In our Young People’s work, we’ve always been passionate about ensuring that all Young People get the Financial Education they need, especially those whose situation and circumstances may often lead to them not being included.
That’s why we’re delighted to announce today that we, in partnership with Teenage Cancer Trust, have been selected by the Money & Pensions Service (MaPS) as part of their Children and Young People Financial Education Innovation Programme to work on an exciting new pilot programme.
This pilot will develop two tailored, virtual Workshops for Young People undergoing cancer treatment, one aimed at 13-17 year-olds and the other for 18 year-olds. The pilot will comprise ten Workshops in total, delivered via an online platform, across several teenage cancer treatment centres in the UK.
Some of the key issues we’ve identified with Teenage Cancer Trust as particular financial needs which Young People with cancer face are:
- They often miss schooling because of their treatment, meaning they therefore miss Financial Education lessons, when these are available.
- They have highly specific Financial Education needs because their cancer is likely to affect them financially in the future e.g. through life insurance, travel insurance etc.
- Cancer has a negative impact on the household’s finances. Families with a child or young person receiving treatment for cancer are, on average, £600 worse off (according to Clic Sargent). Money therefore becomes another worry on top of the actual cancer.
In that context, we’re excited to take on such an interesting and valuable project alongside an amazing partner doing incredible work, as well as being thrilled to have been successful in bidding for this programme.
The MaPS’ Children and Young People Financial Education Innovation and Evaluation Programme will conduct pilots to develop and test new solutions, as well as existing but untested interventions, to address unmet need and gaps in Financial Education provision where there is not yet conclusive evidence on the most effective solutions. The pilots will run until September 2021 and focus on three areas: children under seven, children and young people in vulnerable circumstances, and digital delivery of Financial Education.
You can find out more about the programme, including details of the fellow grantees by clicking here. Or to find out more about our work, head to our Young People’s pages by clicking here. You can also find out more about the great work Teenage Cancer Trust do by heading to their website.