Tom Wylie, chief executive of The NYA, said: "We have been waiting a long time for this. The need to improve access and choice in healthcare for all children, young people and their families in England, in accordance with their needs and circumstances, is long overdue and The NYA supports this commitment from the Government."
The NYA welcomes the message, apparent throughout all the standards, that all children and young people should receive services that are age appropriate and accessible. It also suggests that youth workers are often well-suited to fill the role of trained and qualified staff to meet the needs of young people, especially in hospitals and formal healthcare environments.
Government's commitments to involve and listen to children and young people in designing appropriate and relevant high quality services for them is also welcome.
But Wylie continued: "This is a 10-year plan and it is not enough to listen once - it is a dynamic process that should constantly engage and involve young people in order to develop and evaluate the strategy - and its delivery - according to their needs."
