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Why the minutes and the months matter most to young people during the COVID-19 crisis
Jun 1, 2020
Vulnerable young people will need the most urgent support during and after the pandemic. Economic insecurity and the educational fallout will affect many more for years to come. Here's what policy-makers should focus on to minimise the harms being done to young people.
The UK is now emerging slowly from a lockdown that began on 23 March. After 10 weeks of lockdown extensions, one could almost be forgiven for thinking that this crisis is one in which citizens are living week-to-week, simply going about their normal lives for six days and then pausing for reflection on the seventh.
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In reality, however, very few possess this luxury. For countless young people across both London and the UK as a whole, it is the minutes and the months that matter most during the COVID-19 crisis.
The minutes
Even though lockdown restrictions are increasingly eased, the same cannot be said for the pressures facing youth mental health services. It is vulnerable young people, particularly those most at risk from what The National Youth Agency (NYA) labels the ‘toxic trio’ of addiction, mental health issues and domestic abuse, who will require the most substantial and pressing support during the pandemic. In an emergency situation, this support will need to be accessible within minutes, not weeks (or worse). Unfortunately, the 2007/8 global financial crisis has left state-provided mental health services severely under-funded and plagued by endless waiting lists . The recent addition of increased demand and rising worker illnesses have only exacerbated these issues.
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