Somerset in 'most challenging' places to be a child

Low spend on youth services, instability for children in care and missing deadlines to deliver care plans for young people with additional needs have been identified as barriers to growing up in Somerset.

Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza's latest report into childhood outcomes has placed Somerset as the 11th "most challenging" place to grow up in England.

Despite being among the lowest performing authorities, its lack of young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) and high uptake of apprenticeships were recognised.

Paul Matcham, a youth worker at Minehead Eye and the Somerset Youth Alliance, said the "isolation of young people is a real challenge".

In the report, which took data from a number of authorities and organisations, it found spend on youth services and mental health referrals was lower than other places, as was access to dentists.

It also found only 6.4% of Education, Health, and Care Plans (ECHPs) were completed by the statutory 20-week deadline.

Somerset Council does not directly fund any youth provision in the county.

However, the county is the seventh highest for access to play areas, 10th for apprenticeship participation at 21.4% and fifth for the lowest amount of NEETs, at 0.9%.

Matcham said there are a number of factors that make Somerset challenging to grow up in, including lack of higher education provision, difficulty getting driving lessons and tests and poor public transport.

In places like Minehead, he said without transport the only work on offer is "low-skilled, seasonal work".

"Unless you're a really driven young person that's got that safety net around them, it's really difficult to develop as a young person and go on to succeed."

Somerset Council said it was "working with children, families, and partners... to improve outcomes and target support where it is most needed".

"As the Children's Commissioner has made clear, this report is not a performance league table of councils," the authority said.

"It brings together measures spanning services delivered by schools, health organisations, the police, government and the voluntary and community sector, as well as councils.

"That does not diminish the challenges identified or our responsibility to play our part in addressing them."

It added there had been some progress, including in areas such as an increase in children feeling safe, and more NHS dentists opening in the county.

The BBC approached the Somerset Integrated Care Board, which manages dental provision, for comment.

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