A combination of shuttered youth clubs, reduced community resources, and long waits for mental health treatment has contributed to one million young Britons falling out of work or schooling. Meanwhile, national welfare expenditures grew by £114 billion over sixteen years, with proposed welfare cuts threatening to amplify child poverty and homelessness. The government plans to overhaul technical education and guarantee work experience to build stable career routes. Ministers will also use an upcoming review by Alan Milburn to construct a long-term foundation for childhood support.
Key points
Government policy must transition to a whole-childhood approach that provides early preve…: Government policy must transition to a whole-childhood approach that provides early preventative interventions instead of late remedies.
Educational reforms aim to achieve parity of esteem between academic routes and technical…: Educational reforms aim to achieve parity of esteem between academic routes and technical vocational pathways.
Forthcoming recommendations from Alan Milburn's review on youth and work will guide a gen…: Forthcoming recommendations from Alan Milburn's review on youth and work will guide a generational shift in state support.
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A generation of young people did not wake up one morning and decide they did not want to work. The fact that a million 16- to 24-year-olds are now not in education, employment or training (Neet) is not their fault. It is ours, as politicians.
We have failed to give them the support they need as they have grown up in a tougher world. This has become an economic catastrophe for the country – and a moral one too.
Sixteen years ago, the Conservative government took a deliberate decision to make young people bear the brunt of the cuts they chose to make. Those becoming adults today are the children of austerity. At four years old, with Sure Start centres closed, too many were already beginning school behind, without the support they needed to catch up. By 12, too many had seen youth clubs shut down and had fewer places to go in their communities with the closure of libraries and leisure centres. Teenagers in need of mental health support were told to wait months or even years. And, by…
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