Youth Access

Youth Access puts MP’s on the spot

03 November, 2010

Youth Access was in central London yesterday to press a panel of MPs and leading figures from the youth sector on the need to respond to young people’s complex inter-related needs in the current economic climate

Our intervention came during Children & Young People Now’s event on The Future of Youth Services, part of the  magazine’s For Youth’s Sake campaign to save services for young people.

Steve Lee, Policy Officer at Youth Access, asked the panel: “In view of current levels of youth unemployment, debt and mental health problems, and a potential increase in homelessness, how can the complex inter-related needs of young adults (up to age 25) best be provided for in the current climate?”

In response:

• Linda Jack, chair of the Liberal Democrat youth policy working group,endorsed the holistic approach taken by Youth Access’ members.
  
  
• Labour MP Stella Creasy, co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs, spoke about her hope to pass through parliament a ‘Consumer Credit Education and Advice Bill’ that would put a levy on financial institutions to support the provision of debt advice.
  
  
• Stewart Jackson, Conservative MP and also co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs, conceded that this generation of young people may well be less well off than previous generations in employment, emotional and material terms, but said that it was “pointless talking about 18-24 year olds”, when there was a need to intervene earlier in a child’s life. Whilst endorsing the value of targeted support for young people on sexual health, housing and debt, he said the answer lay in ensuring family relationships built young people as good citizens.

Mr Jackson’s comments, including the inference that the current generation of young people could effectively be written off, drew an angry response from other panelists, including Fiona Blacke, Chief Executive of The National Youth Agency, who asserted that young people benefit from sustained relationships with ‘trusted adult’ professionals.

Youth Access will continue to make the case to all three main parties for investing in youth information, advice, counselling and support services.

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