The potential loss of an arts programme may lead to teenage deaths, a youth worker fears.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s budget papers propose stopping the Youth Arts Award scheme to save £48,000 from next year’s budget.
An equalities impact assessment going before the Policy and Resources Committee’s budget meeting on Thursday (10 February) said that the programme supported vulnerable young people aged 11 to 18, including those in or leaving care, and “disengaged from education”.
The impact of losing the service was described in the statement which said: “This would result in a loss of opportunity for the most vulnerable children, including children in care who are disengaged from education, to achieve a nationally accredited award and reintegrate them back into education, training or employment.”
Youth worker Joshua, who asked the Local Democracy Reporting Service to use his first name only, fears for young people’s future because the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) team referred them to the service.
Parents whose teenage children have significant mental health problems had asked for his help, he said, because they were concerned that their children might die if the council were to cut the arts programme.
He said: “I am concerned children are going to end up dying from suicide. There’ll be limited support for children who are vulnerable. It’s quite a unique programme the way the youth workers run it.”
There were 25 young people on the waiting list during the first lockdown, with the chance to achieve bronze, silver and gold arts awards – a nationally recognised qualification.
The criteria for referral to an arts award youth worker is
- The young person has emotional distress that is impacting on their education
- They are not attending school full time
- They are working with a professional who can refer them
- If they are a young person in care, they automatically meet the above criteria.
- They are aged 12 to 19 years old or up to 25 years old with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities)
…
Since 2020, young people to have benefited include a person who refused to attend school and had complex mental health problems and who had since started at a sixth form college and a person who refused to speak and felt unable to leave their home but who had started living independently.
The two specialist arts award youth workers handle 135 face-to-face sessions a quarter and Joshua said: “It’s such a small budget. It’s not like it costs millions a year.
“I’ve seen young people who were completely housebound that have gone out into the community.
“There are children and young people who have mental health ‘sections’ in hospital who are now discharged.
“We’ve had people go back to work and education who were school refusers.”
Joshua is lobbying councillors on the council’s Children, Young People and Skills Committee to support changing the budget.
Labour councillor Jackie O’Quinn said: “Labour very much supports the provision of activities for all young people in the city, especially as the pandemic has had a major impact on young people’s health and wellbeing.
“The Youth Arts project has run for several years now and has been very successful. Young people who take part have found it improves their mental health and increases a positive attitude to work and education.
“At present, a number of youth programmes may receive cuts to their budget but Labour is working to see if the cuts can either be removed or reduced in amount.
“The budget for the city is very challenging this year but we aim to do our best in ensuring continuing provision for young people.”
Conservative councillor Vanessa Brown said: “The Youth Arts programme is a positive service that helps young people cope with their mental health problems and then get back to living their lives.
“I know that parents have told me how it’s really helped their children when they have been dealing with mental health issues.
“Recently, I had an email where a resident said how it had really helped their daughter and how, without it, the mother would have been really concerned for her welfare. It really grounded her and gave her an interest.
“It would be really sad to see this positive programme cut as so many of these cultural programmes have been cut and it is often the disadvantaged children that take part and need them the most.
“We will do everything we can to reinstate this money in the budget for 2022-23.”
The council’s Policy and Resources Committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall from 4pm on Thursday. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
