Youth Access

Research shows a disturbing increase in numbers of black women using mental health services

New research has revealed a disturbing trend which shows that black women are accounting for a significant number of the increase in the people who use specialist mental health services. The new report from The Information Centre shows that the percentage of black women using mental health services far outstrips that of any other group. Read more information on the Black Mental Health UK website or download the full report.

Mental health survey findings published

The Care Quality Commission has published its' survey of people's experiences of acute mental health inpatient services. The report reveals that too great a proportion felt let down in some important aspects of the care they received. Read further details at CQC website.

Mental health support scheme needs better communication

CYPN reports that the Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) initiative, which was launched last year and offers targeted support to five- to 13-year-olds at risk of mental health problems, has been marred by poor communication between CAMHS teams and schools. Read the CYPN report.

New NICE public health guidance on promoting young people's social and emotional wellbeing

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued guidance onpromoting the social and emotional wellbeing of young people in secondary education. Download the Guidance from the NICE website.

Young adults are suffering from "anxiety overload"

A YouGov survey of 18-24 year olds found 66% feel stressed or anxious at least once a week, with money and job worries being the main cause. Read the BBC News report.

Depressed teens 'face adult risk'

Teenagers who have minor depression are at a higher risk of mental health problems later in life, a study says. Psychiatrists at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute spoke to 750 people. Anxiety, severe depression and eating disorders were all far more common in 20 and 30-year-olds who had had minor depression as adolescents, they found. The British Journal of Psychiatry report said further research was needed to unpick the reasons for the link. UK charities said specialist services for young people were vital. Read the BBC News item.

Troubled teens reveal social divide

Today's teens are most worried about losing weight and fitting in. But more teenagers from low income families worry about bullying, drugs, and smoking compared to peers from high income families. Surveys for NHS Teen LifeCheck published last month reveal social similarities and divides on some of the top teenage concerns.  Read the media release.

Domestic violence

The Home Office has announced new powers for the police to target domestic violence. They will be able to issue domestic violence protection orders, known as 'Go' orders, to bar the perpetrators of domestic violence from their homes for up to a fortnight, giving their victims breathing space to consider their options. Read more details on the Home Office website.

At the same time, the NSPCC reports that child witnesses of domestic violence are being let down. The report looked at 251 incidents of domestic violence, involving at least one child witness, in two areas in England.

In one of these areas children's services were notified by police in just 28 per cent of cases and in only 44 per cent of cases in the other area. Read the CYPN news item or download the summary report.

Against this background the Department of Health is carrying out an online consultation for health, public and voluntary sector professionals on how the NHS can improve its services for women and girls who have been victims of violence and sexual assault. Register your views at www.dh.gov.uk/vawg by 14 October 2009.

The director of the government's Youth Taskforce, Anne Weinstock, wrote to all directors of children's services in September asking for a review of youth services that target vulnerable young people. Directors were asked to complete an overview of their services by 5 October. The review is intended to highlight areas for development. As most consider TYS to be at best a 'work in progress' it will of interest to Youth Access amongst others what conclusions are drawn. Read the CYPN item.

Safeguarding

The Independent Safeguarding Authority has published a guide for organisations who are required to makereferrals under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. The new duty to refer comes into force on 12 October 2009. Download the Guidance from the ISA website.

Meanwhile, The Independent suggests that the scheme will cost the NHS and public bodies £170m to implement. Read the article.

Indeed, even before implementation, Children's Secretary Ed Balls has asked the ISA chairman Sir Roger Singleton to look again at the detailed operation of the scheme and report back by early December on whether any 'adjustments' need to be made. Read the Guardian piece.

Care leavers

The National Care Advisory Service (NCAS), part of Catch 22, has published Journeys to Home: Care Leavers' Successful Transition to Independent Accommodation. The report states that care leavers need to be given greater support to help them live independently and offers guidance for local authorities on how to provide the 'intensive support' necessary to help care leavers find a place to live, furnish it, pay bills and gain employment. Visit the leaving care.org website for more information.

ContactPoint consultation launched – but who knows what it is?

Children's Minister Delyth Morgan has launched a consultation on a proposed update of the ContactPoint database. Read the DCSF media release and take part in the consultation.

Meanwhile, Children & Young People Now reports concerns about the political leadership of children's services in England after they discovered several local authority lead members who have not heard of ContactPoint. Read the CYPN item.

Homelessness figures down 32 per cent

The most recent figures for statutory homelessness show a considerable drop in numbers accepted as homeless from this time last year. Nevertheless 41% of the total were aged 16-24. Read the media release.

Local young runaway statistics

DCSF and BIS have for the first time released data on the self-evaluation scores given by each local authority in relation to available measures to monitor and respond to cases of Children Missing from Home or Care. This relates to National Indicator 71 and may be of help to those who offer or wish to offer services in this area. Download the data from the DCSF website.

Drink and drugs a leading cause of youth deaths

The deaths of more than 3,000 young people in the UK every year could be prevented and many are precipitated by Britain's drink and drugs culture, according to Russell Viner, from the Institute of Child Health, in London, one of the authors of a global study on the scale and causes of adolescent deaths published last month by the Lancet.

The most common cause of deaths in the UK among people aged 10-24 is traffic accidents, which account for 30% of male deaths and 17% of female deaths. The next biggest killers of boys and young men are suicide (10%) and cancer (10%), followed by other non-intentional injuries (9%) and violence (7%). The main killers of girls and young women after traffic accidents are cancer (17%), other non-intentional injuries (7%), suicide (6%) and violence (5%). Read The Guardian article.

Over 80 per cent of young people have viewed pornography

Children and Young People Now reports on a study into the influences on young people's sex lives which found that more than 80 per cent of 13 to 25-year-olds have viewed pornography. Newcastle-based Youth Access member Streetwise Young People's Project received funding from the Camelot Foundation to investigate young people's attitudes towards and experiences of sex. Of the young people surveyed, 83 per cent had seen pornography, with some believing it to be an acceptable source of information about sex. The survey also found that peer pressure, poor sex education and young people lying about sexual experience had an impact on individual sex lives. Read the YP Now article.

International guidelines on sexuality education

UNESCO has developed a set of guidelines on sexuality education to provide educators with guidance on how children and young people can best acquire the knowledge they need to protect themselves from coercion, abuse and exploitation, unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The guidelines, which are is evidence-informed and rights-based, focus on strategies to give young people the knowledge that could help them make informed decisions. Read further details on the UNESCO website.

Speaking Out resources

The Speaking Out project has published a briefing on children and young people's health and well-being, which looks at mental health, early years, sexual health and support for children with long-term and complex health needs. Download the guide from the Children England website.

Young people 'coming out earlier'

 A BBC Newsbeat report suggests that Lesbian and Gay young people are coming out at an earlier age than in the past. Read the report.