Major children's rights report renews calls for youth work investment

A raft of youth work organisations, including the National Youth Agency (NYA), the British Youth Council, the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) and Youth Access, have supported the publication of a new report which warns children’s rights are “worryingly low” on the UK government’s political agenda.

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It warns that “children’s rights in England have regressed in many areas since the UK was last examined in 2016” and highlights further issues caused by Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Child poverty is increasing and likely to be exacerbated by the significant economic downturns expected because of Covid-19 and Brexit. Health and educational inequalities have continued to widen since 2016; in particular for poorer children and those from BAME [black, Asian and minority ethnic] backgrounds,” the report states.

It adds: “Funding for children’s and youth services has been decimated, while the number of children needing care or protection is rising and the pandemic is putting additional pressure on services.”

Among a series of questions to government, authors ask: "What assessment has been made of the impact of the government’s decision to reduce funding for children’s and youth services?"

The report comes after high profile youth organisations called on the government to release a £500m Youth Investment Fund promised in the Conservative Party’s 2019 general election manifesto.

In an open letter to ministers, the Back Youth Campaign warns that the money is needed to avert a funding crisis in youth services. 

“Many organisations were relying on this funding to invest in vital services to meet the increased needs of young people. Yet these same services are now on the brink of collapse,” it adds.

Meanwhile, research by the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award found that 54 per cent of young people surveyed reported that their levels of stress, anxiety or mental health issues could increase if they are no longer able to continue with the youth work activities and experiences helping them cope with the pandemic.

The report, led by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) and published to mark the start of a United Nations’ examination of the use of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in the UK, also warns that “despite increased investment, suicide is among the leading causes of death for five- to 19-year-olds. It is estimated that one in six (16 per cent) of five- to 16-year-olds in England have a mental disorder and Covid-19 has exacerbated this further.”

Mark Russell, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said: “All children have a right to good health and access to health services, yet clearly too many – particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds – are being denied the opportunity.

"The coronavirus has exacerbated many challenges for children and the government’s policy response often failed to ensure their needs were met, resulting in increased numbers struggling with low wellbeing. It is vital that ministers put children’s rights and their wellbeing at the heart of the recovery, to ensure every young person can grow up with improved health outcomes.” 

Louise King, director of CRAE, part of Just for Kids law, said: “Published to mark Human Rights Day, the findings of our report make for disheartening reading: children are being failed in many aspects of their lives and their rights are not being respected.

"Children continue to be a low political priority, and this has been exacerbated during the pandemic. The UK government needs to take urgent action to embed children’s rights into domestic law to ensure we don’t fall further behind progress being made in Scotland and Wales and that children’s rights are at the centre of the country’s recovery from the pandemic.”