Change of https://www.gov.uk/guidance/young-futures-hubs-and-transformation-programme

Change description : 2026-09-16 00:01:00: Updates added on the roll out of Young Futures Hubs. [Guidance and regulation]

Showing diff : 2026-07-08 11:03:30.647810129 +00:00..2026-09-15 23:02:11.832521199 +00:00

Guidance

Young Futures Hubs and Transformation Programme

Information about the Young Futures Hubs and Transformation Programme.

Applies to England

The Young Futures Hubs and Transformation Programme will help local areas better support young people and develop a network of up to 50 Young Futures Hubs by March 2029. 

The wider rollout of the Young Futures Hubs and Transformation Programme builds on pilots from these two programmes:

You can find out more about each of these programmes on their individual pages.

Delivering the National Youth Strategy

The Youth Transformation Programme will help deliver many of the actions and fundamental shifts set out in Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy

  • Young Futures Hubs will address State of the Nation report priorities of safety, empowerment, opportunities, and health. Our approach is defined by the three core shifts outlined in Youth Matters:

    • From national to local: We are empowering local communities to design and deliver programmes in line with their own unique priorities and needs.
    • From fragmented to collaborative: We are transforming a disjointed landscape into a collaborative ecosystem, where services for young people—from mental health and careers support to youth clubs—work together to ensure young people thrive.
    • From excluded to empowered: By co-creating every Young Futures Hub and Transformation plan with young people, we are ensuring they are the architects of their own future.

Find out more about the National Youth Strategy

Stakeholder engagement

The Young Futures Hubs and Transformation programme has been shaped ahead of roll out by:

  • learning and evaluation from Early Adopter Hubs and Pathfinder projects

  • stakeholder input from an Externalexternal Workingworking Groupgroup of over 20 cross-sector experts and a Tasktask and Finishfinish Groupgroup of 15 young people

  • broader youth consultation activities

This input will continue over the coming months.

Wider rollout

Through the wider rollout of the Young Futures Hubs and Transformation programme, local authorities will receive funding to drive local youth service enhancements alongside the establishment of a further 42 new Young Futures Hubs by March 2029.

ExpressionSelected oflocal Interest:authorities Youngfor Futuresroll Hubs and Transformation Programmeout

The50 selectioneligible of local authorities eligiblewere forshortlisted Young Futures Hubs and Transformationinvited Programmeto fundingsubmit will follow an Expression of Interest assessment, taking(EOI) placeapplication, fromon 6 July to2026, 29through Julywhich 2026, with26 successful local authorities beinghave notifiedbeen of the outcome on week commencing 24 August 2026.selected. 

    • AThe data-driven methodology has been used to identifyshortlist 50 local authorities for(excluding aearly shortlist.adopters) Localwas authoritiesbased wereon selectedlocal byneed, combining data on metricscrime, relatingdeprivation toand crimecommunity (first-timeneed, entrantsand intomental thehealth. CriminalThis Justicetargeted System,the FTEprogramme’s -core 50%goals: weighting),improving deprivationmental (Communityhealth Needsand Indexwellbeing, andincreasing Incomeopportunities, Deprivationand Affectingreducing Childrenvulnerability Indexto (IDACI)crime. -Further 25%details weighting)on andthe mentalshortlisted healthauthorities (Mentalare Healthon Waitlistthe dataYoung -Futures 25%Hubs weighting).and ThisTransformation methodologyProgramme prioritisesEOI thepage

    • Shortlisted threeauthorities keysubmitted objectiveslight-touch Expression of YoungInterest Futures(EOI) Hubsapplications (improvingto mentalDCMS, healthwhich andwere wellbeing,assessed providingby opportunities,DCMS andofficials, reducingtaking youngfeedback people’sprovided vulnerabilityby toregional beingstakeholders drawn into crime).consideration. ToLocal noteAuthorities thatwere earlyselected adopterbased localon authoritiesa werecombination excludedof fromtheir thisEOI listscore, asneed theirscore programme(as isdetailed ongoing.above), Otherand areasregional thatdistribution. wereYoung furtherFutures downHubs inwill thebe rankingclustered werewithin movedthese up26 tolocal ensureauthorities aand totalthe of8 50early shortlistedadopter local authorities.

      authorities, with some local authorities receiving funding for two hubs.
    • ShortlistedLocal authorities arewere invitedselected tofor submita second hub based on a light-touchcombination Expressionof youth population data and estimates of Interestyoung applicationpeople’s tosatisfaction thewith Departmentlocal foryouth Culture,services Mediadrawn andfrom Sport.the ApplicationsNational willYouth Strategy survey data (to be evaluatedpublished basedin ondue interest,course). capability,Selection existingalso provision,took andaccount of local context.authorities WeEOI areresponses lookingon totheir selectappetite upfor toimplementing 22multiple LAshubs.16 local authorities were selected to joinreceive thefunding 8for earlytwo adopters.hubs, This(this meansincludes we11 expectout someof LAsthe selected 26 local authorities, in addition to have5 multipleof hubsthe whichearly adopter local authorities).

    • An additional 42 Young Futures Hubs will be determinedlaunched byacross EOI26 responsesselected local authorities, alongside data5 onearly youthadopter populationlocal andauthorities geographicalset context.

Shortlistedto EOIopen locala authorities

Thesecond 50hub in England. Early adopter local authorities shortlistedwill continue to submitbe anfunded expressionas part of interestthe are listed below:

    programme.
  • Barking

  • Barnsley

  • Blackpool

  • Bolton 

  • Bury 

  • Calderdale 

  • Camden 

  • Cornwall 

  • Coventry 

  • Croydon 

  • Cumberland 

  • Darlington 

  • Doncaster 

  • Gateshead 

  • Greenwich 

  • Hackney 

  • Halton 

  • Hartlepool 

  • Isle

  • Kingston

    Knowsley 

  • Lambeth 

  • Lancashire 

  • Leicester 

  • Lewisham 

  • Liverpool 

  • Medway 

  • Middlesbrough 

  • Newcastle-Upon

  • Northumberland 

  • Oldham 

  • Peterborough 

  • Plymouth 

  • Portsmouth 

  • Redcar

    Rochdale 

  • Rotherham 

  • Salford 

  • Sandwell 

  • Sheffield 

  • Southend-on-Sea 

  • Stockton-on-Tees 

  • Stoke-on-Trent 

  • Sunderland 

  • Tameside 

  • Torbay 

  • Waltham

  • Warwickshire 

    RegionLocal andauthorityNumber Dagenham

    of hubs
    East of England Peterborough 2
    London Hackney 1
    London Waltham Forest 1
    London Barking and Dagenham 2
    London Camden 1
    North EastMiddlesbrough*1
    North EastNorthumberland2
    North ofEastNewcastle-Upon Wight 

    Tyne
    2
    North UponEastSouth Hull 

  • Tyneside
  • 1
    North East Redcar and Cleveland 1
    North West Blackpool 1
    North WestKnowsley1
    North Tyne 

    West
    Oldham2
    North East Lincolnshire 

  • West
  • Lancashire 2
    North WestSalford2
    North WestBolton2
    North WestRochdale1
    South andEastIsle Cleveland 

  • of Wight
  • 1
    South West Torbay 1
    South WestPlymouth1
    South Tyneside 

  • West
  • Cornwall 2
    West Midlands Stoke-on-Trent2
    West MidlandsSandwell2
    Yorkshire and HumberKingston Upon Hull, City of1
    Yorkshire Forest 

    and Humber
    Barnsley1
    Yorkshire and HumberCalderdale1

    If*In youlight are eligible to submit an Expression of Interest,recent visitevents thein Middlesbrough, Young Futures Hubs and Transformation Programme:Programme Expressionfunding ofhas Interestalso page

    Expressionbeen ofoffered Interest:to LocalMiddlesbrough Youthlocal Transformationauthority Programmeto only

    Weestablish will run a furtherhub.

    Early selectionadopter process for local authorities to participate in the

    RegionLocal YouthauthorityNumber Transformationof onlyhubs
    East fromMidlandsNottingham2
    LondonTower JanuaryHamlets1
    North 2027EastCounty onwards.Durham2
    North MoreWestManchester2
    South detailsEastBrighton willand beHove1
    South publishedWestBristol1
    West onMidlandsBirmingham2
    Yorkshire thisand page in due course.

    Humber
    Leeds2

    Delivery partner competitionpartner

    DCMS willis procurein the process of procuring a delivery partner to provide expert support to local authorities.authorities and their partners. The delivery partner’s role will be to ensure quality through acting as a critical friend to local authorities on the programme, and providing online resources open to all local authorities to facilitate shared learnings and national improvement. Further details will be published in due course.

    Next

    Evaluation steps

    • partner

      JulyDCMS 2026:is Shortlistedin localthe authoritiesprocess areof invitedprocuring an evaluation partner to completelead an EOIindependent forevaluation of the Young Futures Hubs and LocalTransformation Youthprogramme. Further Transformationdetails funding.will be published in due course.  

    • AugustThis 2026:evaluation Successfulwill localbuild authorityon applicantsthe forlearning allfrom programmethe fundingevaluations areof selectedthe pilots of these two programmes - Young Futures Hubs Early Adopters, evaluated by Ecorys UK Limited, and notified.the Local Youth Transformation pilot, evaluated by Fortia Insight.

    • AugustRead tothe interim evaluation findings for the Young Futures Hubs Early Adopters

      Next steps

      • September 2026: Onboarding period for Locallocal Authoritiesauthorities who are selected to deliver both a Young Futures Hub and aTransformation local youth transformation project.

        programmes.
      • September 2026 to February 2027: Local authorities will complete a review of existing youth provision and services; conduct planning and co-design activities with young people and partners.

      • February 2027 to March 2027: Local authorities submit implementation plans for approval.

      Expression of Interest: Local Youth Transformation Programme only

      JanuaryWe 2027will torun Marcha 2027:further Onboardingselection process for local authorities forto participate in the Local Youth Transformation programmesonly only.from Furtherearly information2027 onwards. We will beshare sharedmore details on the selection process in due course.

    Youth Hubs

    The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Youth Hubs are an established, separate initiative from the DCMS Young Futures Hubs. The DCMS Young Futures Hubs are establishing links with the DWP Youth Hubs to facilitate handovers for 16 to 18 year olds who require career support. Find out more about the DWP Youth Hubs

    Updates to this page

    Published 8 July 2026
    Last updated 16 September 2026 Show all updates
    1. Updates added on the roll out of Young Futures Hubs.

    2. First published.

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    Update history

    2026-09-17 15:40
    Added link to ‘Young Futures Hubs and Transformation Programme: Guidance for local authorities’.

    2026-09-16 00:01
    Updates added on the roll out of Young Futures Hubs.

    2026-07-08 12:00
    First published.