3:  Q4 Performance Update Summary

Performance in Quarter 4 has been mixed with the views of young people showing improvements in service delivery and education participation rates remaining above national and regional averages. However, although new projects have been implemented to decrease the number of young people, in particular those in vulnerable groups, who are NEET, the impact of these is not yet reflected in the statistics.

In particular, your attention is drawn to the following:

·         The % of 16-18 year olds who are NEET increased to 4.4% compared with 3.8% for the same quarter in 2006/07. This to some extent reflects the impact of the contract negotiation process during Quarter 4 and the seasonal increase in young people joining the NEET cohort from Education during January. New projects aimed directly at reducing the number of NEET young people across Surrey were put in place during Quarters 3 and 4 of 2007/08 and the impact of these will be monitored and reported during 2008/09.

·         The % 16-18 year old Unknown has increased during this quarter to 5.9% and is currently higher than the national (4.3%) and South East (4.4%) figure. Tracking has been successful at identifying those young people who are now unknown and more intensive follow up of these young people will be put in place. A strategy for tackling the Unknown has been developed and will be implemented with the support of other agencies and neighbouring Connexions partnerships.

·         The slight decrease in LDD young people in EET is an area for some concern and this will be monitored closely during 2008/09. The emphasis of the Employability project for LDD young people who are NEET will now be on the 16-19 year old cohort and it is hoped this will have a positive impact on this measure.

·         The number of teenage mothers in EET fell from 36 individuals at the end of December 2007 to 28 individuals at the end of March 2008. The activities of the teenage pregnancy PAs are being refocused to supporting these young people to address barriers to becoming EET. 

·         The number of 16-18 year olds participating in learning (education, employment with training or government supported training) remains above the national and South East average, but below the target of 84%. The activity survey carried out during Quarter 3 shows a slight increase in the number of Year 11s remaining in education and again remains higher than that in the South East and nationally. Further support for young people registered with work based learning providers through outreach activities and improved information sharing is being implemented to improve overall participation rates.

§         Total interventions by PAs with young people in both compulsory education and post compulsory education continue to increase compared with the same quarter in 2006/07 and reflect the ongoing efforts and commitments of all Personal Advisors throughout the contract negotiation process. Figures for the number of young people receiving interventions are not available this quarter due to technical problems.

·         The analysis of the views of young people showed an impressive overall performance. Many of the areas of weaker performance identified in Q3 have been significantly improved. The 15% improvement in remembering to discuss confidentiality must be highlighted as a successful example of many PAs responding effectively to Q3 feedback, although it must be pointed out that almost 1 in 10 failed to do so.

·         Although the ‘has your PA…’ section shows that the process of talking to young people has been significantly improved over the previous quarter, there is a significant actual number of young people who had ‘poor’ experiences in certain areas and the reasons for this will be investigated.

·         Kiosk useage at the Rainbow Leisure Centre has increased by 52.8% since Quarter 3 when the kiosk was installed. Efforts are still ongoing to reinstate the unit at the Shah Jahan Mosque at Woking.

We have come to the end of this challenging period and look forward to continuing to work with longstanding partners.  This year we will be focusing on areas that will make the most difference to vulnerable young people. Thank you for your hard work and commitment which will help us to continue to see improvements in Q1 of the new contracting year.

4:  NEET Activities for June
There are two events happening in June that were not included on the last Activity flyer: 

1)  A FOAL (Find Out About Learning) course to be held at Waverley Training in Farnham. This will be over 4 days 9th, 10th, 16th and 17th June and will be fun based. The aim of the course is to get learners onto a further education course, be this E2E, FE etc. If we can get 5/6 learners then transport will be provided.  Contact Pat Pryke on 01252 725872 for further details.

2)  ICE (Inspire, Challenge, Empower) course run by Vicky at Camberley Connexions Centre –the first two sessions will be held in June.  The course includes fun team building exercises and help / hints on all things job / training related.  Contact Vicky on 01276 27172 for further details.

5:  Impact Reports - Sharing the Good News!
Your PA impact reports are supplied regularly and used for a variety of purposes.  The Bulletin gives us an opportunity to share examples of good practice amongst yourselves - we will ensure that all impact reports are non personalised and non identifiable but hope they continue to highlight the excellent work being carried out across the county. 

The first report is from Leanne Grindal, YJS and outlines a piece of work she has recently been involved with:

2008 has seen the start of the Big-Issue project. This has been an exciting partnership between the staff and local artists at Watts Gallery in Compton and the staff and young people of Surrey Youth Justice Service.  The Watts Gallery have welcomed young people between the ages of 13-17 and introduced them to some of the art and history in their county. They have had the opportunity to work alongside local artists to produce individual works of art in a variety of media and in the relaxing and fascinating environment of a working gallery. For many of the young people this was a new experience and one they responded to well and benefitted enormously from.

These benefits include developing their art skills with one-to-one guidance of staff and artists, and some have gone on to use this in their GCSE art work or to help inform their GCSE choices. Self-esteem has been raised as they made discoveries, worked with new materials and people and gained in confidence. They have often responded well to being shown how to use and consequently trusted with equipment such as the camera and postcard maker.  The impressive sculptures by Watts at the gallery inspired many of the participants to take unusual photos which then became an integral part of their artwork. It was exciting for them to experience this fusing of the traditional and modern and for Youth Justice Service staff to experiment with new ways of teaching, thinking and learning.

The combination of a welcoming environment and the support of staff and artists has truly enabled young people in Surrey to identify untapped potential and develop their skills. Hopefully in the future they will return to the gallery independently and enjoy other cultural activities available to them.

Leanne Grindal,  Youth Justice Service  leanne.grindal@surreycc.gov.uk 

Click here for another example of good working practice.

6:  External Training Programme
The non Connexions funded training programme section at the end of this Bulletin gives the opportunity to share information about courses which might be of interest to you but which do not form part of the Connexions programme.   This week you can find details on the following courses:

• In-Volve 2008/2009 training programme (In-Volve/SYPS)
• Young People & Money (Financial Services Authority)
  

7: NEET UPDATE– How well are we doing?
Click here for the March graphs on NEET, Unknowns and Comparison against previous years.

Job Vacancies for Young People
Did you know that there are a wide range of job vacancies, vacant college places and training courses all over the county waiting to be filled? As the majority don’t have particularly demanding entry requirements, they are an ideal choice for many NEET youngsters.

Our Centres produce regular listings of local opportunities. Vacancy Bulletins are now listed on the Connexions website Job search page and you can also pick up copies from your local Centre to share with the young people you are currently working with.

NEET Activities Flyer  - April-June 2008   

Please find attached a document highlighting a range of NEET activities taking place for young people around the County from April until the end of June 2008.  The aim of the document is to give you an indication of the types of activities/programmes that are available or are currently being undertaken.

The next edition of the flyer will cover the period July - September 2008 and ideally I would like to distribute it to you all week commencing 16th June which would allow you some time to speak with your NEET young people and potentially get them signed up onto a course/programme that may be starting within this period.

If you are involved in any NEET (16-18 year old) activities or know of any activities for NEET young people that are taking place between July and the end of September 2008 then please let me have the following details by 13th June and I will include the programme in the next flyer:

1. Course title
2. Brief description, to include, number of weeks, core content, referral process etc
3. Agency/provider
4. Dates
5. Time
6. Costs if any incurred by young person
7. Contact name
8. Contact details i.e. telephone number and email address

Justine Khan