Work placements, apprenticeships and volunteering opportunities can all help young people to become productive members of society and increase their life chances. With almost one million young people out of work at the moment, there is a clear and pressing need for support to be made available to improve their life chances. It is not just young people who suffer if they do not have access to these opportunities. Government and our wider society will also be affected, as will the success of a "big society".
In fact, the recession is already affecting more than young people's employment prospects. Youth information and advice services across the country are reporting noticeable increases in youth homelessness, even before housing benefit cuts have taken effect. Also, most mental health problems start in childhood and adolescence. Failure to give young people access to timely and supportive help for their mental health is costly to them, their families and society too. The costs to the economy of poor adult mental health are estimated at £105 billion per year.
So it is obvious that early interventions, which require initial investment, can bring about significant long-term savings to public spending. Poor housing and mental ill health will prevent some young people taking up work and training opportunities. That's why funding for face-to-face support services is crucial for young people to overcome any problems they have. Ensuring that young people can receive counselling for mental and emotional health issues, information on housing and advice to resolve welfare benefit problems all play a role in enabling them to participate in civil society.
With educational maintenance allowance being cut, we feel that it is crucial that young people get support in making appropriate financial choices. Youth Access is the national membership organisation for young people's information, advice, counselling and support services. They report that the vast majority of their 200 members are facing unprecedented cuts to funding from a variety of sources, as much as 100 per cent in some areas. Whilst the welcome news on Gift Aid reforms will obviously bring financial benefits to many charities, this will not happen quickly enough for these agencies.
In these challenging times, Lasa believes that digital inclusion has an important part to play in addressing youth unemployment. YouthNet and the Peabody Trust have shown that services that harness and build on the talents of young people can connect communities and potentially offer opportunities to deliver public services in cheaper and more innovative ways. Such programmes can also develop the skills and knowledge of young people.
Lasa understands that the chancellor has tough choices to make and supports his efforts to address youth unemployment. However, the majority of employers are not in a position to provide specialist emotional and financial advice to their employees. That is why it is vital that any new initiatives for young people are not put out of reach for those who need extra support in getting into work or training.
Paul Treloar is head of policy and communications at Lasa
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