Consistent lead workers vital to supporting vulnerable older teens, report finds
Joe Lepper
Thursday, July 11, 2024
Vulnerable older teenagers could become “disengaged” from education, training and work opportunities without the continued help of a lead support worker, a report has found.
It found that where used, lead workers “can be a consistent and reliable presence, providing personalised support for the most at risk young people” to help them access and remain in college, training and employment.
Their support is especially needed due to “increasingly complex” needs of young people but councils “faced challenges in meeting the scale of need and assessing the type of support required”, warns the report by Wales education and training inspectorate Estyn.
Challenges include a lack of local collaboration and data sharing due to “anxieties and a lack of understanding” around what information about young people can be passed on.
The best examples of their support involved “strong representation from relevant agencies and leaders committing to information and data sharing”, the inspectorate found.
It is recommending there is continuity of support from a young person’s lead worker until the end of January after they have moved into their post-16 school, training place or work.
"We can talk about anything, and she wouldn't judge. If I see her in the corridor, we have a chat,” said one young person supported by a lead worker.
Another said: “She always texted and called even when I didn’t answer.”
Lead workers are assigned to young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) or at risk of becoming NEET in Wales through the Youth Engagement and Progression Framework.
“We are aware that both referrals and the complexity of needs are increasing but young people need more continuity in the support they receive,” said Estyn chief inspector Owen Evans.
"Educational bodies must develop ways to measure the success of their work to prevent young people becoming disengaged from education, employment, or training.
“Better data sharing about the circumstances of individual young people to facilitate stronger collaboration between all partners, including education and training providers, will enable young people to receive more relevant and timely support.”
The report’s author Janine Bennett adds that often the lead worker “serves as the only consistent and reliable presence” in young people’s lives.
She warns that “many training providers” are currently “unaware of the lead worker role and its benefits”.
