Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the Youth Employment Group's report entitled Young Person's Guarantee published 27 September 2023.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We acknowledge the Youth Employment Group’s report calling for the Government to adopt a Young Person’s Guarantee and note the five recommended policy proposals.
The Government is committed to delivering targeted support for all young people, no matter what their start in life or the challenges they face, to give them the best chance of getting into work.
Within DWP, the Youth Offer provides individually tailored work coach support to young people aged 16-24 who are on the Universal Credit and searching for work. We have recently expanded Youth Offer support to enable more young people on Universal Credit to see a work coach in a Youth Hub or to benefit from the expertise of our Youth Employability Coaches.
By extending the Youth Offer to other Universal Credit claimants we are helping more young people not in education, employment or training who claim Universal Credit to access this essential support. Some Youth Hubs will also offer a drop-in facility where these young people who do not have a UC claim will be able to access support.
Lastly, we recognise that ensuring young people have the most appropriate support, education or training to enable them to enter sustained employment and progress in their careers requires a cross-government approach. In partnership with DfE and DCMS, we have established a new cross Government Forum on Youth Skills for Life and Work. The forum provides an opportunity for departments to identify and act on opportunities to work closer together on crosscutting youth issues and to equip young people with the skills for life and work that they will need to fulfil their potential and drive growth for the country.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many specialist Disability Employment Advisers are employed in youth hubs to support participants with a health condition.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Activity | ABM FTE |
(UCJC) Disability Employment Adviser | 750 |
Source: Derived from the department’s Activity Based Model (ABM).
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Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the Youth Employment Group's report entitled Young Person's Guarantee published 27 September 2023; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We acknowledge the Youth Employment Group’s report calling for the Government to adopt a Young Person’s Guarantee and note the five recommended policy proposals.
The Government is committed to delivering targeted support for all young people, no matter what their start in life or the challenges they face, to give them the best chance of getting into work.
Within DWP, the Youth Offer provides individually tailored Work Coach support to young people aged 16-24 who are on the Universal Credit and searching for work. As published in PQ 202513, we have expanded Youth Offer support to enable more young people on Universal Credit to see a Work Coach in a Youth Hub or to benefit from the expertise of our Youth Employability Coaches.
By extending the Youth Offer to other Universal Credit claimants we are helping more young people not in education, employment or training who claim Universal Credit to access this essential support. Some Youth Hubs will also offer a drop-in facility where these young people who do not have a UC claim will be able to access support.
Lastly, we recognise that ensuring young people have the most appropriate support, education or training to enable them to enter sustained employment and progress in their careers requires a cross-government approach. In partnership with DfE and DCMS, we have established a new cross Government Forum on Youth Skills for Life and Work. The forum provides an opportunity for departments to identify and act on opportunities to work closer together on crosscutting youth issues and to equip young people with the skills for life and work that they will need to fulfil their potential and drive growth for the country.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has for the long-term role of Youth Hubs in society; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are fully committed to the delivery of Youth Hubs, which are an integral part of our wider DWP Youth Offer. Youth Hubs bring together Work Coach employment support and place-based services from local partnerships to help young people into work.
The Spring Budget 2023 committed to the extension of the Youth Offer until 2028, with funding beyond 2024/2025 to be determined by a future spending review. We published Youth Hub funding details in PQ 190112. Alongside this, we recently expanded eligibility for the Youth Offer allowing more young people on Universal Credit to see a Work Coach in a Youth Hub, receive intensive support at the start of their claim or to benefit from the expertise of our Youth Employability Coaches.
The Youth Offer, including Youth Hubs, is subject to a Process Evaluation. Early emerging findings are being shared internally and will inform any improvements or future changes to the Youth Offer policy. The process evaluation will continue until Spring 2024. We aim to publish the findings once complete.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Youth Hub work coaches are employed by his Department as of 19 October 2023; and how many were employed on the same date in (a) 2022 and (b) 2021.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As referenced in PQ190114, due to changes in claimant needs new Youth Hubs may open, and existing Youth Hubs may close. The number of open Youth Hubs and their required Youth Hub Work Coach resource may therefore fluctuate, as claimants access wider Youth Offer support.
Role | ABM FTE | ||
| Sep-23 | Sep-22 | Sep-21 |
Youth Hub Work Coach | 90 | 130 | 150 |
Source: DWP’s internal Activity Based Model (ABM)
Notes:
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the press notice entitled Government announces employment support boost for over 30,000 economically inactive young people, published by his Department on 25 September 2023, how his Department estimated the number of additional 16 to 24 year-olds that would benefit from the expansion of the youth offer to economically inactive claimants.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Youth Offer provides individually tailored Work Coach support for 16-24-year olds on Universal Credit to help them find work. Eligibility for the Youth Offer has, as of the 25th September 2023, been expanded to include additional young people on Universal Credit who are not currently searching for work, including young parents and carers.
The estimate of over 30,000 young people provided was based on DWP administrative data as of 12th September 2023 date and shows the number of young people in Work Focused Interview or Work Preparation groups, who are not in employment or on the health journey who could now take up the offer of support through the Youth Offer.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many special educational needs coordinators have left employment in the youth secure estate in each reporting year since 2010.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
A special educational needs (SEN) co-ordinator (known in Wales as an Additional Learning Needs (ALN) co-ordinator) is a member of staff employed by a secure establishment or its education provider. The co-ordinator is responsible for assessing, planning, and monitoring the progress of children with special educational needs and disabilities. Co-ordinators provide teachers with individual support strategies that facilitate children’s and young people’s holistic development.
The table below provides information in relation to SEN and ALN co-ordinators at the five young offender institutions (YOIs):
SEN/ALN Co-ordinators at Young Offender Institutions in England and Wales
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
In post | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Leaversi | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
In post | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Leavers1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1 A SEN or ALN co-ordinator who leaves HMPPS or one of the YOIs’ education providers
Complete data in relation to secure training centres, some of which closed during the period in question, is not available.
Appointment of SEN or ALN co-ordinators at secure children’s homes is the responsibility of the local authorities that employ them.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Heads of Education, Skills and Work employed within the youth secure estate have completed training on (a) engaging with the commercial sector, (b) the Dynamic Purchasing System and (c) in-contract management with education providers as of 19 September 2023.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Head of Education, Skills and Work (HoESW) is a new Head of Function (Governor) role, forming part of a prison’s Senior Management Team. Postholders have leadership experience from the education sector, many of whom were senior teachers. They are responsible for leading on the design and delivery of education, skills and work functions to improve prisoner education and employment outcomes on release. We have made great progress recruiting HoESW, with over 100 already in post. This includes all five roles being filled in the Youth Custody Estate.
A comprehensive induction and training programme has been designed to support postholders embed within prisons, improve delivery of education, skills and work services, and maximise related outcomes for prisoners. This includes all the areas highlighted by the hon. Member for Lewisham East. The induction and training programme is being delivered over September and October. This programme is mandatory for all postholders, including those working in the Youth Custody Estate.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress he has made on recruiting for Heads of Education, Skills and Work roles within the youth secure estate; and whether these roles are graded as equivalent to governors.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Head of Education, Skills and Work (HoESW) is a new Head of Function (Governor) role, forming part of a prison’s Senior Management Team. Postholders have leadership experience from the education sector, many of whom were senior teachers. They are responsible for leading on the design and delivery of education, skills and work functions to improve prisoner education and employment outcomes on release. We have made great progress recruiting HoESW, with over 100 already in post. This includes all five roles being filled in the Youth Custody Estate.
A comprehensive induction and training programme has been designed to support postholders embed within prisons, improve delivery of education, skills and work services, and maximise related outcomes for prisoners. This includes all the areas highlighted by the hon. Member for Lewisham East. The induction and training programme is being delivered over September and October. This programme is mandatory for all postholders, including those working in the Youth Custody Estate.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by The Prince's Trust and LADbible Gen Z: Redefining Dream Jobs, published on 19 September; in particular, the finding that 57 per cent of young people surveyed had lowered their long-term aspirations over the last two years due to concerns about mental health and the increased cost of living.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Whilst we are yet to make a detailed assessment of this specific report, the Department for Work and Pensions recognises the value of research and insight from key stakeholders including The Prince’s Trust to enable us to better understand the challenges faced by young people and the impact this has on their behaviour and motivations. We consider a broad range of perspectives when designing polices to better support young people, ranging from our regular engagement with youth stakeholder organisations like The Prince’s Trust and Youth Employment Group, to the Department’s own commissioned research and regularly speaking directly with young people themselves.
The Youth Offer provides individually tailored Work Coach support for 16-24-year olds on Universal Credit to help them find work. Eligibility for the Youth Offer has, as of the 25th September 2023, been expanded to include young people on Universal Credit who are not currently searching for work, including young parents and carers. This means that an additional 33,500 young people will be able to access the Youth Offer in order to progress in employment.