It's #JusticeWeek18 - since cuts to legal aid requests to The Howard League for help for young people in prison have doubled; need has increased and there is still no #LegalAid for many important issues affecting children in jail. More here howardleague.org/wp-content/upl…

Tomorrow, MPs debate the future of legal aid. Our new report shows young people are bearing the brunt of cuts. We need serious reform to meet their #rights - buff.ly/2CWlcST We hope young people won't be forgotten in tomorrow's debate. RT if you agree #justiceweek18

New report Youth Access on #legalaid and #youngadults - 57% young people with mental health problems experienced social welfare legal problems - 48% young people losing access to #legalaid following cuts had MH problems + low income

Government spends £1.6 bn on #legalaid. Yes, it's a lot of money, but goodness, certainly on the civil side, it could be spent so much better, to help more people to more fully resolve more legal problems. MPs across parties see that - but does the government? #JusticeWeek18

Young adults face 5 million legal problems each year, but 84% get no help from any professional adviser or lawyer. The Ministry of Justice's own survey only identified 1 YP from its sample of over 10,000 adults who got advice funded by legal aid -> buff.ly/2SAP3p0 #justiceweek18

Vulnerable groups eg those with mental health problems + lone parents, are worst affected by the cuts. Nearly 1/2 of young people’s problems removed from scope by LASPO were reported by those with mental health problems on low incomes - buff.ly/2SAP3p0

Only 15% of 18-24s recognised their problem as ‘legal’ and too many don't know where to get help. Justice isn't just about lawyers. We need early intervention advice, age-appropriate support and programmes like Make Our Rights Reality to educate & empower YP to use #rights RT if you agree

When young people can't access legal advice....

📣We are looking for an amazing young person to come and work on our Make Our Rights Reality campaign! If you are aged 18-25 and passionate about the power of young people to create change, check out our new Campaigns Assistant role >>> bit.ly/2DQd070

Tom Royston rightsnet Child Poverty Action Group Here's another good stat from recent Youth Access analysis: Despite 18-24 yr-olds experiencing over 5 million legal problems p.a., MOJ’s own survey could only identify ONE young person (from >10,000 sample) who had obtained advice funded by legal aid youthaccess.org.uk/news-and-event…

Important campaign....

BBC News - Legal aid advice network 'decimated' by funding cuts bbc.co.uk/news/uk-463571…

These children are not a serious threat to the public but are victims of exploitation, abuse and traumatic upbringings. A different approach is needed rather than resorting to incarceration Big rise in number of children held in custody before trial theguardian.com/society/2018/d…

Rights are meaningless without a way to enforce them. If #legalaid cuts go unchallenged, things will worsen. As Charlie Falconer writes, "the less the law intervenes to regulate conduct, the more conduct deteriorates" - be it #DWP, #landlords, bosses... bit.ly/2QdSAHw

Our response to the Ministry of Justice #LASPO review justrights.org.uk/response-to-mo…

Yesterday the @mojgovuk published its long-awaited #LASPO review. It includes some positive steps, but still doesn't go far enough to ensure access to justice for all children and young people. Read JustRights's response: justrights.org.uk/response-to-mo…

The potential for young people to drive positive social change is enormous. Campaigns like #Youth4ClimateJustice Make Our Rights Reality #OurMindsOurFuture @LetUs_Learn #Votesat16 are demonstrating this - key strands of the nascent #YouthRightsMovement 👊

Today we're proud to launch a new project which will help to put the voices of young people at the centre of mental health service design. Huge thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund and #NationalLottery players for making this project possible! youthaccess.org.uk/news-and-event…

We called it an impact and learning report to not only focus on our achievements but also to be transparent about what we didn't manage to achieve and what we learned #learningmatters

Blog 3 for #childrensmentalhealthweek is James Kenrick, CEO of Youth Access arguing for a #humanrights based approach to the design of CYP mental health services ow.ly/ZmeG50ybLv7