Document Category: UK

A few months ago the incoming Government published a 10 Year Health Plan, which sets out the transformational change it believes is needed to put the NHS on an even keel and make it fit for the future. Age UK strongly supports its main thrust, the aim of shifting the emphasis in healthcare ‘from hospital to home’ through the development of a Neighbourhood Health Service. We were pleased and honoured to be able to contribute to the development of this part of the Plan. As the initiative is rolled out ….

The Power Threat Meaning Framework is an over-arching structure for identifying patterns in emotional distress, unusual experiences and troubling behaviour, as an alternative to psychiatric diagnosis and classification. The project team’s aim was to produce a foundational document which sets out the philosophical, theoretical and empirical basis for such a framework and describes how it can serve as a conceptual alternative to psychiatric classification in relation to emotional distress and troubled or troubling behaviour.

This is an overview. A full 400+ page report is available from the British Psychological Society.

In this report, we provide the most detailed ever look at the geography of opportunity and social mobility in England. We closely examine how socio-economic background, geography and opportunity interact, with data looking at both parliamentary constituency and regional level in England. From educational attainment, to opportunities in higher education and employment, the research compares the outcomes of young people across the country, with a particular focus on the chances of social mobility for young people from lower income homes. Alongside the brief, there is an interactive map which can be accessed at: https://www.suttontrust.com/opportunity-indexinteractive-map

The Centre for Young Lives outlines a vision for transforming youth provision in the UK, emphasizing safe spaces, engaging activities, and trusted adult relationships. ​The proposed Young Futures programme includes 1,000 youth centres, year-round activities, and 10,000 trained youth practitioners. This investment, costing £1.46 billion over three years, aims to address challenges like youth crime, mental health crises, and educational disparities. ​Alma Economics estimates a £2.40 return for every £1 invested, with benefits in education, mental health, and crime reduction. The report calls for sustainable funding and a coordinated national strategy to ensure equitable opportunities for all young people. ​

Research exploring the needs and preferences of young people and youth practitioners in England

National Citizen’s Service (NCS) want to understand the latest perceptions, needs and preferences of young people and youth practitioners across England, in relation to youth provision. In January 2024, NCS commissioned UK Youth to undertake qualitative research to explore this topic. Insights were gathered through mixed methods, with a strong focus on an innovative approach to soliciting and analysing audio-recorded testimonies.

As the national body for youth work in England, the National Youth Agency exists to champion the value of youth work for young people, for local communities and for society. We work in partnership and believe in collaborative leadership, listening to youth workers and the youth work sector so that we can understand their needs and respond to the challenges they face. We are ambitious for youth work and for young people and integrate youth voice and influence across our work.

A Youth Evidence Base report by SQW and the University of Warwick for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

This review located and screened over 25,000 studies from across 22 major research databases and repositories. A total of 77 studies met the review criteria for relevance and suitability. Studies were quality assessed, organised within six activity areas, and analysed in-depth by area to better understand the impacts of open access youth activities

A Youth Evidence Base report for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Our research used five datasets to explore the effects of weekly participation in youth clubs on outcomes later in life. Four of the five datasets were longitudinal studies; the fifth was a rolling annual survey. The studies covered different generations of young people from the 1970s to 2000s, and the timing of outcome measurements reflected this.

A Youth Evidence Base report studying the local impact of youth clubs.

The goal of this research was to understand what impact the presence of youth clubs have on local areas. Data sources were predominantly official statistics relating to national and local government. Some data were unavailable for all areas of interest, or were reported inconsistently across different local authorities. We encountered data shortages relating to the numbers of youth clubs, and youth workforce headcount including volunteers, and participants. Interviewees said that the trends revealed in our analysis nevertheless broadly reflected their experiences.

Youth work can transform lives. It provides a safe place for young people to find their place in society and learn practical skills to help them realise their full potential. In these difficult times, this is more important than ever. New research by UK Youth and economics consultancy, Frontier Economics, has found that annual investment in youth work saves the government as much as £3.2 billion.

The results highlighted in this report are the result of the hard work and effort of our team. Their interactions with young people and preschool children would not have been as successful as this report demonstrates, had it not been for their excellent commitment to providing opportunity and challenge to young people and working together to achieve this common objective.

2020 will be forever remembered for two global events. One that changed everyone’s lives and one that needs to. The former, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the latter, the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis and the resulting worldwide calls for change. As a charity these tragic events have shaped and informed our year.

A comprehensive report detailing the work and impact of Mind across the UK