The Missing Link: The role of trusted adult relationships in tackling the youth unemployment and inactivity challenge

Overview

This paper explores the opportunity to enhance the role of trusted adults within the systems change response required to address the UK’s complex NEET challenge.

Of the nearly 1 million young people not earning or learning, around 600,000 are economically inactive and therefore disconnected from mainstream employment services.

Through collating available research and evidence together with the voices of young people and case study examples from our partners, the paper surfaces the potential of trusted adult relationships to identify, reach and engage those furthest from the system – and connect them into evidence-based interventions.

Insights from two Youth Guarantee Trailblazer areas illustrate how youth sector provision can be leveraged to target employment and skills support towards harder-to-reach inactive young people.

Key insights

A growing evidence base suggests that trusted adult relationships – with youth workers, teachers, mentors, and other practitioners – are critical interlockers to:

Identify and engage “hidden NEETs” not engaging with Government support, through outreach.
Build confidence and resilience, particularly for young people failed by previous systems.
Connect young people to education, training, mental health, or employment support.
Sustain young people’s engagement by helping them to navigate complex services.

Recommendations for public policymakers

Shared outcomes: Use Government’s mission-led framework to build strategic cross-departmental coherence around a shared 10-year vision for young people’s outcomes – with achieving good work as a central pillar.
Embed trusted adults: Place relational support at the heart of the National Youth Strategy, backed by a clear, cross-sector definition and an Advisory Group.
Enhance the Youth Guarantee: Support trailblazers and future national rollout areas to overlay and integrate relational practice into delivery to ensure all young people – especially those economically inactive – can access a trusted adult to help them engage in and navigate the employment support offer.
Develop centres of excellence: Position Young Futures Hubs as cross-sector gateways for relational practice, linking youth services, education, health, and employment.