Supporting young people is the job of every government department - Lucy Frazer

This was translated as. Life is full of opportunities. Think big, be ambitious, believe in yourself.

I was lucky to have her because she instilled those values in me. They are essential core conservative values.

Everybody has potential. Everybody can fulfil it. They may need a step on the way and if they need it, or want it, we will give it to them.

They may not, and if they don’t, and can do it on their own, we won’t stand in the way of success or tell them what they should be doing or how they should be doing it.

We will support all young people to maximise their potential and that’s what I want to talk about - the potential of everyone across our country and how we help them fulfil it.

I want to start with what we have already done because we have invested heavily in supporting young people across the government.

And we have done it in a conservative way. That is, thoughtful consideration of how and where money ought to be spent. Based on evidence about what makes the most difference.

So there is Department for Education funding for education, the highest on record, including free school meals and the holiday activity and food programme.

Home Office funding for the youth endowment fund on programmes which prevent children being exploited and getting involved in serious violence.

Ministry of Justice funding on youth justice, to support every council to catch and prevent youth offending earlier than ever.

Department for Work and Pensions funding for the kickstart scheme which provided a vital leg up in the world of work for young people who needed it. As well as their boosted Youth Hubs and Youth Employability coaches who help address barriers to employment.

Department of Health and Social Care help, including mental health support teams in schools and increasing access to community health services.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities funding local authorities to level up opportunities and preventing significant risks for young people such as youth homelessness.

And in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, we have been leading from the front, with the National Youth Guarantee. A landmark programme backed by over half a billion in funding, to broaden the horizons of young people right across the country. And we are already seeing results.

Over £100m of the Youth Investment Fund has gone out of the door, giving thousands more young people access to opportunities in their community.

Supporting young people is not the job of one department. It is the job of every government department.

An abridged version of a speech delivered by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer at the Onward Think Tank.