing both the Youth Work Network and the wider Youth Partnership, as well as delivering our Youth Work Capacity Building, Training and Support Programme.

Youth Work Capacity Building, Training and Support Programme

Launched in 2026, the Youth Work Capacity Building, Training and Support Programme has been developed to strengthen the youth sector across Wiltshire and Swindon.

The programme aims to:

• Increase collaboration across the local youth sector
• Build workforce capacity
• Improve access to training and development
• Grow the number, skills and confidence of youth workers and volunteers

The programme’s priorities have been shaped through engagement with the Wiltshire and Swindon Youth Work Network, findings from the Wiltshire & Swindon Youth Provision and Support Survey, and priority-setting workshops with Youth Partnership Steering Group members.

How the programme will be delivered

The programme will be delivered through four complementary strands of activity.

We are working collaboratively to develop and fund two new projects, launching in Spring 2026, which will provide targeted development and support opportunities for local youth sector organisations:

• Young Leaders Programme – focused on developing and supporting young people in leadership roles.
The anticipated outcomes of this project are to: 
• Increase the number of young people participating in structured leadership development opportunities across Wiltshire and Swindon
• Improve young people’s skills, confidence and readiness to take on leadership roles
  
• Increase access to high-quality Young Leaders provision for smaller and volunteer-led organisations that do not have the capacity to deliver their own programmes independently
  
• Improve collaboration between youth organisations through shared tools and approaches

• Adult Volunteers Development Programme – focused on strengthening the recruitment, skills and confidence of adult volunteers.
The anticipated outcomes of this project are to: 
• Increase awareness of volunteering opportunities in the youth sector
  
• Strengthen organisations’ confidence and capacity to recruit and support volunteers
  
• Grow the number of adult volunteers
  
• Ensure volunteers have the appropriate training and skills to support young people effectively
  

If you are interested in being involved in the delivery of either of these strands, please contact info@wscf.org.uk

In addition, we will be launching:

• Learning and Development Grants Programme – enabling groups to access youth work training and support. These grants will be opening in April 2026 and you can find more about them here.
• New training sessions and workshops (2026/27) – designed to complement the Wiltshire and Swindon Youth Work Network and other existing training opportunities, and to further support local youth groups and organisations.

Together, these four strands aim to strengthen the youth workforce, support collaboration, and build a more coordinated and resilient offer for young people across Wiltshire and Swindon.