Young people and health

The World Health Organisation has published Health for the World’s Adolescents, which shows that:

• Depression is the predominant cause of illness and disability for both boys and girls aged 10 to 19 years; and
• The top three causes of adolescent deaths globally are road traffic injuries, HIV/AIDS, and suicide and worldwide, with an estimated 1.3million adolescents died in 2012

The report also brings together, for the first time, all of the World Health Organisation’s guidance on the full spectrum of health issues affecting adolescents, including tobacco, alcohol and drug use, HIV, injuries, mental health, nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, and violence.

To download the report, which also recommends key actions to strengthen the ways countries respond to adolescents’ physical and mental health needs, visit http://apps.who.int/adolescent/second-decade.

A World Health Organisation survey of 6,000 young people aged 11, 13 and 15 in England has also found that one in five 15 year olds say that they self-harm and that in the last decade there has been a threefold increase in the number of teenagers who self-harm.

The full report, entitled Health behaviour in school aged children, will be published in the autumn. For further information visit www.hbsc.org.

The Children and Young People’s Health Outcomes Forum, an independent advisory group, established by the Department of Health, who advise on how to improve children and young people’s health outcomes, has published its first Annual Report for 2013/14.

The report reflects on what improvements have been made since the launch of the system-wide pledge for better health outcomes for children and young people in February 2013, and what remains to be done.

For further information visit www.gov.uk/government/news/experts-welcome-unprecedented-focus-on-children-and-young-peoples-healthcare-but-say-more-progress-needed-across-system.

To download the annual report visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-children-and-young-peoples-health.

The Forum has also published reports on their responses to consultations and recommendations, which can be downloaded at www.gov.uk/government/publications/responses-from-children-and-young-peoples-health-outcomes-forum.

NCB and FaithAction have released two short films entitled 'Facing the challenge of realising social value' and 'Working together to deliver social value'.

Aimed at VCS organisations and commissioners operating in the health and care sectors to address the needs of children and young people, the films capture a range of perspectives from experts in service provision, commissioning, policy and research, on what social value means and how it can be delivered, measured and demonstrated.

To view the films visit www.youtube.com/user/WatchNCB.

Youth Access and The Young People’s Health Partnership have published three new briefings on integrated mental health services for young people.

The briefings, which provide important guidance to commissioners in the NHS and local authorities on how to implement responsive and cost-effective solutions, are entitled:

• Making Integration A Reality – Developing effective holistic services for young people in transition
• Making Integration A Reality – Joining up the commissioning of young people’s services across health, social care, housing and youth services
• On The Right Tracks – A guide to commissioning counselling services for young people.

For further information and to download the briefings visit http://youthaccess.org.uk/news/press-release-integrated-mental-health-services-for-young-people-move-a-step-closer.