Big Lottery Fund programmes aimed at vulnerable young people are not reaching their target population, according to a report.
The “Activities for young people” programmes are supposed to target those school leavers most at risk of losing contact with education or training opportunities. However the statistics suggest that this has not been achieved, states the report.
It finds that the programmes in England have found it difficult to reach the intended young people. Almost three quarters of the young people surveyed had already made a decision about their future before being involved in the programmes and so did not appear to be the target group - only 10 per cent did not have plans.
However more than a third reported having had trouble with the police while 30 per cent missed school by choice or as a result of exclusion.
The report raises concerns about whether the programmes are appropriate in England, suggesting that “small scale intensive interventions” could be more successful.
However the participants spoke highly of the programmes and the advice that they received, saying that their personal and social skills improved.
A fifth changed their initial plans over the summer, mostly deciding to go to college rather than get a job, and of those who changed their plans over half said this was partly due to their involvement in the programme.
In many areas the youth service was still running the programme, even though Connexions has been expected to eventually take the lead. It was found that the two services had different perspectives, with the youth service focusing on personal and social development and Connexions on “hard destination outcomes”.
Delivering activities for young people: achievements and challenges in the second year from http://www.nof.org.uk/documents/live/5383p__AYPyear2evalsum.pdf
