The portfolio of gaming and gambling harm-prevention programmes delivered by Ygam is helping to safeguard millions of children and young people, according to the charity’s latest impact report.

The report reveals the evidence-based education programmes trained more professionals than ever in 2022 covering all regions of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The charity delivered training to 4,819 delegates including 2,994 teachers and youth workers. Other professionals included health practitioners, social workers, mental health specialists, university staff and community leaders. Those trained are equipped with the knowledge, confidence, and resources to help support and safeguard the children and young people they have influence over.

The delegates trained by Ygam have committed to reaching an estimated 1,857,895 young people over the next 12 months. Teachers deliver the Ygam resources as part of the PSHE curriculum in schools with resources mapped from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 5/Post 16. 96% of teachers and youth workers trained agree that they feel confident about talking to young people about gambling and gaming, compared to 33.3% before the Ygam training. 98.1% agree they can signpost and support young people if they’re concerned about gambling or gaming harms, compared to 25.8% pre-training. 98.5% agree they can recognise signs of gambling and gaming harm in young people post-workshop, compared to 31.5% pre-workshop

Dr Jane Rigbye, Chief Executive Officer of Ygam said: “The findings of this report are a source of pride, and I want to thank the team, our partners, and supporters for their dedication and effort during this year. Our focus was to consolidate and build on the impact of our existing work, whilst looking to the future through the development of a new strategy to guide us from 2023.”

“The team have risen to the challenge; they have been flexible, inspiring, and creative. They have set the foundations to enable us to deliver programmes which meet the needs of those who have responsibility for safeguarding children and young people, in a way which will deliver continuously improving standards and real impact.”

The report details the number of independent evaluations and academic studies that Ygam has been engaged in. The charity says it is committed to supporting research activity to further develop the evidence base and better understand what works in gaming and gambling harm prevention. Over the past 12 months, Ygam has worked closely with leading academics from universities including Plymouth, Loughborough, Bristol, and Newcastle.

The charity has also increased its engagement with parents in 2022 through online workshops and their Parent Hub website. 94.9% of parents felt confident about spotting signs of gaming and gambling related harm after a Ygam workshop compared to 14.9% pre-workshop.

A foster carer who completed the Ygam training praises the charity saying: “This course has taught me so much – the online gaming world is so important in the lives of the young people I look after. I now have much more confidence in being able to start conversations and to be curious about their online worlds.

Through the League Football Education programme, Ygam worked with 12 professional football clubs. The charity delivered educational workshops on gaming harms to over 336 academy players.

Ygam has also continued efforts to review and improve its systems and ways of working. The charity passed several robust audits and assessments which demonstrated Ygam is operating above all statutory and regulatory requirements.