By Cassandra Popham, Ellie Taylor and William Teager.. et al

The Youth Endowment Fund surveyed over 10,000 teenage children (aged 13-17) in England and Wales about their experiences of violence. The findings are detailed across five reports, each focusing on a different aspect. In this report, we explore children’s access to positive activities, youth clubs and trusted adult figures. Here’s what we found. Most children do positive activities. Activities such as sports programmes, arts and volunteering can provide children with safe spaces, support, educational opportunities and a sense of community. They can also provide ‘hooks’ to engage them in other services and support. The majority of teenage children (95%) have access to these sorts of activities locally, with 84% participating in at least one activity once a month or more. Team and individual sports are the most common, with 72% of 13-17-year-olds having access to team sports and 42% regularly participating. Similarly, 62% have access to individual sports, with 35% participating. Gender differences are notable: 88% of boys engage in positive activities compared to 80% of girls. Boys are far more involved in team sports (54% of boys vs 30% of girls), while girls participate more in arts (27% of girls vs 13% of boys) and part-time work (15% of girls vs 11% of boys). Among 17-year-olds, 34% of girls take up part-time work, compared to 25% of boys. Interestingly, children directly affected by violence as victims (88%) and perpetrators (90%) are more likely to take part in positive activities than children who haven’t been victims of or perpetrated violence (83%). They are less likely to do activities such as team sports, but are more likely to do volunteering, wilderness activities and combat sports. Vulnerable children are the most likely to attend youth clubs. Youth clubs are places that provide children and young people access to activities, support and community. They also provide opportunities or ‘hooks’ to engage children with other services and forms of support. While 70% of 13-17-year-olds report having access to a youth club in their area, 40% attend one at least once a month. School-based youth clubs are the most commonly attended (35% have access and 17% attend), followed by those in youth or community centres (37% have access and 12% attend). A third (33%) of teenage children who don’t currently attend a youth club would like to. It seems that youth clubs manage to reach those who most need them. Children who’ve been directly affected by violence are twice as likely to regularly go to a youth club – 60% of victims and 65% of those who’ve perpetrated violence, compared to 31% who haven’t been victims or perpetrators of violence. Youth clubs, especially those based in schools, are generally viewed as safe spaces. For children who’ve been victims of violence, online youth clubs1 are considered safer, with 14% attending them compared to 7% of their peers. Most children, including those most affected by violence, have a trusted adult outside the home. When a child or young person is vulnerable and in need of support, having an adult in their life who they can turn to can make a big difference. For some, this might be a family member, but others might feel more comfortable seeking help from someone outside their family or friends – for example, a youth worker, sports coach or more formal mentor. While 82% of teenage children have a trusted adult outside their family, 18% do not. School staff are the most trusted adults (58%), but children who’ve been suspended, excluded or face greater risks of violence —such as drug use, exploitation or involvement with the police – are more likely than others to turn to adults outside of school settings, such as sports coaches, mentors, doctors or youth workers. Boys, in particular, are more likely to trust a sports coach (24% of boys vs 12% of girls), while girls tend to rely more on school staff (60% of girls vs 56% of boys). These findings highlight the importance of supporting and facilitating these trusted relationships to help vulnerable children navigate their challenges.

London: Youth Endowment Fund, 2024 Report No. 5, 2024. 37p.