Oxfordshire Youth is proud to have supported our county’s vibrant youth sector for almost 80 years. Our sector support team aspires to power the sector, ensuring that all young people – whoever and wherever they are – can access high quality provision.
Thanks to new National Lottery Community Fund and The Prudence Trust funding, we are thrilled to be able to invest in the youth sector in new and innovative ways, building on our previous success in delivering excellent learning and development programmes, superb conferences and providing consistent advice and guidance to youth leaders.Â
Youth practitioner wellbeing: our Wellbeing Programme supports everyone working tirelessly with young people facing complex challenges. It recognises the emotional toll this work can take, and offers skills-based sessions enabling them to respond to acute and complex issues such as suicide ideation, self harm, anxiety and social media bullying whilst guides practitioners to develop self-care techniques and support networks.
Leadership development and youth work training: OY offers mentoring for new and emerging leaders and an annual Leadership and Wellbeing retreat for established senior staff that develops and expands the pool of leaders shaping and inspiring organisations across the county. We are proud to offer full bursary places on Level 2 & 3 youth work qualification pathways funded by the National Lottery, Prudence Trust and National Youth Agency.
Equity, diversity and inclusion: OY is intentionally developing provision and leaders to ensure equality of access to appropriate youth work support. Our Sector EDI Group, provides a space for committed leaders to steer OY’s sector support to those that need it most.
Financial sustainability: OY supports youth organisations with this significant systemic challenge, enabling high quality fundraising and financial management and providing space to discuss and respond to the constant pressure and stress of fundraising.
Changemakers: OY’s core support offer continues to be delivered through the strength and diversity of the Changemaker Network. Organisations registered with us, demonstrate their commitment to good practice and building a community of empowered youth practitioners across the county.
To access or find out more about any of our plans to support the youth sector follow the links on this page or contact us. Â
Oxfordshire Youth celebrates the expertise and exemplary practice of everyone involved in the youth work sector. You are the drivers of positive change. And to make meaningful differences in the lives of those you work with, you need brilliant training. From youth workers to volunteers, trustees to children and young adults’ staff, you are there supporting young people, enabling employees and educating families and carers.
Engage with us for career enriching experiences that allow you to bring the best possible version of yourself to your work and deliver top outcomes for the children and young people you support.
To find out more, email: training@oxfordshireyouth.org
Joining our Changemaker Network connects you with other voluntary sector organisations and unlocks a host of benefits.
Members receive:
Join the Changemaker Network    Enter the Changemaker Area
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children.
If you are volunteering or applying for paid work with children, or to work in a regulated activity with adults, then you will need a DBS check.
DBS checks are easy, once you understand the reasons for the questions you will be asked.
The information that you provide on your DBS application establishes your identity. It provides enough details for checks to be made, so that employers can be as confident as possible that they are recruiting safely.
We offer bespoke training to our Changemakers in filling out these forms and avoiding the most common mistakes. This is especially useful for organisations that recruit a lot of volunteers or staff.
As part of our package for youth-focused organisations in Oxfordshire that sign up to the Changemaker Network, we will waive our administration fee for the first five DBS applications you submit saving your organisation £10 per DBS check.
| Standard | Enhanced | |||||
| Changemakers (affiliated) | Non-affiliated: not-for-profit organisation | Non-affiliated: for-profit organisation | Changemakers (affiliated) | Non-affiliated: not-for-profit organisation | Non-affiliated: for-profit organisation | |
| Volunteer check | £5 | £15 | £50 | £5 | £15 | £50 |
| Paid staff check | £28 | £38 | £68 | £48 | £58 | £88 |
Firstly, to reduce mistakes – please read the front page! Write in black ink and capital letters – the staff at DBS are looking for clarity. Also, when writing out dates, other than your date of birth and date of signing, they are looking for the month and year eg May 1970 will be (05/1970). Do not sign the back page signature box, that is for the registered body only.
Oxfordshire Youth take data handling very seriously. When we receive your application form, your details are stored online in a confidential excel file. The physical forms are then, if they are not being sent off to DBS that day, are kept in a folder in a locked filing cupboard.
When your form is sent off, we scan it and keep the scanned files for up to 1 year after it arrived at OY. On the 1at April of each year, we will delete the scanned files from the previous April. Your evidence checklist/ privacy statements are scanned and then shredded as we do not keep any physical copies of your data once they have been sent to DBS in line with GDPR regulations.
Please print off a continuation sheet and detail in the ‘Additional Information’ section your living situation. This is so those evaluating your application can locate where any police files on you would be kept. Your homeless status will not affect your application.
Update Service application checklist
Chiara Querci-Hall, British Gymnastics“We have developed such a brilliant relationship with Oxfordshire Youth. I honestly don’t think we’d go anywhere else for training now”
Oxfordshire Youth has made it an organisational priority to provide our Changemaker network with a constant D.B.S. service. I am Alice, the D.B.S. Administrator for Oxfordshire Youth, I look forward to receiving and processing your D.B.S. applications. If you have any queries or questions, please feel free to contact me on dbs@oxfordshireyouth.org.