Fund the Hubs responds to National Youth Strategy
Last week, the government released Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy, the first in over two decades. As part of the Fund the Hubs coalition, Mind welcomes the government’s commitment to Young Futures Hubs as a way of delivering their three shifts: from national to local, from fragmented to collaborative, and from excluded to empowered.
The National Youth Strategy commits to spending £70 million over the next three years to rebuild and improve local youth services and to establish a network of 50 Young Futures Hubs by March 2029. This falls significantly short of the £95 million promised annually to back the rollout of Young Futures Hubs in every local community. And even further below the £150 million per year that Fund the Hubs costed to properly fund one in every council.
To meet the scale of mental health need, investment must be radically upscaled. With only 50 hubs planned over the next four years, many young people risk missing out on vital early support. A hubs model has been proven effective in local communities for decades. It is essential that Young Futures Hubs build on existing hubs that are already embedded within local systems and highly valued by young people. This includes ensuring Young Futures Hubs are available for young people up to the age of 25, so young people are supported as they transition into adulthood.
As noted in The National Youth Strategy, one in three young people surveyed as part of the State of the Nation report rated mental health as among their biggest worries. To adequately respond to this concern, sustainable funding, co-production with young people, and mental health at the heart of the model must be embedded within the design of Young Futures Hubs so no young person falls through the gaps. To read Mind’s ‘Care before Crisis’ report about the state of children and young people’s mental health and what needs to change – including putting an early intervention hub in every local authority area - please click here.
