20.10.2006
4Children and The National Youth Agency Unite to Call on Government to Treble Investment in Young People
The National Youth Agency and leading charity 4Children are uniting in a call to Government to treble their spending on young people. Submitting evidence to the Treasury the organisations are calling for an increase in level of investment on the scale of 'Sure Start' to improve life chances and reduce inequalities for the most vulnerable young people in the country. This will mean an increase from the current £98 for each 13-19 year old a year which is currently spent on services outside school to over £300.
Anne Longfield, Chief Executive of 4Children said: "Government has focused on interventions to support children in the early years to reduce inequalities with some effect. But interventions in the early years are not an inoculation for life and all evidence shows that ongoing support is needed for children as they grow up and move towards adulthood. We must do more to increase the chances for our young people. Government must invest more." Tom Wylie, Chief Executive of The National Youth Agency said: "We are simply asking the government to commit to the levels of investment required to fulfil its existing policies for a ’youth offer’. The NYA has calculated this would cost up to £350 for each teenager - that’s less than £1 a day to provide places to go, things to do and someone to talk to." The NYA and 4Children argue that the current offer for young people is in urgent need of review. • On average £98 per year is spent on statutory youth services, from youth centres to street based and project-led activities, for each 13-19 year old in England. An increase to £350 would open up access and let all teenagers know what’s on offer at any point in time, in places where it is needed. Two million would be expected to then use those services. That’s half the population of 13-19 year olds, effectively doubling the current level of provision, while also directing services to those most vulnerable. • The youth offer would cost £1.5bn with further investment needed to take account of wider community involvement for volunteering, faith and community-based groups or specialist services. In comparison, the government allocated £2.9bn to local authorities to support the delivery of early years provision in 2005/06, with an additional £1.4bn in 2006/07 to reduce inequalities in younger children, through funding for Sure Start childcare, children’s centres and extended schools. • One million young people say they are left on the streets after school in England with nowhere to go. Six out of ten young people think there is not enough to do in their area and 70 per cent agree this may lead young people into crime. Evidence from the USA shows that investing in youth programmes benefits the public and participating young people by $3 tax dollars for every $1 spent without counting the advantages of reduced crime.
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