Only four councils in England have complete information on the whereabouts of 16- to 17-year-olds not in education, employment or training (Neet), according to the latest figures. The government has admitted that thousands of young people are unaccounted for, with 32,100 teenagers missing from local authority records.
Government demands improvements
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson is writing to all councils in England, demanding better identification and support for young people at risk of becoming “phantom Neets”. She will also contact 26 councils facing the greatest challenges, where 3% or more of teenagers are unaccounted for, requiring improvement plans within six months.
The government is publishing new guidance for schools and colleges to help teachers identify and support pupils most likely to drop out. This comes amid a worsening youth jobs crisis, with the number of Neets rising to over 1 million, according to a May report by former health secretary Alan Milburn, who warned of a potential “lost generation”.
Postcode lottery in data collection
The quality of data collection varies significantly across England, creating a “stark postcode lottery” for young people missing out on help. North Lincolnshire council, for example, lacks information for nearly half of its 16- and 17-year-olds. In contrast, London boroughs like Barnet and Ealing have fewer than one in 50 teenagers off their records.
Research from the Resolution Foundation thinktank found that in Dudley, West Midlands, more than one in five 16- to 17-year-olds had fallen off local authority records. Overall, official statistics from March estimate 57,000 16- and 17-year-olds are Neet.
Phillipson: 'Defining challenge'
Phillipson said: “This is one of the defining challenges of this government. Fixing it is crucial to the prosperity of our country: we cannot afford to let a generation of young people drift away from opportunity and more fulfilled lives.” She added that “accurate, timely tracking is not a box-ticking exercise, it’s the difference between a young person getting support early or falling through the cracks entirely.”
The government says it is supporting councils to intervene early as part of a new deal for young people, aiming to ensure they realize their potential through worthwhile training and stable careers.
