Our children’s wellbeing needs taking seriously.

Mental Health – and all its associated issues – has been in the news a great deal in recent days.
From funding to training and taking greater precedence amongst Government priorities, there is cause for optimism and reason to believe that the steps being taken are ones that, at long last, head in the right direction.
That such steps are both much needed and long overdue is obvious.
And another item high on this week’s news agenda underlines as much must not be overlooked.
Which item?
The recently-revealed findings from a UK-wide survey, commissioned and conducted for The Prince’s Trust, that shines a light on the anxieties that are so troubling to today’s young adults and adolescents.
Young people’s self-confidence has been discovered to be at its ‘lowest ebb’ since the research in question began eight years ago; It’s a situation that The Prince’s Trust describe as ‘deeply concerning’.
That it is concerning is beyond question, although it comes as no great surprise here.
Many young people are – as the research has found – demoralised and pessimistic.
Fragile, anxious and lacking in both confidence and self-esteem, many young adults and adolescents are fearful for their futures and becoming ever more disenfranchised.
For all the initiatives that have been outlined in recent days, this is an area that must be addressed, prioritised and changed in order for improvements to be made. Consider the following:
From the 2,215 16 to 25-year-olds surveyed, 58% said recent political events had made them fear for their futures, whilst 41% considered themselves to be more anxious than 12 months ago . . .
50% believe it’s harder to find a job now than it was last year (despite record low unemployment). 42% consider traditional goals (including home ownership or getting a good job) to be unrealistic and 34% think they’ll go on to experience a standard of living that is poorer than that of their parents.
In addition – and perhaps most concerning – 28% feel out of control of their own lives, 18% feel unable to change their circumstances and 16% think that, no matter their actions, their lives ‘will amount to nothing’.
‘This report paints a deeply concerning picture of a generation who feel their ability to shape their own future is slipping away from them,’ said Dame Martina Milburn, chief executive at the Prince’s Trust.
Taking everything into account, no matter how accurate their perceptions, it’s impossible to ignore their views.
It’s for this reason that, for all the speeches and the rhetoric and the politics and the posturing in recent days, it’s important to underline time and again that there is much work still to be done in order to make a difference to the fragile teenagers, adolescents and adults in our midst. There can be no doubt that a growing number are disenfranchised, demoralised and pessimistic.
Mental Health – and all its associated issues – has been in the news a great deal in recent days . . .
It’s up to us all to keep it there.