11Million reasons to take the

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www.11MILLION.org.uk
11Million reasons to take the health of young
people seriously
Sir Al Aynsley-Green Childrens Commissioner for
England
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The way we work
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Participation, not consultation!

• Consultation means adults ask and adults decide
• Participation means children and young people are
  seriously engaged in making decisions that affect
  them

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Improving the health of young people today
the context

• Society
• Politics
• What young people have to say
• What has to be done

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• 40 separate indicators in
• 6 groups
• Material well being
• Health and safety
• Education
• Peer and family relationships
• Behaviours and risks
• Subjective well being

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The evidence

• The UK is bottom of the table overall, and
• bottom for 5 of the 6 groups of indicators eg
• High poverty
• Poor health - high infant mortality low birth
  weight
• Poor family and peer relationships
• Risky behaviour alcohol, early sex teen
  pregnancy
• Low expectations and high NEETs
• Low self-assessed well being

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Are the findings true?

• With 11MILLION children and young people in
• England there will be inevitably a wide range of
• experiences and outcomes outstanding and
• successful to bleak and appalling.
• Challenge is to acknowledge there is a problem
• to confront whilst celebrating what is good

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DemonisationA major issue for society

• Affects
• The publics support for the cause of adolescence
  and their health
• Political pressure and direction of policy
• Causes
• Anger, alienation and frustration in young people
  
• themselves
• Redressing the balance 11MILLION takeover day

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Political context

• Every Child Matters
• National Service Framework
• Choosing Health White paper
• Youth Matters
• Our Health Our Care Our Say
• Teenage Pregnancy Strategy
• Youre Welcome
• Childrens Plan
• Staying Safe Action Plan

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Teenage Health Demonstration Sites

• Hackney, Bolton, Northumberland Portsmouth
• To demonstrate how
• to ensure information and guidance can be
  delivered effectively especially in non-health
  settings
• best to configure health services to young people
• test on-line health check for 12-13yr olds
• test support for those after abortion, teenage
  parents and avoiding repeat pregnancy
• RCPCH and NYA health skills framework

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What are we doing?

• Working with children and young people
• Focus on transitions
• Focus on social exclusion
• Risk - informed and positive decisions
• What makes you happy and healthy?

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Why focus on transition periods?

• Children and young people are often left
• without the right support as they move from
• Early Years to primary school,
• Primary to secondary education
• Leaving school
• Stress, anxiety and lack of support through
• these transition periods is common and
• worse for those with disabilities

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Young people tell us

• Nobody understands
• Ive got nobody to talk to
• I get bullied at school and the teachers punish
  me for not doing my homework on time
• I really needed help when my mum died
• Every school should have a drop in centre
• The Market Place has been fantastic

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Young people want

• To be asked, listened to, heard and respected
• Security and safety, end to violence family
  disruption
• School life
• End to bullying and racism
• Less anxiety and stress
• Better school environment to enjoy school more
• Knowledge and help in dealing with alcohol and
  drugs
• Non-judgemental information on sex and sexuality
• Someone to turn to
• What does this mean for the design and delivery
• of adolescent health services?

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Our special concerns

• Obesity
• Mental health
• Hidden harm
• Youth Justice
• Asylum and immigration
• Young carers
• Support for young people after abuse

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CAMHS Much achieved

• Significant growth in CAMHS
• Good practice emerging
• Raising awareness of mental health issues
  affecting children and young people
• Positive changes to Mental Health Bill 2007
• Age appropriate facilities

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Our influence

• Concerns raised
• Research via Young Minds
• Listening
• Writing report
• Key stakeholders
• Media contacts BBC News reports
• Launch
• Parliamentary debate
• Media coverage
• Follow through

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But more to be done

• CAMHS improvements not benefiting
• all in need
• Some receiving little or no help
• Delays in finding suitable beds in some areas
• GPs feel unable to refer due to lack of provision
• Impact of other provisions, such as CTOs
• Failing to meet needs of those in custody and
  seeking asylum
• Ensure age appropriate provision works in
  practice

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Exposing hidden harm

• 300,000 children with drug misusing parent
• 850,000 children with alcohol misusing parent -
  Impact of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
• Parental mental health 30 - 50 of adult mental
  health users are parents
• Domestic violence
• 175,000 young carers in the UK high risk of
  mental health problems
• Think Family Think Child and Young Person

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Whats to be done?

• Unprecedented opportunity
• Young people on radar screen
• Listen to them to design appropriate services to
  meet their needs
• Advocate for them and demand effective
  commissioning of journey through services
• Look out of the box
• Encourage them to have ownership of their health

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The opportunity for schools

• Understanding each student
• Someone to turn to
• Health services in schools
• Personal Social and Health Education
• Sex and relationships
• Alcohol and substance misuse
• Promoting emotional resilience
• Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning
• UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools

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