Addressing needs of young people with SEMH conditions is vital in driving down NEET figures

Terms of Reference

Our research attempted to answer the following questions regarding young people with SEMH needs:

• To what extent have the numbers of young people with SEMH support needs changed over time?
• What is the relative risk of NEET (not in employment education or training) at age 16 of young people with SEMH support needs compared with other young people?
• What are the systemic barriers faced by young people with SEMH support needs during their transition from school to post-16 provision?
• What are some of the ways in which post-16 education and training provision is being successfully met for young people with SEMH support needs?
• What steps can be taken to improve post-16 education and training outcomes for young people with SEMH support needs?

Sources of Information

We used several sources of information to answer these questions:

• Data from cohorts of young people in Years 12 and 13, across a sample of local authorities. Tracking their movements in and out of education, training and employment over the year 2022/23.
• Participation sessions and interviews with young people with SEMH support needs. 
• Workshops with our careers advisers.
• Interviews with Further Education (FE) colleges, providers of specialist education and training, SEN coordinators and other local authority staff.
• National Department for Education (DfE) data, and findings from related studies into NEET, SEMH and SEN.

Our key findings are as follows:

• Key Finding 1: Young people with SEMH needs and an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) are at a substantially higher risk of becoming NEET in Year 12 than their peers — including those with EHCPs for other needs.
• Key finding 2: The rise in SEMH need has outpaced resources, potentially overwhelming existing support systems and reducing per-person funding.
• Key Finding 3: Diminished school funding and real-terms erosion of the £6,000 SEND threshold contribute to increased EHCP applications — not always due to intensifying needs but due to budget necessity.
• Key finding 4: There is a shortage of tailored post-16 education and training for young people with SEMH — particularly for those without an EHCP.
• Key Finding 5: Early and sustained identification and support — ideally by Year 9 — improves outcomes, but practices can be inconsistent and often exclude disengaged learners.
• Key Finding 6: Responsibility for transition support is fragmented across agencies, leading to inconsistencies and gaps.
• Key Finding 7: There is significant potential to strengthen data-driven support — but current systems lack standardisation, integration, and capacity.
• Key Finding 8: Young people with SEMH needs want greater involvement in shaping services — and outcomes improve when they are genuinely engaged.

Recommendations

• 1 – Establish national benchmarks for NEET support services
• 2 – Reform funding structures to support SEMH needs
• 3 – Scale and sustain proven FE provision for learners with SEMH needs
• 4 – Make early and sustained support the default model
• 5 – Prioritise dedicated SEMH transition support in every local authority
• 6 – Strengthen the voice of young people with SEMH needs in service design
• 7 – Improve data sharing with national standards and support
• 8 – Disaggregate education, employment, and training (EET) outcome data by primary support need

“Our research shows that without timely careers interventions and support to overcome barriers, young people with SEMH needs are at increased risk of becoming NEET, which can have long-term consequences for their career prospects. When the government announced its new inquiry into rising youth inactivity, it was also widely reported that the number of young people claiming Universal Credit (UC) Health and Employment Support Allowance has risen by more than 50% over the past five years, with 80% currently citing mental health reasons or a neurodevelopmental condition.

“Given the rising number of young people with social, emotional and mental health conditions, any effective NEET reduction strategy must include targeted support at the earliest opportunity, ideally by Year 9, before pupils start to disengage. The current system often delays support until needs become acute, which is why we’re calling for early intervention, particularly for pupils with little or no engagement in school. We would also like to see stronger support for young people during the transition to further education and training, with greater investment in tailored post-16 provision for young people with complex needs. Young people must play a key role in helping to design this.

“One in eight young people are missing out on work, education and training, according to the latest ONS figures. If local and national government is to reverse these worrying trends, we need both increased funding and structural reform of the support pathways available. Without this, NEET levels will remain high, and young people with SEMH needs will continue to face delayed or inadequate support, limited access to opportunities and poor outcomes. Our experience shows that targeted early intervention works, and we believe this invest to save approach is crucial in tackling the NEET crisis.”

Sheila Clark, CEO, Career Connect