HSFC students give their opinions on Public Health
Posted on 13th January 2023
HSFC students give their opinions on Public Health
Students from a broad cross-section of subjects participated in a Youth consultation exercise on various topics affecting young people in Herefordshire today.
The project was led by IMPACT Consultancy and Research by independent researcher Maxine Bassett on behalf of Herefordshire Council. Also in attendance was Matthew Pearce, Director of Public Health for Herefordshire Council.
Students were consulted on a set of 12 priorities that have been proposed for the next Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Herefordshire, which will run for the next 5-10 years. The students involved shared how important they felt each of those proposals were, and identified areas they felt were missing within Herefordshire.
Specific public services where they felt improvements were needed within Herefordshire included:
- Children's social services
- Child and adolescent mental health (CAMHs) including the transition into adult mental health services.
- Policing, CCTV and information to help keep themselves safe
- Better access to religious resources, such as Hindu Temples
- Sexual health advice and services
- More information about the services that are available and how to access them, such as the Street Pastors.
There were strong views on the importance of ensuring the continuation of consulting and listening to young people's views.
Close links with the public and private sectors form part of the College’s strategy to build “Employability” for students, providing valuable experiences for applications to employers, Apprenticeships and Higher Education. Students are advised to keep an eye on IMPACT hub for future opportunities, particularly during IMPACT week in June.