Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of youth workers on levels of costs for (a) the NHS and (b) other public bodies providing services to young people.

This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential.

We have not made an assessment of the potential impact of youth workers on costs for the NHS or other relevant public bodies, instead, we utilise the wealth of external research indicating the positive impact youth work and youth services can have on young people’s health and other outcomes, including helping to reduce costs for a range of public services.

The new National Youth Strategy will better coordinate youth services and policy at a local, regional and national level, moving away from siloed working and driving efficiencies - ensuring we are better coordinated and more than the sum of our parts.