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UK Youth has welcomed the Government’s commitment to supporting young people.
The national youth work charity joined more than 40 organisations in calling for action to tackle school attendance, when Ndidi Okezie OBE, UK Youth chief executive officer, added her name to a letter to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, highlighting how school absences have risen in tandem with stretched services, and disproportionately affect marginalised groups of children.
The letter, sent by Place2Be, a children and young people’s mental health charity, urged Ms Phillipson to tackle persistent absence by: improving access to mental health and special educational needs and disabilities support; making schools inclusive; intervening earlier; and working with families, adding how children who persistently miss school are more likely to experience mental health difficulties, more likely to have SEND and are at higher risk of exploitation.
Ms Phillipson has now replied, reiterating the Government’s intent to support young people, schools and families. Some of the measures she has outlined include:
- Providing access to specialist mental health professionals in schools;
- Recruiting more mental health professionals, including those who will work in Young Futures Hubs;
- Funding for Family Hubs set out in the recent Budget;
- The importance of a support-first, whole school approach to attendance;
- Improving inclusivity for children with SEND in mainstream schools, including by strengthening accountability.
Ms Phillipson wrote: “I want to assure you this government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity and learning. The right support should be available to every young person who needs it, which is why we will provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.
“We will intervene earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime, creating a new Young Futures programme with a network of hubs reaching every community. These hubs will have youth workers and mental health support workers. We will also recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.”
To read the reply in full, click here.
Alongside UK Youth and Place2Be, other signatories of the original letter include the Scouts, Child Poverty Action Group, Mind and Family Action. To see the original letter in full, click here.
Now in its 10th year, Place2Be hopes to encourage more people than ever to help it reach its goal that no child or young person has to face a mental health problem alone.
About UK Youth
UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. With an open network of more than 8,000 youth organisations and nation partners; UK Youth reaches more than four million young people across the UK and is focused on unlocking youth work as the catalyst of change that is needed now more than ever. To find out more, visit ukyouth.org
UK Youth is involved in a range of programmes designed to help young people thrive, such as outdoor learning, physical literacy, social action and employability, including Hatch, a youth employability programme run in partnership with KFC. For more on UK Youth’s programmes, see ukyouth.org/what-we-do/programmes
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