GambleAware invests over £2.5m to expand the Youth Education Hub Service to England and Wales

• GambleAware has today released two new Invitations to Tender to expand the Scottish Gambling Education Hub Service to both England and Wales.
• The charity has invested £2.58 million ( €3.1m Euros/ $3.5m USD) into the new Hubs across both nations to help prevent and reduce gambling harms among young people.
• The new Gambling Education Hubs are based on the existing Scottish Gambling Education Hub, which is run by Fast Forward and has been operating for over seven years.

GambleAware has issued two new Invitations to Tender for the design, delivery and development of new Gambling Education Hubs in England and Wales to help reduce gambling harms among young people.

The overall aim of these projects is to use early intervention and prevention methods to reduce gambling harms among children and young people. The new Hubs will be expected to deliver training that focuses on core youth sectors, including youth services, family services and formal education. As a result of the training, youth practitioners, teachers and youth organisations should have an increased awareness and understanding of the risks related to gambling and the impact of gambling harms, as well as what services are available to young people.

In Great Britain, young people may experience difficulties as a result of their own gambling, but many are also affected by someone else’s gambling. To reduce the risk of young people experiencing gambling harms, these new Hubs will help provide youth practitioners and organisations in England and Wales with the skills and confidence to educate young people about the risks related to gambling, the harms associated with it and where to go to for support and advice.

The new Hubs will be based on the existing Scottish Gambling Education Hub model, delivered by Fast Forward, and the specifications have been adapted based on learnings and recommendations identified in the external evaluation of the existing programme. The Hubs will also reflect differences in curriculums, languages, regions, need and demand, and political and other contexts, specific to each nation.