Coronavirus daily round-up: Thursday 12 November
Fiona Simpson
Thursday, November 12, 2020
The government’s Kickstart Jobs scheme has so-far created 19,000 jobs for young people, the Prime Minister has said.
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Each day, CYP Now will summarise the key issues affecting the children and families sector as it tackles the effects of the pandemic. The daily update signposts children’s services practitioners and leaders to the latest developments, expert views, advice and resources.
Kickstart Jobs scheme creates thousands of jobs for young people, PM says
The government’s Kickstart Jobs scheme has so-far created 19,000 jobs for young people, according to Boris Johnson.
In a tweet posted today, the Prime Minister said the jobs “had been created across the UK - from fitness to social care to TV and film”.
“Young people are our future and we are determined to make sure they can kickstart their careers as we build back better from the pandemic,” he added.
Our fantastic Kickstart Scheme has created 19,000 jobs for young people across the UK - from fitness to social care to TV & film.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 12, 2020
Young people are our future and we are determined to make sure they can kickstart their careers as we build back better from the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/l2qvnNbB7w
The message comes as latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the UK’s overall unemployment rate rose to 4.8 per cent in the three months to September rising to 14.6 per cent among 16- to 24-year-olds.
Centrepoint teams up with minicab firm to tackle homelessness in London
Minicab company Addison Lee has announced a new winter partnership with youth homelessness charity Centrepoint amid fears homelessness will soar in London due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The partnership will see Addison Lee directly donate £20,000 to Centrepoint and appeal to passengers to support the partnership through their own donations.
The company will also deliver presents to homeless young people in hostels and donate rides to help Centrepoint staff get to work over the Christmas holidays.
The campaign comes as at least 4,000 young people are likely to be facing homelessness in London this Christmas, according to Centrepoint which warns it is very likely that the coronavirus pandemic will increase that number this year.
Calls to fund struggling youth work organisations
The National Youth Agency (NYA) is calling for urgent funding for youth services threatened with closure this winter.
Many charity run youth services across the country are “running on empty”, according to the youth sector body. This is leaving many facing closure, as they tackle income losses amid the Covid-19 pandemic as well as funding cuts.
It wants the government to make funding available to “mobilise and deploy” youth workers through winter, including amid national lockdown and regional tier measures.
