THE youth service which covers Wyre Forest has been given a satisfactory rating by Ofsted inspectors.

Among aspects highlighted in the inspectors' report on Worcestershire Council Youth Service were good use of limited resources and satisfactory quality in youth work practice.

Additional core funding was said to be having a positive impact on delivery of the service and youth workers were enthusiastic and had appropriate expertise.

There was room for improvement in some aspects of the service's operations, the report pointed out.

They included insufficient involvement by young people in evaluating their learning and not enough encouragement for young people to help them achieve qualifications.

The council's cabinet member for education, councillor June Longmuir, said: "The assessment of satisfactory is good for a service which has only recently started developing from small beginnings and accepts the need to grow across the various geographical areas of the county."

She added: "To assist the development and support complimentary services to young people, this year's budget agreed an extra £250,000 for the voluntary sector to bid for as a means of building wider partnerships and an extended range of options for young people."