UNISON’s Million Voices will be standing up for young people this week. They are being hit hard by the recession, with fewer job opportunities, and cuts to the services they rely on to get the best start in life.

Public sector workers make a huge difference to the lives of young people every day, from birth until they reach adulthood. Sure Start centres give families vital support, but there are signals from the Tories that if they win the next election, they may take away this vital safety net.

That’s why I’ll be speaking at the launch of the ‘Shout out for Sure Start’ campaign this week, to show the politicians how much we value what Sure Start centres do to give children the best start in life.

The young unemployed look to youth workers and staff working at Connexions for help. That’s why it makes no sense to cut funding. At UNISON’s Connexions and youth workers seminar in London, I’ll be calling on the Government to fund properly this lifeline. I’ll also be calling for the minimum wage “development rate” to be scrapped and for a boost to the number of apprenticeships on offer.