Getting Back on Track: Helping young people not in employment, education or training in England, a guide for funders and charities

With mass youth unemployment on a scale not seen since the early 1990s, and a government campaign committing £1bn to tackling the issue of supporting young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), this is said to be a ‘hot topic’ and one where donors can have a significant impact. The report is intended to help donors make informed decisions about their giving, and to provide charities with a context for thinking about their work. Three interesting findings highlighted in the report are: (1) Government services in this area are failing the most at-risk children as, even before the recession, the proportion of young people who were NEET had remained stubbornly unchanged for more than a decade. (2) While evidence of what works is limited there are certain characteristics of good programmes that donors can look for when choosing a charity, such as providing one-to-one support; helping young people work towards defined goals; and cultivating good relationships with families and schools. (3) Charities play an important preventative role stopping young people from getting into that situation in the first place through mentoring or emotional support to children in primary schools.