Tomorrows People

1

Older teenagers not in education, employment or
training Audit Commission May 2009
2
Why an Audit Commission study and why now

• Reducing proportion of NEETs is most frequently
  selected LAA indicator
• Areas face significant changes and challenges
  over the next few years preparing for raising the
  participation age and machinery of government
  changes over 16-19 funding how prepared are
  areas for this?
• Large amounts of public money are invested in
  this area are areas getting value for money?
• The economic downturn is likely to make achieving
  NEET targets even harder what can areas do to
  reduce the impact on young people?

3
Study timings and outputs

• Recommendations to central government
  (particularly around funding or policy issues)
• Recommendations to LAs and partners, along with
  guidance, tools and case studies to help improve
  practice
• Fieldwork likely to take place from September
  November 2009
• Report published Spring 2010

4
Scoping has included

• Review of literature and policy
• Analysis of data on NEET trends by area and
  other factors such as the economy, deprivation
  etc
• Meetings with national stakeholders (e.g. DCSF,
  DIUS, DWP, Ofsted)
• Visits to local and regional stakeholders
  (Dudley, Lewisham and Cambridgeshire councils,
  Government Office West Midlands)

5
How do councils ensure that interventions to
reduce the level of NEETs are cost effective?

• What type of provision is available for young
  people in the core NEET group (focusing on
  sub-groups of young offenders, teenage parents,
  care leavers and young people with learning
  difficulties and disabilities)?
• How much does the provision cost?
• What are the completion rates and outcomes?
• What savings are gained from the provision in
  place?

6
Are councils and there partners making best use
of the sources of funding available for working
with young people NEET?

• What sources of funding are available how many
  are short term?
• What is the balance of funding between preventing
  young people becoming NEET and working with those
  who are already NEET?
• What is the balance between universal and
  targeted support and what results do they
  achieve?
• Are there any barriers to accessing funding to
  reduce the NEET group?

7
How can the childrens trust create greater
efficiency in reducing NEETs?

• What evidence is there of strong links between
  the childrens trust, 14-19 partnership and NEET
  strategy group bringing additional resources or
  funding to the problem?
• Are there any examples of sub-regional
  commissioning bringing greater efficiency gains?
• How do childrens trust encourage links with
  other agenda e.g. teenager pregnancy, anti-social
  behaviour?
• What activity resources do schools provide to
  reduce NEETs?

8
Do councils ensure economic strategies have
sufficient focus on young people?

• Any examples of collaboration between economic
  development and regeneration teams and work on
  NEETs what benefits did this bring?
• Are there links between employment and skills
  board and 14-19 partnership groups does this
  join up demand and supply more effectively?
• Do economic strategies and skills strategies have
  sufficient focus on young people?
• What are LAs doing to support young people during
  the economic downturn what can they be expected
  to do?

9
Discussion and feedback

• Are these the right research questions are
  there other issues we should focus on?
• What is the quality of data generally on the cost
  of interventions and the outcomes achieved?
• Are there particular organisations/groups of
  people you think it would be useful for us to
  speak to in fieldwork?
• What type of outputs/tools/guidance would it be
  helpful for areas to have?

10
Next steps

• Scoping workshop with stakeholders at the end of
  May LEACAN representative invited
• Research design signed off mid-June
• We would welcome the opportunity for further
  discussion and feedback as the study progresses
• For any queries contact Emma Belton, study
  manager, (e-belton_at_audit-commission.gov.uk)