‘Don’t lose sight of the potential’

Ahead of last summer’s general election, the Labour Party campaigned on a number of issues related to children and young people’s mental health as part of its ‘Change’ manifesto.

A key initiative amongst them was the development of Young Futures Hubs– an ambitious vision for local, walk-in, youth-led spaces offering early mental health and wellbeing support. They would be grounded in trust, community and accessibility.

We’d previously championed community assets like hubs in our Thinking differently manifesto (April 2024). We were pleased that we could later put our support behind the Fund the Hubs Blueprint, which set out clear and evidence-based recommendations for implementation of the hubs.

That’s why we’re disappointed to now see the government’s revised plans.

What’s changed?

Rather than delivering on the scale and scope initially proposed — 90 hubs with £95 million per year in funding — the government will now launch just eight pilots, with a total investment of £2 million, focused in areas with high levels of knife crime and antisocial behaviour . A further rollout to around 50 hubs is promised over four years, but with drastically reduced funding per site.

We’re concerned that this reframing could shift focus away from what makes these hubs so valuable to young people. When these spaces are positioned first and foremost as crime prevention tools, rather than holistic mental health and wellbeing support for all young people, we risk alienating the very communities they are meant to serve. Young people tell us time and again that what they want is somewhere safe and informal, where they can be themselves, ask questions without judgement, and find support on their own terms.

Hubs work when they are co-designed with young people, rooted in their lived experience and embedded in their communities. They succeed when they are universal, not stigmatising, and voluntary, not coercive. When mental health support is delivered early, in a way that’s easy to access and led by young people’s needs, the impact is transformative for individuals, for families, and for communities.

What we want to see

We urge the government not to lose sight of that potential. With the right investment and intent, Young Futures Hubs can be a critical part of a system that helps every young person thrive. But we need to hold onto the original vision: one of care, not control; of prevention, not punishment; of trust, not surveillance.

Let’s not scale down our ambition for the next generation. There is still time to shape the Young Futures Hubs into something truly transformative — a national network of welcoming, evidence informed youth led spaces where every young person feels seen, heard and supported. By listening to young people and learning from what works in communities, we have the opportunity to transform our approach to mental health prevention.

About Anna Freud

Anna Freud is a mental health charity and we’ve been supporting children and young people for over 70 years. We listen to and learn from their diverse voices, and integrate this with learnings from our science and practice to develop and deliver mental health care. This holistic approach has world-changing potential – our training, schools support, networks, partnerships and resources equip those who impact children and young people’s lives with the knowledge and skills to support their mental health.