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The Possibility Of A Single Linear Transition From Childhood Dependence To ...

The possibility of a single linear transition from childhood dependence to full dependence as an adult has become more elusive than at any time in the recent past, with the result that inconsistent role expectations can place a considerable strain on young people.
Whereas twenty years ago nearly half of all school leavers went straight into employment, today that figure stands at less than one in ten. Developments within the education system, in particular its marketisation through reforms introduced by the Conservative government in the late 1980s, have also had a negative impact upon the prospects of the most disadvantaged young people. These new market conditions have led to the displacement of children / young people with the most compelling educational and social needs as they are unattractive business propositions for schools concerned with their league table position.
Policies To Combat Disaffection
The present government's response to the problems of educational underachievement, disaffection and non-participation has been led by the DfEE and the Social Exclusion Unit. In 1998 the Unit published a national strategy for neighbourhood renewal (Bringing Britain Together), which had as its goals bridging the gap between the most deprived neighbourhoods and the rest of England and reducing long-term unemployment, health problems and educational underachievement in the poorest areas. To end this, 18 cross-cutting Policy Action Teams (PATs) were established to develop policies on different aspects of neighbourhood renewal.
The PAT on Young People has focussed directly on the problem of youth disaffection. Its review of the different services for young people found:
A lack of coordination between these
Gaps in the provision of particular services
A failure to target resources effectively
An emphasis on crisis intervention than prevention
Insufficient involvement of young people themselves in the design and delivery of services for them
Key recommendations include:
That the government should set youth inclusion objectives for new policies, and ensure that these are incorporated into departmental policies
That two or more Ministers should be made responsible for coordinating policies for young people across government, supported by a new Youth Unit
More effective coordination of policies for young people at the local level
Better targeting of resources
Giving young people a greater say in the development of policy and the way services are delivered
Disaffected Young People The Manchester Experience
Section 3.1 provided an overall view of the underlying reasons why young people become disaffected with school and life in general. Moving from this broad perspective we need to narrow our perspective on concentrate on the Manchester experience.


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