The Department for Work and Pensions has begun implementing the first recommendations from Alan Milburn's review into the NEET crisis, as the government seeks to curb the rising benefits bill and move young claimants into work.
Schools to identify at-risk children from primary age
Under the initial measures, schools will be instructed to identify children at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment, or training) as early as primary school. This proactive approach aims to intervene before young people fall through the cracks.
The move comes as the DWP focuses on getting welfare claimants aged 16 to 24 off benefits and into the workplace. Milburn, a Labour Party grandee, provided an update on the changes on Friday, August 7, in an interview with the Guardian.
Three pillars to accompany benefit restrictions
Milburn stressed that any steps to restrict benefit payments for young people must be paired with increased support in three key areas: education, health, and job assistance. He said: “We know what the correlated factors are [for a child at risk of becoming Neet] – whether that is poverty; mental health, or being in care. What we don’t do is take that knowledge and turn it into action.”
The interim report, published in May, found that around 1 million young people are currently NEET. It highlighted a systemic fault line: while higher education places and student loans are uncapped, further education college places are strictly controlled and often funded at much lower rates.
Report criticises past inaction
The report stated: “Nearly one million young people are outside education and work. They are not a statistic. They are the sons and daughters of this country.” It went on to criticise the system for failing to act despite early warnings: “Some were identified as at risk before they could read. The system knew. It watched. It documented. It published reports. It commissioned evaluations. It launched pilots. It let the funding expire. And it moved on.”
The DWP's implementation of these recommendations marks a significant shift in policy, with an emphasis on early intervention and holistic support to prevent young people from becoming long-term benefit claimants.
