In the past, youth work was mainly delivered by local authorities but today is provided by a range of organisations such as housing programmes, voluntary organisations, within the NHS and in social care or youth justice.
2021 analysis by the YMCA found funding for youth services in England had been cut by almost three quarters over the past decade.
The 2022 youth sector census by the National Youth Agency (NYA) suggests charities and community groups are now “disproportionately providing” open-access, universal services and out-of-school activities.