Young People: Their Value, Their Problems, Their Future

Young People: Their Value, Their Problems, Their Future

On the 5 May 2021, Medway People Before Profit will be hosting a meeting on The New Generation, Its their future, their reality. Why don’t we ask them’. At this meeting, to which all are invited to join us, we will be discussing how Young People see the World in which we are living and express their opinions about this world. We will seek to put this in perspective and consider what we can all do to ensure they have a better future.

I consider that this is a very important issue and that this is a very important meeting. I have followed closely the Children’s Commission and their reports, especially the one entitled Pass the Parcel in which they outline the many issues regarding placements for children and young people who have to be moved from their home area because of the danger they faced. Often these children and young people can be moved up to a hundred miles away from their familiar surroundings and find themselves lost in a different environment. The found solution is often to move them again, many miles, to an entirely different environment where again they feel lost. This is but one of the many problems faced by young people. These problems can be related to poverty, mental health, a variety of forms of deprivation, family circumstances, an education system that is geared to meting the needs of industry and commerce and seeks to force topics onto children and young pupil at much to early an age and thereby prevent them from developing naturally and normally.

In previous blogs, https://scribrat.blogspot.com/2020/12/series-2-blog-1-some-thoughts-about-our.html and https://scribrat.blogspot.com/2021/02/building-back-better-reaching-englands.html I have discussed many of these issues. The purpose of this blog is to provide some statistical background to the meeting on 5 May. I have drawn these statistics from a number of sources, giving the date on which they were applicable wherever possible. They are intended to give a framework for the discussions. If you wish to verify the details I suggest that you visit the relevant sites, such as The Children’s Commission, Department of Works and Pensions, Child Poverty Action Group, NSPCC, Care Quality Commission, NHS, Clinical Commissioning Group.

A great deal of time could be spent in relation to Education. The structure of our Education System is designed to meet the needs of Industry and Commerce. It is not designed to develop the mental and physical capacities or the well being of our young people. The retention of Grammar Schools, the outsourcing of schools to various Academies, the development of the curriculum are all aspects of our education system that militate against the needs of young people. One of the main complaints that young people make is that the curriculum changes that have been brought in have meant that topics formally taught at a higher lever (Advanced Level GCSE for example) are now being included in curricula much lower down the age range (for example at Ordinary GCSE). The same is very true at infant schools. A recent report made the following argument

Age ten is the age at which children should be switching from learning to read to reading to learn. It’s a critical milestone that sets children up for a lifetime of learning. Something that affects every aspect of their lives and their involvement in and contribution to society in general. And yet, since 2015, more than 393 million children have reached their tenth birthday without having basic literacy skills. And every second the number gets higher.

The One Campaign, The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and Save the Children have built an interactive tool called the Lost Potential Tracker. They hope to persuade Governments to take action ahead of the Global Education Summit in July.

Research have shown how negative childhood events – such as abuse and neglect – can have a detrimental effect on a persons long-term physical and mental health. It has been linked to accelerated ageing, chronic disease and even premature death. Stress experienced in childhood can also influence our genes and be passed on to offspring. Childhood adversity can cover neglect, abuse or trauma and unfavourable socioeconomic conditions such as poverty, low education or unemployment.

One in ten young people say that they have no one to talk to if they feel worried or sad. The same amount of children between ten and fifteen have a diagnosable mental health issue. What is very relevant is that, in half of those suffering from mental health problems, the problem was established by the time they were fourteen. And yet, out of the NHS allocation of £76.5 billion CCG’s spend a total of £703million o Children’s mental health. That is £92 per child. By comparison, the spending on adult mental health service is 13 times higher. The percentage of the NHS budget spent on Children and Young peoples Mental Health is 0.92%.

A Study reported in The Conversation dealt with the impact of serious conflict in the home and the effect of financial difficulties experienced during childhood. Experiencing severe financial strain in childhood can mean uncontrollable, chronic stress. This pattern of stress can be an obstacle to healthy development and effective learning later on. Financial strain can mean a child will lack basic necessities such as food, clothing and school books. It means children grow up in deprived and unsafe neighbourhoods. This type of stress can inhibit a person’s ability to make decisions, which can have long term implications. It also makes it less likely a person will achieve positive outcomes later in life. The effects of financial stress can compromise their health and behaviour in adulthood, even if they escape disadvantage later on.

Growing up in an environment characterised by serious conflict can a marked effect on psychological and neurological development. It limits a person’s ability to regulate emotion and behaviour. Such experience predisposes people to unhealthy life styles like substance misuse or comfort eating. It also disrupts the immune metabolic and autonomic nervous system, meaning that it has a direct, biological effect on a person’s ability to stay healthy.

In terms of general health, people who grow up in such environments are at increased risk of cancer, obesity, or being hampered by physical health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, breathing problems, physical pain, along with stomach or digestive problems. The researchers found that people who had difficult childhoods are ore likely to binge drink smoke, have a poor diet and tend to be less active – often engaging in sedentary behaviour. The results of the study show a high risk of depression, unhappiness, dissatisfaction with life, loneliness and feeling unsafe in ones area. They also found that childhood adversity puts people at increased risk of social isolation. They are less likely to interact with others and have a general mistrust towards other people – and those getting married are more likely to get a divorce.

What are the relevant statistics?

Distribution of wealth (July 2014 – June 2016)

Bottom 10% of households	£13 900 or less
Median Households	£262 400
Top 10%	£1 224 900 or more
Top 1%	£3 243 400 or more

Children in low income families live in households whose equivalent net income for the relevant financial year is less than 60% of the median equivalised household net income for that financial year. The percentage of children in low income households, after housing costs, has remained around 30% since 2002.

Sqwawkbox has provided the following for the Official UK Child Poverty figures 2017/18

Category	Number
Children in Poverty	4 000 000
Children Homeless	210 00
Children using Food Banks	600 00
No Winter Coat	120 00
Do not celebrate Birthday	240 00
Cannot afford Fruit and Vegetables	360 000
In Fuel Poverty	840 000
No Outdoor Play Area	1 080 000

This relates to the Material Deprivation Scores Used for Children (20.7.18). These indicate the desirable environment within which children should grow up in order to develop their mental, physical and general well-being.

1. Outdoor space or facilities nearby for play

2. Enough bedroom for every child of 10 or over of a different sex to have a bedroom of their own

3. Celebration on special occasion such as Birthdays, Christmas, or other religious festival

4. Leisure equipment such as sports equipment or bicycle

5. A family holiday away from home for at least one week in the year

6. A hobby or leisure activity

7. Friends around for tea or a snack once a fortnight

8. Go on school trips

9. Toddler groups, nursery, play group at least once a week

10. Attends organised activity outside school every week

11. Fresh fruit and vegetable eaten by child every day

12. Warm winter coat for each child.

[Note these are weighted to give a final score in developing an Index of well-being]

Further information on Children’s welfare comes from from Child Poverty Action Group

Children living in poverty in UK	4.1 million
0f Children in lone-parent families are in poverty	47%
Of children growing up in poverty living in working families	70%
Children expected to be in poverty in 2022	5.2 million
Of children living in households with 3 or more children are in poverty	43%
Of children living in minority ethnic families are in poverty	45%
Of children in families with no working adult are in poverty	71%
Children living in poverty in UK in 2017/18	4.1 million (30%) ie 9 in a class of 30 pupils

To give some indication of the needs of young people, the following indicates the extent of need and special provision within Medway:-

Category	Number	Number per thousand
Identified with Special Educational Need	2167	131.97
Children in need per episode	632	38.49
Any fixed exclusion from School	710	43.24
Permanent Exclusion From School	33	2.01
High Level absence From School	675	41.11
Contact with Pupil Referral Unit at any school census date	130	7.92
Missing from Spring Term Year 11	74	4..51
Missing at least one entire term in last two years	55	3.35
Any identified need	3163	192.67
Multiple Need	905	55.11
Any time as Looked after Child	125	7.61
Any time on Child Protection Plan	40	2.44
Statement/Education, Health & Care Plan Spring Term	522	31.79
Contact with Pupil Referral Unit – all three terms	90	5.48
Any High Threshold Need	720	43.85
Multiple Threshold Need	53	3.47
Looked after and had more that 2 placements	12	0.73
Not entering Pupil Referral Unit/mainstream School within year	10	0.61
High level of unauthorised absence	214	13.03
Looked after 2+ missing invitation	12	0.73
Falling through gap indicator (excluding Not in Education or Training)	447	27.22
Multiple falling through gap (excluding Not in Education or Training)	91	5.54
Not in Education or Training December 2017	981	151.3
Any falling through gap including NEET	1428	89.96

One further aspect of the situation can be gauged from the following information. A child who has been in the care of the local Authority for more that 24 hours is known as a looked after child. A report from the joint Inquiry into children who go missing from care was published in June 2012. Police data estimates that 10 000 individual children in a year go missing from care. In 2011 the Government only recorded 930. There are over 65 000 children in care in England, mostly in foster care. Many have difficulties in their lives and have experienced abuse or neglect. They are vulnerable and easy prey for predators.

The offence of Sexual Communication wit a child came in to force 0n 3 April 2017 following a campaign by NSPCC. A Freedom of Information request showed that there were at least 4 373 offences of sexual communication wit a child recorded in April 2019 compared with 3 217 in the previous year. The data revealed that where age was provided 1 in 5 were aged just eleven or under.

A great deal more could have been written. There are so many different aspects to the problem. In her final speech as Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield had the following to say [Not an exact quote but my notes taken at the time]

She is concerned that the bureaucracy of Government must understand this. It is a question of priorities. She expressed her concern that she had to cajole people in Government to listen to the data that she obtain, and that sadly, after hearing they went back to their old ways. Society has a moral imperative to help families help children.

There is a desperate need to build back Better. Her proposal is that we should launch a year of opportunity for children and young people. This would involve the schools; it would involve forging the aims and interests of young people; it would go beyond conventional school life to involve sports, art galleries, libraries, communal activities, indeed every aspect of life. Children and young people would be given priority and their ideas and opinions, wishes and desires would be at the centre of everything that is done. We need to be passionate about children. We should define ourselves by what we offer to children. She called for a national effort, led by the Prime Minister, to reboot childhood. We need a Covid Covenant to Children.

There is so much that needs to be done if we are to care for our Children and Young People. It is action that is required. Above all we must listened to them as they express their views and gear all our policies in terms of what is fully in the interest of their mental, physical and general well-being.

Ralph A Tebbutt 2 May 2021