Response to the Chancellor’s Spring Statement
The Chancellor’s Spring Statement highlighted the severe challenges we currently face in our political and economic landscape, including further predicted rises to the cost of living. This will bring further pressure and insecurity to the children and young people we seek to serve and the organisations doing difficult work on the front line. In this context, our system must be both sustainable and supportive.
We understand the need to have a sustainable system that prioritises support for those who most need it. We also agree with the sentiment expressed in the Government’s recent Green Paper, Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, that ‘A thriving and inclusive labour market – where the benefits of good work are realised by as many people as possible’, is key to achieving the Government’s missions. This is especially true for young people, who face increasing levels of not being in education, employment or training (NEET).
But, we must also look at the root causes of youth economic inactivity. A significant proportion of those who are NEET have Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) or face challenges related to their mental health. Following today’s statement, young people under the age of 22 will no longer be able to access incapacity benefits, but improvements to mental health services have not yet taken effect. The barriers to their economic participation do not begin at 16: these are many of the same young people that our education system struggles to support. To prioritise getting more young people into education, employment or training, we must identify those who are falling through the cracks earlier on. We were pleased to see the Government consider these deeper issues in its Get Britain Working White Paper, and the Youth Guarantee therein proposes a series of measures to prevent young people from losing touch with education pre-18. However, we are concerned that the present cuts will bite before these supportive measures have been implemented. We hope the Government moves with urgency to implement the Youth Guarantee to support those young people impacted today.
We also need to ensure that the announced cuts to the civil service does not negatively impact children and young people. We have valued civil servant participation in our working groups and events with members and young people, as this ensures policies are grounded in knowledge and insights from the front line. While we do think there is a prominent role for AI in making Government more effective, contextual understanding and relationships are key to impactful policymaking.
The country is faced with many tough choices, and in such a climate, we understand the desire to address immediate symptoms. However, it is more crucial than ever that those of us who seek to build a fairer future for today’s children and young people stay united in our vision. What will it take to achieve a reality where no child’s opportunity is limited by their socio-economic background? The Spring Statement will have an impact on our members, from charities to schools, and their capacity to open opportunities for every child and young person. Our open letter to the Chancellor set forth our unified position on what the Government can do now to move us closer to our vision – we continue to offer our support to make it a reality.