The Department for Education (DfE) and Home Office are the lead departments and expect to complete implementation of this recommendation by late 2027. Progress and next steps:
- DfE will amend guidance for supporting young people who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training), or at risk of becoming NEET to support the development and implementation of a number of initiatives set out in the Post 16 Skills White Paper to help young people at risk of becoming NEET into education, training and work.
- The revised guidance will set an expectation on education providers to notify local authorities within a specified timescale where a young person aged 16+ is no longer participating in education or training.
- The guidance will also address referrals by local authority NEET officers to relevant services, including safeguarding. It will clarify that low attendance should trigger safeguarding consideration where appropriate.
- Decisions on whether police visits are made to the homes of children not attending their place of education are made on a case-by-case basis, informed by multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.
- By mid-2027, the Home Office and the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection will review whether national guidance is required to support consistent decision-making on when police involvement, including home visits, may be appropriate.