NYA chief backs youth worker mental wellbeing role

Fiona Blacke, chief executive of NYA, was responding to the publication of new research that found a third of children and young people suffering with depression do not know who to turn to for support.

The poll of 2,000 11- to 25-year-olds, commissioned by YoungMinds, reveals that the mental wellbeing of children and young people is being increasingly affected as they struggle to deal with a range of life pressures.

Blacke said young people need youth workers now more than ever before to help them cope with the pressures of life.

She said: “A friend of my daughter’s committed suicide recently, he was 15-years-old, so young people’s mental health is very much at the forefront of my thinking at the moment.

“I know young people live with more pressure and expectation than ever before and many don’t know what to do when it all gets too much.

“If he had had access to a youth worker they might have been able to provide the space and support he needed.

“Young people need someone to listen, offer support and help equip them with the skills and self-knowledge to be resilient when times are tough.”