Are there any differences for young people with protected characteristics?
Mental ill-health is a significant barrier to education, employment, and training. A recent report by the Prince’s Trusts’ identified that the most common reason why NEET young people are struggling to find a job or not looking for work is due to a mental health problem or disability (39 per cent).
Recent statistics show that one in four young people aged 17 to 19 have a probable mental health condition, up from one in six in 2021.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing issues in relation to mental ill-health. This is illustrated in many councils’ local NEET data, which shows a significant growth in the number of young people who are not active in the labour market due to ill-health; with mental ill-health being a prominent factor.
Councils’ family and youth services report that the pandemic had a significant impact on many young people’s development, from which some young people have not yet recovered. This has shown up in a variety of ways including more young people finding it difficult to engage with people outside of their family unit and having poor levels of motivation in school.
Councils also report that there is an increased number of young people who find it difficult to engage on a 1:1 basis with support services. There is evidence of increased levels of social anxiety and a lack of readiness to participate in education, employment, or training. Some young people appear to have lower aspirations and are making decisions based on short term goals, rather than considering longer term ambitions. For example:
- Durham County Council report that in June 2019, 26.1 per cent of 16-18-year-olds were NEET. This had risen to 33.0 per cent in June 2022. (Department for Education: Local Authority Client Caseload Information System, June 2022).
- Somerset County Council report that at the start of this academic year, 429 young people, nearly 9.0 per cent, (from a cohort of approx. 5,300) have withdrawn from their college courses. Some of these have found new destinations but over 65.0 per cent (283) are now NEET/not known. This is an increase from this time last year and the main reasons for withdrawal are mental health/anxiety/not coping with the course (local college data.)
Social inequalities are associated with a higher risk of mental ill health, with children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and minority groups more likely to experience poor mental health.
Children from low-income families are four times more likely than those from the wealthiest households to have a serious mental health difficulty by the time they leave primary school. There are also clear links between poor mental health and health and racial inequalities, with rates of mental health problems often higher among some black and ethnic minority groups than for white people. Recent research from the IFS Deaton Review identified that mental health inequalities are complex, with intersectional factors such as race, gender, geography, and class all playing a role in influencing a young person’s chance of growing up mentally healthy.
It is well established that there is an inter-generational pattern to mental health. Children whose parents experience mental health issues are two to three times more likely to experience mental health themselves, than children whose parents do not. It is estimated that four million children in the UK, equating to one in three, have a parent with poor mental health.
LGBTQ+ children and young people report significantly higher levels of mental health problems, and often face particular barriers including bullying, and feelings of vulnerability and difference, which impact their emotional health and wellbeing and their ability to engage in employment, education and training.
Children and young people in rural or remote areas face particular mental health and wellbeing challenges, including a higher risk of alienation and social isolation. Children and young people in areas with poor, infrequent or unreliable public transport infrastructure also face particular barriers in accessing support from mental health services, which tend to be centralised in urban areas, and in access training or work opportunities. These barriers are disproportionately experienced by children from low-income families, those experiencing disadvantage and those with complex needs.
Practitioners report that cultural background is a key factor in how young people interact with mental health support services. Rethink Mental Health states that fear, stigma, and lack of culturally sensitive treatment can act as barriers to accessing mental health care for people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
It is also reported by those working with young people that young women are possibly more likely to seek mental health support earlier, with a stereotype for young men to ‘get on with it’.
Many councils have put in place targeted initiatives and developed pathways to successfully support young people who face additional barriers or have complex needs into work or further training. This includes targeted work with young people with special educational needs, young offender backgrounds, those from ethnic minority groups, and those with experience of the care system.
Such interventions are additional to standard national initiatives and are typically financed through council funding or through a range of external funding bids. Funding provided at the local level through Integrated Care Systems can also help to provide a localised bespoke support approach to children and young people’s mental health services, when this is prioritised. For example:
- Hackney Borough Council has designed a number of programmes focussed on an inclusive approach to employment which engages and supports those experiencing disadvantage in the area, including, care leavers, young people with disabilities, and young black males. This includes their supported internships programme that provides a stepping-stone to employment for young people with SEND. Five years ago, the council also established ‘Hackney Council Apprenticeships’ to create new placements within the council. The scheme proactively recruits underrepresented groups and ensures that those that may not normally get invited to interview are given a first interview opportunity.
- Devon County Council offers mental health support through the Devon Youth Hub/Exeter Works. The programme provides open access support, 1:1 bespoke support for young people, and group work tailored to LGBTQ+ young people, young carers, children in care, care leavers, those experience mental health issues.