Grace Ward, Peer Researcher and expert by experience in the participation team at YPAS, outlines why it is imperative for the government to include young people in the design and rollout of its Young Futures Hubs programme.
Picture: YPAS
YPAS offers drop-in mental health and wellbeing support in Liverpool. In their manifesto, the Labour government pledged to fund 90 hubs with £95 million per year to offer drop-in community based mental health support to children and young people, and to prevent young people from being drawn into crime.
Too often, decisions are made without young people present. If Young Futures Hubs are going to be as effective and meaningful as they can be, there is one aspect we must address – what is it that young people themselves want from Young Futures Hubs?
I am writing as a young person employed as an expert by experience in the Young Person’s Advisory Service (YPAS), a hub offering drop-in mental health and wellbeing support in Liverpool. I am equally writing on behalf of the experiences of my team members, who are also employed as experts by experience. While we do not represent the voices of all young people, we can provide a unique insight into our understanding of what works well in the hopes of encouraging wider involvement of young people in the design and delivery of Young Futures Hubs.
First, hubs would do well to look towards existing service provision so that this is supported and expanded. We do not need to re-invent the wheel, especially when best practice already exists.
Hubs like YPAS offer holistic, person-centred support which can look different from hub to hub, depending on community needs. The holistic offer in YPAS includes counselling and wellbeing support, but it goes beyond that. YPAS has multiple groups, including their LGBTQ+ group GYRO and their Young Ambassadors group. There is also a range of support including with parenting, for refugees and those going through the youth justice system.
The importance of having a wide offer is that it increases access to opportunity: the opportunity to meet new people, try new things, to develop as an individual. Every young person’s journey will be different, their level of involvement in a hub will vary, and that is the purpose of a hub. It is about having choice in your care and feeling supported in your decisions.
What is amazing about a hub is that you can enter it with one issue and find out about a wider offer you were unaware of. To access a hub seeking counselling and then becoming a Young Ambassador or a member of GYRO is a testament to what a whole-life approach to care can achieve.
Beyond this, YPAS have been innovative in employing young people as Peer Researchers and Peer Mentors. As a part of this team of young people, we interview prospective YPAS staff, conduct research projects on topics relevant to young people, and provide support to other young people who are on the waiting lists for other services.
YPAS is an example of what one hub can achieve when it is given the right resources. We are an example of what young people can achieve when given the right support.
However, as young people from Liverpool, we can only share why YPAS is important to us and what we think Young Futures Hubs should look like based on this experience. Knowing this, we don’t want to see other young people excluded from accessing community-based, person-centred support or excluded from the design of Young Futures Hubs. This disparity can’t go on.
According to the Future Minds campaign, it is 100 times cheaper to treat a young person in the community than as an inpatient. Having supported the Fund The Hubs Campaign for many years, we know that what we are campaigning for makes the most sense. While we are disappointed and tired of repeating ourselves, we aren’t deterred.
We call on the government to bring young people across England together, not as a one-off opportunity to discuss Young Futures Hubs, but as consistent, respected, equal partners. The government must act to ensure we are heard and included in decisions made about Young Futures Hubs, as young people, experts by experience, and employees.
We call on professionals in the sector to share this message and to support young people to share their views. This is the only way Young Futures Hubs will be delivered successfully, backed by experience.
Young people don’t just want commitment from those in power, we need it.
So, let’s stop the repetitive conversations. Let’s prioritise supporting action from the bottom up, sharing the impact of existing hubs, and building a feedback loop between young people, the sector, and those who hold power to deliver Young Futures Hubs.
Check out our socials below to read more about Grace’s call to action ⤵️