Vulnerable and Marginalised Young People

There are many vulnerable and marginalised young people who are facing adversity and need additional help to attain good health. If you fall into one of these categories remember you are not alone.

41% of young offenders have experienced childhood bereavement

• 700,000 young carers in the UK - no child should remain hidden from services while caring for an ill or disabled family member. Measures in the Care Act and the Children and Families Act mean that local authorities must take reasonable steps to identify young carers, assess their needs, and then explicitly define what those needs are. Currently, a young carer or their parent must request an assessment themselves; many don’t, either because parents don’t recognise that their child is a carer, or because they do, but don’t want to admit it either to themselves or to the authorities, for fear of being accused of neglect or endangering their child.
• 93,000 ‘looked after’ children and young people in the UK –‘looked after children’ generally have greater health needs than their peers yet they may have more difficulty accessing adequate healthcare. They have statutory yearly health assessments (twice yearly if aged under five).
• 83,000 homeless young people in the UK - homeless young people are more likely to use accident and emergency services or be admitted to hospital than their housed peers, and that they need more help in accessing appropriate health services. Homeless people can face major barriers in accessing dental services – while their life circumstances can often mean they are among those most in need of treatment
• 1 in 20 young people have been sexually abused
• 80,000 young people suffer from severe depression - Depression is a treatable illness. The first step towards getting help is to recognise that there might be a problem. Young people can be referred to their local child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) which can offer more specialist help.
• 1 in 7 11-15 year olds have special educational needs
• Half of transgender young people have attempted suicide - The lack of visibility and acceptance in society contributes to these shocking figures about suicide attempts and self-harm in trans young people. While society’s attitudes towards transgender people are changing, it is still not fast enough and the negative impacts on trans people’s mental health every day are huge.
• 20% of 10-24 year olds are from an ethnic minority
• 13% of under-19s live in deprivation - Poverty is both a cause and a consequence of poor health. Poverty increases the chances of poor health. Poor health in turn traps communities in poverty. Marginalised groups and vulnerable individuals are often worst affected, deprived of the information, money or access to health services that would help them prevent and treat disease.

Winstons Wish
winstonswish.org.uk

NSPCC
nspcc.org.uk

Young Minds
youngminds.org.uk

NHS
nhs.co.uk

Reference: ayph