New research shows need for new thinking on policies for young adults

NEW research, commissioned by young people’s charity Catch22, has found that 26% of young people between 18 and 24 do not feel ready to be fully independent without support.

The research also found that 33% of 18 to 24 year olds regularly ask their parents for help and support on a weekly basis. Only 8% of 18 to 24 year olds, feel they no longer needed the support of their parents or carer.

The charity’s research indicates that young people reach adulthood at different speeds and at different times. Many need continued help and support in their lives. In a new report, ‘Ready or Not’, published this week, Catch22 calls on the Government to formally recognise young adulthood, from 16 to 25, as a specific life stage and ensure services are better coordinated, better suited and more relevant to young people struggling to make the transition to adulthood.

Joyce Moseley, Catch22 Chief Executive, says:- “It’s clear that becoming an adult does not happen overnight so why are so many policies and support services based on arbitrary age limits?  We want the Government to recognise that the period of late teens to early-20s is a vital stage of life and treat it as such.    The way many services are currently structured leads to a number of artificial cut-off points fixed around age. These services will often only focus on a single problem leaving others unaddressed and burdening young people with negative labels. This often leaves vulnerable young people having to deal with unsuitable and uncoordinated adult services which do not cater for their differing needs or the life stage they’re at.”

The Catch22 ‘Ready or Not’ report highlights the stories of five young people who have experienced a steep drop off in support during the transition to adulthood. Their stories reveal how current failure to recognise the age range of 16 to 25 as a specific life stage, leaves many of the most vulnerable young people struggling to make the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Catch22’s experience shows that without its extended support, these young people would have continued with long term deprivation and lack of opportunities.

Catch22 research also demonstrates what people considered to be the most important indicators of becoming an independent adult. The top answers were; moving out of your parent’s or carers home (67%), paying household bills and rent (58%), holding down your first full time job (49%) and being responsible for your personal health and wellbeing (29%). Interestingly, voting was considered the least important indicator of adulthood with only 8%of people putting it in their top 3.

Joyce Moseley, Chief Executive of Catch22 continues:- “Everyone should be able to expect appropriate support that enables them to become an independent adult with a job, a home and a stable future.  Very few parents expect their sons or daughters to manage on their own at an arbitrary date and most will support their children into their early 20s and beyond.   The moment, those who are most likely to struggle to make the transition to adulthood with, the poorest, those leaving care and those from chaotic backgrounds, having their help cut off when they need it the most.”

A deafening silence - children and young people with diabetes feel they are being ignored

THOUSANDS of children and teenagers with diabetes in the UK are left disenfranchised and at risk of developing serious health complications because they often feel healthcare professionals and schools don’t always listen to their needs and help them control their diabetes, according to a report by leading health charity Diabetes UK. The charity now calls for improved provision of and access to educational and psychological support for children and young people with diabetes.

Last year 61% of children and young people with diabetes aged up to 17 years said that they rarely felt able to talk about their needs or only able to talk about them “some of the time” when trying to discuss their diabetes care goals with their healthcare team¹. For example, many children and young people wanted to have better access to advice on food choices and to psychological support but last year only 16% of children and young people always had access to a dietitian and only 0.5% to a psychologist.

The Diabetes UK’s Survey of people with diabetes and access to healthcare services 2009 report also shows that 56% of children and young people wanted to see better communication between their diabetes care team and schools so that they could receive the necessary joined-up support to manage their diabetes better. Diabetes UK calls for all young people and children with diabetes to have a care plan developed in collaboration with their school and their healthcare team: at the moment 46% of children and young people do not have a plan in place.

The management of diabetes in children and young people can be more complex compared with adults. Adolescence is a notoriously difficult time to achieve good diabetes control as hormonal changes can affect blood glucose levels. Having poor diabetes control makes children and young people more at risk of developing the serious complications of diabetes in the future, including stroke, heart disease, amputation, kidney disease and blindness.

Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, said:- “Coping with a condition like diabetes as a child or a young person is a great challenge and many struggle with their diabetes management. We must provide children and young people with diabetes with all the necessary help and support so they can manage their condition effectively and avoid developing the serious complications of diabetes in the future.  The majority of diabetes management is self-care so it is crucial that children and young people feel that they are being listened to and can take control of their condition. If they feel their views are not taken into account, we run the risk that they will become disenfranchised and become less likely to attend their healthcare appointments as adults.”

Dr Deborah Christie, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at University College London Hospital (UCLH) said:- “We must understand that managing diabetes within a full and active life is challenging for children, young people and families. This is why it is vital to offer them the type of support and advice they need. Psychological support for instance is an area where more provision is urgently needed.”

In the UK there are 25,000 children and young people under the age of 25 with Type 1 diabetes and it is estimated that as many as 1,400 children may have Type 2 diabetes.