There is reluctant leadership of the challenges faced by vulnerable adolescents which undermines ownership of the problem. The Department for Education reluctantly confirmed that it is ultimately responsible for ‘holding the ring’ across Whitehall on vulnerable adolescents. However, it is not clear what this means or how it translates into action when so very many government departments and local agencies play a role in supporting vulnerable adolescents. The Vulnerable Children and Young People Strategy Board has recently been repurposed to provide a co-ordinating picture, bringing together government’s understanding of complex children and young people. This is a start, but it has only met once and it is too early to say what role this Board will play in helping to unify support and identifying and helping to address gaps and overlaps that impact on vulnerable adolescents. The Department for Education tells us that its overarching responsibility should not translate into to a single system but there is a lack of common definitions or language that will help young people navigate the disjoined systems and receive the support they need. Government has specific programmes to support specific vulnerabilities and joins up individual programmes between departments. However, we agree with the current Children’s Commissioner that collaboration is not taking place at the strategic level that is needed to provide the proper support for vulnerable children and young people. Recommendation: The Department for Education should set out within six months its accountabilities for vulnerable adolescents, the terms of its leadership role and how strategic planning and oversight will work. 1 Persistently absent refers to pupils missing 10% or more of sessions where a session is equal to half a day. 6 Support for vulnerable adolescents