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Connexions workers have long suspected that they are doing a good job but at last this has been recognised by somebody outside of the service.

The findings of a report by the National Audit Office, which scrutinises public spending, will come as little surprise to those on the ground, but it should have a morale-boosting effect if nothing else. Overall it gives Connexions a positive appraisal, concluding that it "has made good progress in improving the way that young people receive advice and guidance". It finds that Connexions is on track to achieve its target of reducing the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training by 10 per cent by November. In the established partnership areas the numbers of young people not involved in these activities fell by 8 per cent between November 2002 and 2003.

The positive revelations are no shock for Carolyn Caldwell, executive director of the National Association of Connexions Partnerships: "We’ve been saying that it’s going well for some time and it’s nice to have that confirmed by an objective viewpoint."

And with regards to the report’s recommendations she is particularly welcoming of the suggestion to change the way partnerships are funded. She thinks it would be "brilliant" if, rather than funds being allocated on an annual basis, there was greater certainty over allocations for a three-year period. "It would mean people could plan more strategically, and it would also benefit the voluntary organisations we work with," she says. Longer term funding would also help with recruitment and retention. "If you’ve only got a year’s funding it is difficult to recruit people on a one-year contract. They’re happier if they know they’ve got a job for three years," she adds.

The report finds that while schools are confident in the work that Connexions does with the young people who most need specialist support, there is less satisfaction with the way the service responds to the needs of others. But Caldwell feels that the work that partnerships do for less vulnerable young people tends to go unnoticed. "Partnerships are doing a load of other things in addition to the focus on young people who are out of education and training. There’s a load of work going on to keep people who are in education and training in it," she says.

However, others feel that those in less need of specialist help are sometimes overlooked. Chris Dunning, senior personal adviser for Connexions Staffordshire, realistically points out that only limited resources are available. "The government has told us to focus on the young people who are not engaged. Those who perhaps just need a bit of careers guidance, who don’t need hours and hours of assessment and just want 45 minutes with the personal adviser to talk about work based learning and college, they’ve got to fight for it a bit," he says. But Dunning agrees with the report’s finding that not all teachers are sufficiently aware of what Connexions can offer, and says that the role of the personal adviser can be unclear.

"As a personal adviser I give careers guidance, advocate on young people’s behalf or refer them to others. If I come across a young person in emotional distress I don’t counsel them, but I find professional help for them," he says.

While 70 per cent of young people are aware of Connexions, this figure means that almost a third are not. So what can be done to raise the profile further?

"We are in the process of developing Connexions centres in every town so that young people will know that they are there and will know where they can go for just about anything. We can signpost and advocate for them but they have got to come through the door," says Dunning. But, as he suggests, if the numbers seeking advice were suddenly to increase, then existing services, and their premises, may struggle to cope: "The Newcastle office is bursting at the seams with people and there’s not the space to sit down and talk to the young people. If you’ve got a desk, phone and young people then you can get the job done. But if there’s nowhere to sit and talk with them, then it’s very difficult."

- See www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/03-04/0304484.pdf

Key recommendations

• Change funding approach so partnerships have certainty over three year budget allocation.
• Work with schools to ensure staff understand role of personal advisers and when to refer.
• Local targets should be set for reducing level of young people not in education, training or employment.
• Set a target for personal advisers to have completed Connexions-specific training.