The recently published Young People and Work: Interim Report should serve as a wake-up call across all UK governments, public services and civil society. The report paints a stark picture of a generation increasingly detached from education, employment and training, warning that the UK is at risk of creating a ‘lost
generation’.
For those of us working in youth services across Wales, the findings are unfortunately not surprising. They reflect what youth workers, homelessness practitioners and community organisations have been witnessing for many years: growing anxiety amongst young people, declining confidence, increasing complexity of need, and in some cases systems that continue to respond too late rather than intervene early.

This is where high-quality youth work has a critical role to play.