The publication of Youth Matters, the first national youth strategy in almost twenty years, marks an important moment for the youth sector. Over the next decade, the strategy intends to improve outcomes, expand opportunities and reduce inequalities experienced by young people across England.
This strategy comes at a time when public debate about young people’s mental health has been dominated by stereotypes and negative press. Meanwhile, evidence shows a more complex picture, rising levels of distress, widening inequalities and a sharp increase in the number of young people who are out of work due to long term mental health difficulties. Against this backdrop, a coordinated and long-term strategy is not only welcome but necessary.
The strategy focuses on improving young people’s access to trusted adults (people who care), places to go and things to do, and ensuring young people feel seen, heard and supported. Backed by £500 million, it includes commitments to:
- Invest in youth facilities
- Create a network of Youth Futures Hubs, which we have long championed through the #FundTheHubs campaign
- Expand opportunities for personal development and skills
- Recruit, train and support youth workers, volunteers and other trusted adults, enabling an additional half a million young people to have access to a trusted adult outside the home
- Strengthen local youth partnerships and improving coordination across systems
If delivered effectively, these commitments have the potential to rebuild an infrastructure that supports young people’s wellbeing, relationships and sense of belonging.
Mental health: turning ambition into meaningful support
A central element of Youth Matters is the commitment to provide mental health support within Youth Futures Hubs. To be effective, this support must be delivered by qualified mental health professionals, such as counsellors, psychological therapists or psychologists; integrated with wider help addressing the social and environmental drivers of young people’s mental health; and focused on direct support, not solely information or signposting.
The Government has allocated £70 million to establish 50 hubs by 2029, but this is significantly below the ambition outlined in the manifesto to create a hub in every community. Our #FundTheHubs campaign costed a comprehensive, multidisciplinary national network at approximately £150 million per year, providing a consistent early intervention model accessible to all 10 to 25-year olds. Without scaling up towards this level, many communities will continue to face patchy access to mental health support.
Employment, skills and mental health
Youth Matters acknowledges the critical link between mental health and employment. A growing number of young people are out of work due to mental health problems, a trend with serious consequences for their wellbeing, financial security and future opportunities.
The strategy includes several commitments relevant to this challenge:
- Expanding access to skills, volunteering and youth-led social action.
- Providing more consistent support from trusted adults to help young people navigate transitions into training or work
- Encouraging stronger partnerships across the youth, education and employment sectors.
Our recent Young Changemakers programme illustrates how meaningful youth social action can strengthen confidence, purpose and belonging, particularly for racialised young people. Supporting young people into employment cannot be separated from supporting their mental health. Implementation will need to connect hub-based provision, local ICB priorities and wider employment programmes so young people do not fall between systems.
The role of activities and outdoor learning
The strategy highlights the importance of activities, enrichment and outdoor learning, recognising their value in strengthening mental health and wellbeing. Youth clubs, sports, creative activities, outdoor education and nature-based programmes all play a vital role in:
- Reducing loneliness and isolation
- Improving confidence, resilience and emotional regulation
- Supporting physical health
- Building peer relationships
- providing safe environments where adults can spot early signs of mental health need.
For many young people, particularly those who are most underserved, these activities represent their first or only form of support. Ensuring sustained funding for this part of the youth offer will be essential.
Data, inequalities and evidence-based planning
We welcome the recommissioning of the children and young people’s mental health prevalence survey, an essential tool for understanding changing patterns of need. Updated, high-quality data will be particularly important given current debates around prevalence, diagnosis and unmet need and can support better planning and commissioning across systems.
The strategy also recognises the need for neighbourhood-based approaches for young people facing the greatest inequalities, including those in care or leaving care, those involved in the criminal justice system and young people living in residential settings. These groups experience disproportionately high mental health needs and require coordinated, multi-agency support.
What happens next?
The success of Youth Matters will depend on the systems that sustain action, accountability and assurance. To achieve meaningful change:
- Young people and communities must be central to implementation, shaping decisions both nationally and locally
- Delivery must prioritise those experiencing the most entrenched inequalities
- Cross-government collaboration, across health, education, employment, justice and local government, in partnership with the community and digital sectors, is essential to create a coherent and holistic offer
- Investment must look beyond short term cycles and commit to building a stable, long-term youth infrastructure.
Youth Matters presents a significant opportunity to rebuild support for young people and place mental health at the heart of youth policy. The challenge now is ensuring that its ambitions translate into sustained, tangible change.
Kadra Abdinasir is Associate Director of Policy at Centre for Mental Health.
