THE lives of some of the most vulnerable children in Hull are being put at risk because of funding cuts, it is claimed.
An experienced nurse at Hull Royal Infirmary has spoken out over a shake-up of council youth services in Hull.
The nurse, who works in the hospital's accident and emergency department, said: "My fear is that the safety net for some of the most vulnerable kids in the city has gone.
"It's not just a question of whether someone will slip through the net in the future because that net is no longer there."
The nurse practitioner only agreed to talk to the Mail anonymously, claiming she could face disciplinary action for publicly speaking out.
She said she decided to act after hearing the manager's post at the Hull Rights and Participation Project (RAPP) had been deleted by the city council.
The move is believed to be part of an ongoing reorganisation of council-run children and young people's services aimed at saving at least £3m over the next two years as a result of Government funding cuts for the authority.
Formed in 1997, the RAPP project dealt with about 3,000 young people every year until being incorporated into the Hull Youth Council two years ago following a previous council restructuring.
It specialised in working with so-called "hard to reach" young people aged between nine and 21 considered to be at risk or in need.
Although many were known to social workers, others were technically too old to continue to receive direct support from the council.
The nurse said: "When these kids come into A&E, all we can do as the NHS is treat their health issues.
"As a health trust, we don't have the resources or the skills to help them beyond putting on a sticking plaster or stitching them back up.
"We have our own social health care team but they are already overstretched with the workload they have to deal with.
"The majority are homeless and lead quite horrific lives, going through some mind-blowing situations.
"To be blunt, these sort of problems were way beyond what we could cope with.
"In the past, we've referred them to RAPP as a last-chance saloon because just about every other avenue has been tried up to that point.
"In my experience, RAPP has been brilliant in picking these kids up and giving them a sense of purpose again. Now we've got no one to refer them to.
"I'm not sure the city council understands what is going on here.
"It's all very well looking at cutting budgets but when these posts are being deleted, you start losing skills and knowledge which have been built up over years of working in a very difficult area of social care.
"As a city, we were just starting to turn things around, particularly with things like teenage pregnancy rates.
"My worry is that some of the most vulnerable children in the city with very risky lifestyles will not get that last chance anymore.
"For me and my colleagues, it's a massive blow.
"My job is all about ensuring the safety of children and young people in Hull and that's not happening anymore."
Rachel Roberts, Hull City Council's assistant head of service for adult, children and family services, said: "The council faces making unprecedented savings and service reviews are taking place across the council.
"The youth services review has changed the way some services are delivered, however we continue to provide advocacy services for young people and support them to have a voice and influence in the city."
