Amazing things happen when young people get the help they need
Youth Access
Youth Access is the national membership body that represents and champions organisations delivering support for young people. We are the voice of the youth advice and counselling sector, and we support young people to campaign for services and systems that meet their needs and fulfil their rights.
Our members - Youth Information, Advice and Counselling Services (YIACS) - are organisations rooted in their local communities. Also known as ‘early support hubs’ or ‘one-stop shops’, they provide easily-accessible support to young people aged 11-25 on a wide range of issues.
They provide wraparound support to meet complex and intersecting needs, covering everything from mental health and wellbeing to education, employment, housing and more. A local service's offering is shaped around the specific needs of the young people in their area. Designed and developed with their young people's needs and rights in mind, they provide a holistic, person-first approach, respecting all cultures and backgrounds.
That's also one of the reasons why our members have a better reach to young people from typically worst-served groups than statutory services. Woven into the fabric of their local community, they are better placed to meet their needs. Improving and continuously striving for more equal access to service provision.
Our members come in all shapes and sizes, and we’re here to guide and support them.
Our strength is in the diversity of our membership, supporting them to deliver services in a way that is responsive to their communities and to learn from each other so we can improve and adapt.