As the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy has said, Connexions needs to be clear about the level of confidentiality young people can expect from its personal advisers. The organisation has a national branding and its young clients naturally expect to get a consistent standard of service. Currently not only is there no common policy on confidentiality, but young people are not routinely told in advance what will be done with any information they share. This state of affairs is ethically dubious, and puts personal advisers themselves in an invidious position. But it also undermines Connexions’ own central aim of engaging young people at risk of social exclusion. Its own research has shown that less than 10 per cent of young people who talked to someone from Connexions had discussed a personal issue such as stress, alcohol and drugs, bullying or sexual health. At the same time, recent Ofsted inspection reports indicate that some Connexions partnerships are still working largely as a traditional careers service.

The ideal of a joined-up, personalised support service for young people is the right way forward. And it is unrealistic to expect an organisation - and what amounts to a new profession - to mature in three years. Developing occupational standards for delivering services to young people are a positive step.

But like other public services, Connexions is under intense pressure to meet an array of government targets. It’s important that these don’t overwhelm local Connexions services and prevent them from fulfilling their responsibilities to young people. It is the confidence of young people that will stop Connexions becoming a white elephant.