young people under 18 and connexions service

Hi Penny, I doubt that there is any systematic monitoring because that would cost money too! But I’m sure this will mean more people slipping through the net and not getting the benefits they are entitled to because there won’t be people to help them work out what they can get and challenge JC+.  I work with teenage parents nationally, so no doubt I will pick up on an ad hoc basis whether or not they are getting less support from Connexions, but it is hardly a survey!

I asked James Kenrick of Youth Access for his views on this issue and here’s his edited response:

There’s no specific funding for Connexions provided by central Govt. to LAs any more. It has to be paid for out of the Early Intervention Grant (EIG), along with loads of other things. The level of the EIG represents a 31% cut on the myriad of funding streams that went to LAs before. There is still, for the time being, a statutory duty for LAs to make available careers advice to 13-19 year olds, but the amounts allocated locally to Connexions by LAs will depend on how much they value the service and how big cuts they need to make generally – some LAs are cutting it completely, most are cutting it substantially. The Govt. has announced a new All-Age Careers Service to replace Connexions and adult IAG services – but that isn’t starting up til Sept 2012, I think, meaning there’s a gap.

James also said that YA weren’t necessarily supportive of the concept of Connexions anyway – it attracted loads of funding towards a new centralised careers-focussed advice service rather than existing voluntary sector advice and counselling services. He thinks people in the advice sector should be a lot more concerned about cuts to our members than to Connexions necessarily.

I’ve also attached a note he’s written on the funding environment for youth advice services. They are carrying out a survey currently of members to assess the broader picture and the challenges that lie ahead.