Research and analysis

Appendix 4: 19 case study reports

Published 25 June 2026

1. Liverpool City Region Youth Guarantee Trailblazer

The Liverpool City Region (LCR) Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is being led by the LCR Combined Authority (LCR CA).

Problem and target audience

There are higher than average rates of young people who are NEET in the LCR, and within this cohort there is a disproportionate representation of care experienced young people (CEYP) as well as young offenders, and individuals with SEND that encounter persistent disadvantage and significant barriers to both employment and education. Furthermore, market failures mean that the current system creates barriers and poor lived experiences with public services, as well as within the education and employment systems amongst young people, particularly CEYP, in the region.

The LCR Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is working in six local authorities (Liverpool, Halton, Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral). It is working with young people, specifically 18–21-year-olds with care experience and 17–18-year-olds at risk of long-term NEET status.

Aims

The Trailblazer programme specifically aims to reduce NEET rates among care leavers and other vulnerable groups. The ultimate objective of the LCR Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is to help determine a long-term approach to recognising young people’s potential, enabling progression routes and organising support around what people need; to contribute to a long-term, sustainable, and more equitable system, and enhanced economic inclusion.

Inputs

There are seven key inputs for the Trailblazer: £5 million funding; LCR CA oversight and co-ordination; time skill expertise from LA teams, delivery partners, evaluation partner and commissioned grant manager; existing services provided by LAs; commissioned services; existing relationships with LAs, care leavers, schools, colleges and employers; Young Person’s Guarantee, supported by the Strategic Investment Fund (devolved funding to invest in economic growth^{[footnote 1]}.

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change

The Trailblazer programme aims to reduce NEET rates among care leavers and other vulnerable groups and develop evidence-based insights by testing bespoke approaches to overcome barriers to employment for CEYP. The Trailblazer aims to address three gaps in provision. First, access to Adult Skills Provision which is limited due to eligibility criteria and the lack of availability of suitable work-focused employment and skills support needed to support young people into employment. Second, the lack of transition support for those who are the most vulnerable. Third, the limited availability of timely mental health support and delivery after referral.

It’s testing proof of concept… and being kind of OK with the fact that you know that some things they just might not work or parts of something might not work. And part of that is how you learn.

(Stakeholder)

Overall, the LCR Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is undertaking a multistrand approach which consists of six streams of activities involving a grants programme to support local innovation and address gaps in service provision, employability skills and training, data insights, wraparound care leaver support, employer engagement and CPD, and digital resources and skills training.

The Trailblazer has defined outcomes it is working towards and some key targets (outlined in the streams below). However, the design of activities at the LA level and the plan for generating system changes lacks detail, representing a risk for the Trailblazer. 

Stream 1: Local community test and learn programme

Stream 1 activities consist of: 1) contracting a grants programme manager who will be responsible for overseeing the test and learn programme, and 2) funding a minimum of sixteen local community programmes across the LAs. LA level activities were still in the process of being designed and agreed at the time of the research. Outputs for this stream are two-fold: an external agency will be appointed to manage the grants programme, and 16 local community programmes will be funded and become operational across the LAs. Test and learn activities will lead to insights and better understanding of how best to engage the target population and how to better meet the needs of the population (and barriers to education and employment) to support their journey to sustainable employment. Insights will improve service design and user experience. Improved services will lead to greater engagement. Greater engagement will lead to increased job-readiness and to more CEYP being in education or on placements - reducing NEET rates. In addition, this will contribute evidence-based insights on bespoke approaches to overcome barriers to employment for CEYP.

Stream 2: Care experienced young people

Stream 2 has three sets of activities and aims to triage 469 CEYP for enhanced support. The first set of activities focus on the enhancement of a support package for CEYP, including test and learn pilots, through LA grants. LA level activities were still in the process of being designed and agreed at the time of the research. The second set of activities aims to establish a network of professional support within and across LAs to facilitate employment amongst CEYP, and the third activity looks to establish communities of practice amongst professionals. There are three key outputs for stream 2: The enhancement LA support package for CEYP (including test and learn pilots), increased collaboration and sharing of professional support within and across LAs and the sharing best practice support strategies.

Enhanced LA support will lead to better engagement with services as 1) the full range of users’ needs are being addressed, 2) placements are appropriate and accessible. This will lead to more sustained engagement and a reduction in CEYP who NEET are.

LCR will establish regular feedback cycles and opportunities for professional collaboration and sharing of insights as well as mechanisms for sharing best practice. The sharing of best practice will mean LAs are more aware of each other’s offers approaches and this will contribute to better collaboration, service delivery, cross LA sharing and collaboration will lead to improved services across the LA. In turn this will support the development of a long-term, sustainable, and more equitable system that recognises young people’s potential and supports their progression into employment or education across LCR.

Stream 3: Tracking and insights

Activities in stream 3 focus on: 1) tracking CEYP drop out points from support, education, training and employment and 2) gathering behavioural insights work on how best to support CEYP. Data collection is the key output for this stream of activities. The data will allow for the identification of where CEYP are falling out of support, education, employment and training. These insights will allow LAs to design continuous support and better integrate their services and provision for service users. In turn this will strengthen LA capacity to support CEYP and will improve engagement, leading to sustained engagement with support, education, employment and training, leading to a reduction in NEET rates.

Stream 4: Employer engagement programme

Stream 4 consists of three programmes underpinned by enhanced employer support to facilitate the recruitment and employment of CEYP. The first is an employer incentive (up to £3,000 to support an individual into a job) to provide CEYP opportunities, which includes employer support. The second is establishing a ‘Youth Guarantee Supporter’ pledge. The third is establishing an employer CPD on supporting CEYP in employment. The key outputs for stream 4 are enhanced by the employer support package available, and garnering new employers engaged in programmes for CEYP and having pledged support. Overall, this stream aims to support a minimum of 276 CEYP to be supported into employment.

Employer engagement will enhance awareness and engagement in support for employing CEYP or offering placements to CEYP and increase the availability of appropriate and accessible opportunities. This will lead to more employers engaging with and employing CEYP and sustaining their employment through the use of support services. This will lead to a more inclusive employment system and increased number of CEYP in sustained employment/work placements.

Stream 5: Post-16 transition NEET prevention

Stream 5 focuses on two activities and aims to engage 446 young people. First, LA grant funded piloting of new mechanisms and approaches to develop bespoke or targeted preventative support. Second, enhanced engagement and employability support for post-16 young people identified as at risk of becoming NEET. Activities for this stream were still in the process of being designed and agreed at the time of the research Outputs for stream 5 are the Pilot intervention, and the provision of engagement and employability support. The pilot intervention will generate insights on how best to prevent young people becoming NEET. This will inform future intervention design. In turn interventions will prevent young people becoming NEET, working to reduce NEET rates.

Stream 6: Digital inclusion

This stream aims to provide resources and skills training for CEYP experiencing digital exclusion. The key outputs for this stream are 469 tablets, Wi-Fi and data provided to CEYP, together with skills training provided to recipients of resources. Resources and skills delivery will enable CEYP to access the labour market, training and other opportunities - leading to improved job readiness, engagement with support and services.

Changes to the system

The activities of the LCR Youth Guarantee Trailblazer will make six changes to the support system for CEYP in the region:

• establish data collection and insight sharing to improve support design and development of services and support programmes
• establish communities of practice for sharing best practice to improve support, as well as design and development of services and support programmes
• greater collaboration within and across LAs, creating coherent offer and integrated working with LA teams (although there is no set MOC for this beyond the Trailblazer itself)
• addition of the pre-18 NEET status prevention intervention to the system
• more targeted services and interventions being delivered, including grant funded programmes
• creation of more job opportunities, placements and training within LAs and through employer programmes

Assumptions

The LCR Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is underpinned by six key assumptions, which align closely with those observed across the wider programme. Firstly, it is assumed that young people, including those with care experience, are both willing and able to engage with the programme. Secondly, it is anticipated that the activities delivered will address local needs and help prevent the widening of inequalities. Thirdly, the approach relies on effective co-production and collaboration with local authorities and third-sector partners. Fourthly, it is expected that local organisations will be able to innovate successfully, provided they receive appropriate grant support. Fifthly, it assumes that insights can and will be applied effectively. Finally, the programme assumes that digital access is essential for ensuring engagement and providing opportunities.

Risks, challenges and barriers 

Stakeholders reported a number of barriers and challenges that the LCR Youth Guarantee Trailblazer may encounter. Six risks were raised by stakeholders regarding the Trailblazer programme. First, the initial funding period was not seen as sufficient time to realise system changes and test new approaches and services and see results or impact. This led to concern that this could de-value their efforts with DWP and undermine the overall achievements of the programme, although these concerns have been somewhat alleviated by the announcement of the extension of the programme into year two. Second, the quarterly arrears payment model may lead to delay to funding to smaller organisations – potentially undermining delivery and relationships. Thirdly, challenges were identified regarding safeguarding and compliance with public sector equality duties – particularly with increasing numbers of young people deemed to be vulnerable. In addition to this, stakeholders highlighted inherent data sharing risks (e.g. data breaches). Fifth, labour market changes and uncertainties impacting the range and volume of opportunities available is a key risk. Lastly, concerns were raised regarding the evidencing of impact, on account of difficulties in identifying suitable control/comparison groups.  

Regarding the LCR Youth Guarantee Trailblazer delivery risks specifically, seven key barriers to success were highlighted. These were: 1) traditional recruitment practices acting as a barrier to employment; 2) uneven provision of support across LAs; 3) partnership and co-ordination challenges; 4) uneven engagement across LAs; 5) high levels of need amongst CEYP and the risk of disengagement at key transition points; 6) digital exclusion barriers and lack of digital skills amongst CEYP impacting engagement; and 7) potential issues engaging CEYP on account of their attitudes towards traditional careers and working patterns and reluctance to engaging with the ‘corporate parent’.   

According to our advisors this cohort are working towards holidays. They’re gonna stop in the summer. They’re gonna work in the winter. You know, all sorts of patterns that we don’t necessarily understand.

(Stakeholder) 

Summary 

The plan for this Trailblazer is well developed and unlikely to change at a high-level but details of activities and mechanisms of change at the LA level, particularly regarding test and learn and insights was lacking. There is a good oversight mechanism in place monitoring activities. The Trailblazer has clear outcomes; however, the mechanisms of change could be more developed. The main delivery risks are that the activities at LA were not fully designed yet, and systems change regarding collaboration requires further consideration and planning.

2. West Midlands Combined Authority Youth Guarantee Trailblazer

The West Midlands Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is being led by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The approach is to fund localised approaches, supported by regional co-ordination. £4.34million of the budget has been grant-funded to 7 LAs, with every LA being given £10k each for marketing and £110k each for Youth Co-ordinator Resource (YCR). The delivery portion of the LAs’ grant funding has been divided up proportionally, based on the unemployment rate of 18- to 21-year-olds in each area. Each LA was then able to decide how to split its delivery budget between two interventions: Offer 1 (paid work placements) or Offer 3 (seamless transitions for young people), with Offer 2 being delivered by WMCA only.

Problem and target audience

WMCA’s Trailblazer programme is designed to address persistent challenges around unemployment and economically inactive among young people in the region. Youth unemployment is particularly concerning, with 9.2% of young people aged 18-24 unemployed – the second highest among the eleven mayoral combined authorities in England. WMCA has set out a 10-year growth plan that places young people at its core, recognising the region’s status as one of the ‘youngest’ in the UK. This strategy stemmed from the Mayor of the West Midlands launching his flagship plan for youth unemployment in the West Midlands in July 2024. This laid the groundwork for targeted interventions to improve youth outcomes across housing, transport, employment, and social engagement and involved a pledge to provide 20,000 new work experience, training and apprenticeship placements by working with partners and businesses across the region. The Youth Guarantee Trailblazer forms a crucial strand of work which supports this wider strategy. 

Key barriers to access to employment identified by young people in the WMCA’s most recent Youth Voice Survey were mental health issues, lack of work experience and physical health conditions. WMCA also identified that the fragmented service landscape makes support harder to navigate, and risks drop-outs at key transition points.

WMCA’s Trailblazer programme targets young people aged 18 - 21 who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET, with some local initiatives specifically targeting vulnerable cohorts. In WMCA, there is a particular focus on strengthening partnerships with the Voluntary Faith Community and Social Enterprise (VFCSE) sector, particularly due to the cultural diversity of the area. These organisations play a key role in accessing and identifying hard-to-reach cohorts, building on local approaches.

Aims

The WMCA Trailblazer programme is designed to tackle youth unemployment and economic inactivity by creating a more integrated, responsive, and locally co-ordinated system of support for young people. Its core aim is to ensure that young people - particularly those who are NEET - can access opportunities that align with their aspirations, whether to ‘earn or learn’. The programme is designed to be locally led and centrally co-ordinated to reflect the ethos that LAs and local VFCSE organisations know local populations’ needs best. A key focus is also to ‘join the dots’ between the Trailblazer and other similar programmes to create a more unified offer.

What we wanted to do [with the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer] was very much try to create solutions ‘in place’ that were supported by - not only what the mayor feels or what we feel at the regional level - but actually what’s going on in any one of our local authorities at any one time.

(Stakeholder)

Inputs

There are five key inputs for the Trailblazer: £5 million Trailblazer funding (£3.5 million excluding marketing and Youth Co-ordinator Roles, of which has been grant-funded to the 7 LAs); time, skills and expertise from the WMCA project team and LAs; time, skills and expertise from partners; existing knowledge about challenges facing the youth cohort in the region; and indirect additional activity (e.g. UKSPF funded activity, and existing flagship plan for Youth Unemployment).

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change

Overall, the WMCA Trailblazer consists of three core offers: (1) paid work placements; (2) Path2Apprenticeships for 18-year-olds; and (3) supporting seamless transitions for young people. The activities under each offer build towards young people gaining experience and developing life skills, which will boost YP’s aspirations, confidence, and employability. Alongside this, and fourthly, there is also a range of system integration and co-ordination work being done by both WMCA and the LAs. The key activities within these four work packages are outlined below.

Offer 1: Paid work placements

WMCA has grant-funded Trailblazer funding to each LA to develop paid work experience placements by engaging with employers. Each LA has its own employer engagement team, working alongside WMCA’s central teams. These teams will fold Trailblazer engagement in with existing employer engagement efforts to minimise duplication and burden on employers. Bursaries are being provided to some employers as not all placements are paid placements, and young people are being paid (both funded by Trailblazer). This will generate 150 new placements for young people. It is hoped that – as well as the benefits for young people listed above - this will enhance employer engagement with young people and related initiatives as a result of connecting employers with the youth workforce. Additionally, employers will also apply learnings from placements to better support early career young people in the future and provide sustainable employment. The expectation is that 75% of the 150 young people placed in paid work placements will progress on to EET opportunities, generating increased employability, employment participation, aspiration and confidence for young people.

Offer 2: Path2Apprenticeships for 18-year-olds (WMCA lead this centrally)

The WMCA has commissioned two of its existing providers to deliver the Path2Apprenticeships model specifically for 18-year-olds, extending a programme that was previously only available to those aged 19 or above. The intention is to target young people when they turn 18 as this is the age at which it is no longer mandatory to remain in education, employment, or training – but they are also not yet eligible for any adult education services. Through this work, the aim is to pilot the approach and assess its effectiveness in reducing the amount of young people becoming NEET by engaging young people in relevant support pre-19 years old.

Offer 3: Supporting seamless transitions for young people

WMCA has grant-funded Trailblazer funding to each LA to deliver seamless transitions including onward delivering through VCFSE and other partnerships. Much of this work will be done by the YCR, with the aim of engaging VFCSO organisations, as well as known providers, to build capacity and commission tailored support programmes and interventions which are locally specific. These partnerships are also key in identifying eligible cohorts of young people for Trailblazer support and therefore to increase referrals – and hence the Trailblazer’s ability to reach young people. The support interventions offered to young people across the LAs are locally specific but often include similar elements, employability and life skills training, career guidance, transitional support, and targeted help for vulnerable groups. One LA for example has trained and paid vulnerable young people to be peer supporters, advocating for Trailblazer in their communities and bringing in referrals; another has a care leavers programme where they are trained to renovate a local support hub building and receive a skills qualification. The intended outcome is that these young people have experience which they can then build on, increased confidence, and are paid to work, lessening financial barriers to accessing support programmes or work (with some receiving qualifications). This will ultimately contribute to better outcomes for young people, including reduced NEET rates.

Offer 4 System integration and co-ordination

There are various activities at the WMCA and LA level for this offer. WMCA’s strategy is to act as a convener and facilitator, bringing together LAs, VCFSE organisations, DWP, and other stakeholders already active in the space to improve collaboration on delivering the region’s Trailblazer’s aims, with smoother referrals and better knowledge sharing. As part of this, Young People Pathways will be developed for use by partners and stakeholders, leading to increased knowledge and visibility of young people pathways.

Each LA has also received £110k for a Youth Co-ordinator Resource, but this role is not consistently understood by the LAs. Some LAs have funded dedicated YCR roles, others have distributed the YCR funding in other ways. The YCR focuses on system integration and partnerships (not direct outreach) and is intended to act as ‘the glue’ connecting wider conversations. Where needed, YCRs are also tasked with exploring data sharing solutions where this is hindering delivery. The outcome is expected to be better service integration, with activities seeking to enhance awareness and knowledge sharing among service providers, strengthening signposting, and referrals, ultimately leading to stronger service integration and system navigation, ultimately supporting more young people through appropriate programmes and boosting the impact of the Trailblazer.

Each LA has been allocated £10k for marketing activities, building out a tailored, but joined-up communications and marketing campaign. Initially, WMCA were planning to do a region-wide campaign to support awareness of the Trailblazer offer. The goal, as WMCA articulated it, was simple messaging that sought to ‘hide the wiring’ to deliver a unified offer. The marketing approach was set out to be locally specific, with some LAs choosing to run a single LA-wide campaign, or funding providers to market their programmes. Some have used TikTok, others have used the budget for in-person engagement events. This is intended to increase awareness of Trailblazer activities within each LA, generating more awareness and inward referrals from young people, practitioners and others.

Changes to the system

This Trailblazer introduces several key system changes to the support system:

• dedicated youth co-ordination resource (YCR) embedded within each LA: though this varies in practice, it seeks to underpin system integration and partnership working

• strengthened relationships with VCSFE sector and providers: both LAs and WMCA are doing this in various ways to support outreach and service design and delivery

• tailored support programmes for target cohorts commissioned on a hyperlocal approach by each LA

• funded placements and internships which provide paid, meaningful work experience

• extension of an apprenticeship pathway programme where commissioning providers will deliver Path2Apprenticeships for 18-year-olds

• strengthened employer engagement - both LAs and WMCA are working to connect employers with young people and align skills provision with labour market needs

Assumptions

The WMCA Trailblazer model is built on several key assumptions, namely that young people who are NEET are not accessing services due to poor integration, limited collaboration, and insufficient data sharing; that young people are motivated to work and seek opportunities; that opportunities align with YP’s aspirations; and that short- to medium-term system change can improve youth employment outcomes. The Trailblazer assumes employer engagement is vital, with businesses investing in youth talent to drive long-term regional prosperity. Community and VCSFE organisations are expected to effectively reach under-served youth and identify hidden NEETs. The model also relies on the availability of local jobs and meaningful employer participation. Localised approaches, supported by regional co-ordination, is assumed to be an effective approach.

Risks, challenges and barriers

Stakeholders raised a number of risks to the successful delivery of the programme. At a programme design level, recruitment and retention at WMCA and LA level are made more difficult by the short-term funding and DWP grant delays, which raises concerns about the Trailblazer’s sustainability, especially for roles directly funded by the Trailblazer. System fragmentation across such a diverse region complicates consistent service delivery, and balancing local specificity with regional coherence is an ongoing challenge. Finally, measuring outcomes will be complex due to attribution difficulties.

At a delivery level, the rapid pace of setup and the initial one-year delivery timeframe (although this has now been extended for the second year) could limit the Trailblazer’s scope and the level of innovation, as well as the Trailblazer’s ability to meet early targets. The structure of the Trailblazer which delegates significantly to LAs carries inherent risk. However, mechanisms have been put in place to allow oversight of how the funding is being used and outcomes worked towards. Not having a centrally co-ordinated marketing campaign risks inconsistent messaging, overlap and duplication. Due to guidance provided on marketing budgets and the need for additional approvals for spend over £100,000, marketing funds were divided between the 7 LAs, which WMCA found frustrating as they felt this could lead to more fragmented messaging. Any work on data-sharing requirements may encounter technical or legal delays. Ensuring capacity in YCR roles and securing stakeholder buy-in, particularly from employers and the voluntary sector, is central to the success of the Trailblazer. Engaging the hardest-to-reach young people remains difficult and relies on joined up working approaches rather than a centrally co-ordinated data repository or tracking system. 

Summary

WMCA primarily acts as a co-ordinator for the Trailblazer, with a strong emphasis on local specificity in delivery. Localised solutions are not one size fits all but based on the local knowledge of young people and local areas. LAs are leading most interventions and system change efforts using marketing, YCR, and delivery funding. Sufficiently robust oversight of these efforts will be key to the success of the Trailblazer. A key risk to delivery lies in the YCR resource - its broad definition has led to inconsistent understanding among LAs, and some would prefer to use the money to fund young people provision rather than co-ordination activities. While regular reporting to WMCA occurs, only offers 1 (funded work placements) and 2 (Path2Apprenticeships) have clearly defined mechanisms of change. Offer 3, including some of the system co-ordination activities, risk misinterpretation and inconsistency, potentially limiting their impact and the success of the Trailblazer.

3. Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) Youth Guarantee Trailblazer

The Trailblazer funding in Tees Valley is being managed by the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA), with delivery led by Stockton-on-Tees Local Authority.

Problem and target audience

According to Tees Valley’s assessment, youth unemployment in Tees Valley is almost double the national rate. The area faces entrenched structural barriers to employment including low educational attainment (including absenteeism), limited access to transport and digital technology, and a lack of meaningful work experience opportunities for young people. Young people in Tees Valley are also more likely to come from disadvantaged backgrounds, including those with SEND or care experience, making transitions into education, employment, or training more difficult.

There is also a gap in support between youth services (which generally extend up to 18-year-olds) and adult provision (which is offered for those aged 19+), leaving 18–19-year-olds without co-ordinated support.

The target audience for this Trailblazer is 18-21 years old who are NEET or at risk of NEET, with a focus on those who face additional barriers to participation, including those with SEND, care leavers, young carers, and those with complex or multiple needs.

Aims

The objective of this Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is to tackle youth unemployment and disengagement by strengthening system co-ordination and providing targeted support to 18–21-year-olds who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET. The focus of improved system co-ordination aims to shift from fragmented interventions into a joined-up model aligning the efforts of councils, education providers, and employers. The focus of the targeted support is to develop employability and confidence for young people locally, through paid work placements, work tasters, and key worker support.

As a long-term ambition beyond the first year of the Trailblazer, the programme aims to affect a reduction in the number of young people who are NEET by 300 and a decrease in youth unemployment by around 1,000, bringing Tees Valley closer to national levels.
Inputs

There are three key inputs into this Trailblazer. The Trailblazer is funded by the £5 million investment from DWP, which is being managed by the Tees Valley Combined Authority, with delivery led by Stockton-on-Tees Local Authority. Other inputs include staff time and expertise from all five Tees Valley LAs (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees), as well as partnerships with Jobcentre Plus, the National Careers Service, the Tees Valley Careers Hub, FE colleges, VCSE organisations, and local employers.

Activities, outputs, outcomes and mechanisms of change

The activities programme is structured around six workstreams, which enable system change or provide targeted support for young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET.

Stream 1: Convening role and NEET Panels 

Stream 1 consists of establishing a Youth Guarantee Stakeholder Group bringing together teams from education, employment, health, and social care. The Stakeholder Group will establish regular feedback cycles and opportunities for collaboration. Within this Stakeholder Group, a series of NEET Panels will facilitate data-sharing, problem-solving, and discussions about shared learnings. The target outcome of this workstream is to improve co-ordination across agencies for overall delivery of more holistic support.

Stream 2: Work Placements and Tasters 

Through Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council as the lead delivery partner, the Trailblazer will offer paid work placements (three or six months) and shorter unpaid work tasters for 18–21-year-olds. To deliver this workstream, related activities include: a marketing campaign via social media, local advertising, and community outreach to raise awareness among young people; a campaign to encourage sign-up among employers; scaled-up teams of key workers across the five LAs to match young people to opportunities, prepare them for work, and maintain regular contact with both participants and employers throughout the placement. Employers are reimbursed for the salaried roles, and young people receive travel and support bursaries to remove barriers to participation. The target outcome of this workstream is that 300 young people attend an unpaid work taster session; 240 young people undertake a 3-month paid placement; and 80 young people undertake a 6-month paid placement. Participants in the placements will develop their soft skills of employability, including confidence and independence.

Stream 3: 18–19 Tracking and re-engagement 

To address a critical gap in tracking young people after leaving statutory education, Stockton will co-ordinate the data management for locating and re-engaging those who have become NEET or ‘unknown’ between the ages of 18 and 19. This involves information-gathering by key workers embedded within each LA, and information-sharing via new data agreements between TVCA, Stockton-on-Tees, and the other four LAs. The target outcome of this workstream is enabling cross-authority tracking of young people who are NEET and outcomes, so that all young people remain visible within the system and can be referred to appropriate support.

Stream 4: Year 13 Transition Support 

To complement the tracking work, each LA works with schools, colleges, and training providers to collect information on Year 13 leavers without confirmed destinations. This information is shared with the key worker teams via the new data-sharing agreements to enable rapid follow-up and continuity of support once young people leave education, such as providing careers guidance and co-ordinating with training providers. The target outcome of this workstream is ensuring that every young person has a clear post-18 pathway (extending the ‘September Guarantee’, a policy which ensures that every 16- and 17-year-old in England is offered a suitable place in education or training by the start of each academic year).

Stream 5: Mapping of Services 

This involves conducting a comprehensive ‘map-and-gap’ review of existing youth employment and skills provision across Tees Valley. This work aims to develop a centralised online directory, bringing together opportunities, referral routes, and contacts for use by young people and practitioners. The target outcome of this workstream is clarity on the system, including learnings about any duplications and gaps in provision, helping to shape future investment.

In the first workshops we were doing around the Trailblazer proposal, it became clear that the professionals in the room [working on that proposal] didn’t understand the Tees Valley offer – so how could we expect young people to understand it.

(Stakeholder)

Stream 6: Evaluation and Learning Framework 

This involves commissioning an independent evaluation partner to establish a baseline and measure progress against outputs and outcomes throughout delivery of the Trailblazer. This includes performance monitoring using tools such as the Outcome STAR, which is a measurement framework to assess the progress that individuals make, including in soft skills. The target outcome of this workstream is understanding which interventions deliver the most impact for different cohorts, to feed into TVCA’s long-term strategy for youth employment and skills.

Changes to the system

The Tees Valley Youth Guarantee Trailblazer aims to improve system integration for support services for young people, through the following changes:

• as part of the Youth Guarantee Stakeholder Group, there will be newly created NEET Panels which bring together cross-agency teams

• sustained role for TVCA as a system convenor (during and beyond the Trailblazer programme), bringing local authorities and connected partners into a common governance framework

• development of a shared data infrastructure, including new agreements between the five Tees Valley local authorities

• consolidation of a common referral mechanism (a standardised form and shared database) at Combined Authority level, instead of separate pathways between each of the five local authorities

Assumptions

This Trailblazer is based on key assumptions which are similar to those across the programme. The programme assumes that young people will be motivated to engage with placements and tasters, and that employers will respond positively to incentives to provide opportunities. It also assumes that better co-ordination, improved data visibility, and personalised key worker support will collectively lead to reduced NEET outcomes. A further assumption is that digital and transport barriers can be mitigated through bursaries and targeted support. Underpinning these assumptions is the belief that multi-agency collaboration will result in a more coherent and efficient system for youth transition support.

Risks, challenges and barriers

Risks for this Trailblazer were reported which are similar to other areas, but also unforeseen challenges are emerging as delivery has begun. The risks that are consistent with other Youth Guarantee areas include the speed and pace of mobilising the programme within one year, which could limit the scale of impact within the evaluation timeframe. Linked to this, delays to the DWP grant funding agreements created challenges for the Trailblazer and its partners. Sustained impact beyond the pilot remains uncertain, though this is somewhat mitigated by the announcement of an extension for a second year. Stakeholders recognise that paid placements may be time-limited, but that the soft skills and the wraparound support model aim to create more lasting value.

There were three key unforeseen challenges raised by stakeholders regarding the local delivery of the Trailblazer programme. Firstly, the administrative effort of co-ordinating the paid internships given the change in planned approach for financial management (from direct payment into employer reimbursement) has been significant. Secondly, the risk of not engaging employers towards work taster experiences, since employers express a preference for longer-term arrangements (such as the 6-month placements). Thirdly, while there is a risk of failing to engage young people, there is also a risk of engaging more young people than can be accommodated into paid placements – resulting in disappointment and further disenfranchisement among this audience.

Summary

The programme approach covers some level of system change (through the convening role of TVCA, and the planned mapping work) with more emphasis on the targeted intervention of work placements. These have clear MOCs for implementation and delivery – they are co-ordinated by Stockton-on-Tees and the other Local Authority partners, with strategic oversight from TVCA. However, there are challenges which might prevent the placements from having optimum impact, based on the administrative burden of co-ordinating them, and a sense that while they may support the development of soft skills (confidence, independence) there is no guarantee of work afterwards. In this way, there is a risk that the programme design may not go far enough in system change in order to impact and address the key problem, which is an above-average NEET rate among young people locally.

4. East Midlands Youth Guarantee Trailblazer

The East Midlands Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is led by the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA).

Problem and target audience

Currently, the East Midlands reported that it is experiencing rising NEET rates, low educational attainment with fewer than 1 in 5 pupils achieving a good grade in their GCSEs, and lower rates of young people going to university than the national average. The region also experiences significant local disparities, with different areas facing unique barriers to employment and training. Key local issues include rural isolation and poor transport links, low engagement with education, generational low aspirations, and limited trust in public services. Additionally, there is a need to improve employers’ use of inclusive recruitment practices and their understanding of YP’s needs. Multiple programmes have aimed to reduce youth economic inactivity, but poor collaboration has led to duplicated services and fragmented support, making navigation difficult for young people and families. System-level change is needed to align institutions and delivery partners around localised solutions. The Youth Guarantee will also work to strengthen local authorities’ existing NEET prevention and re-engagement efforts.

The Trailblazer is targeted at young people (18-21 years old) who are not in education, employment or training, and face additional barriers and complex circumstances. Identified areas of need include mental health, unequal access to digital tools, specific support for care leavers and young people with SEND, housing insecurity, limited English language skills/literacy and numeracy gaps and stigma around young offenders due to criminal records.

Aims

The aim of the East Midlands Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is to develop a strong, integrated and connected support system for young people transitioning from school to further education and employment, providing tailored support and career pathways. It will also work to reduce complex and entrenched barriers faced by young people in communities with the highest rates of economic inactivity, helping to address inequalities. Alongside this, there will be enhanced capacity of SME employers to implement inclusive hiring and management practices, with employers creating a workplace environment for people with disadvantage to thrive. The overarching impact of the Trailblazer will be its contribution to a more efficient economy, increasing employment, and reducing economic inactivity.

Inputs

There are five key inputs for the Trailblazer: £5 million Trailblazer Funding; EMCCA Programme management/engagement staff, time and expertise from LA; FE partners and VCSE partners (including new operational delivery roles); research and learning time and expertise; and digital discovery partner time and expertise, time and expertise from a technical partner in developing a digital resource to provide information to support the people and businesses in finding and creating employment opportunities and other opportunities for people.

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change

The Trailblazer consists of nine key activities involving system integration, research and learning and raising awareness across three key connecting components of employer engagement as a gateway to opportunities, tailored support to address individual needs and smooth transitions with integrated support.

EMCCA will lead the development of the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer Strategic Delivery Partnership managed by EMCCA’s Youth Guarantee Programme Manager. A key output will be new collaborative commissioning arrangements for localised programme design. The Youth Guarantee partnership group will enhance governance and increase collaboration via local partners working together to share resources, align strategies, and avoid duplication. It will also support operational peer support, problem solving and potential collaboration across the key intervention delivery activities. This is intended to lead to systemic change in how services are delivered and co-ordinated to create a stronger and integrated support framework for young people across the region.

Research and learning partner will be engaged to map the system and facilitate learning across a wide range of partners. Research outputs will provide an increase in knowledge and understanding from each test and learn intervention to strengthen opportunities for integrated and collaborative delivery. Key learnings will also be used for new commissioning models that are locally designed and flexible, moving away from rigid and general national programmes. Learning from the tailored support tests and transitions tests will also help refine and identify any necessary adjustments in the development of the Opportunities Portal to provide access to appropriate support and interventions.

A robust data-sharing framework and formalised data sharing agreement will be established to ensure seamless collaboration between stakeholders via secure and ethical data exchange systems. This will aim to support understanding and learning at local and regional levels of how each intervention works and the specific needs of the targeted young people cohorts. Improved data sharing is also intended to contribute to faster response times into support services.

All three of these activities will support systemic change in how services are delivered and co-ordinated to create a stronger and integrated support framework for young people across the region with stronger partnerships, reduction of duplication and improved commissioning and streamlining of funding.

There will be increased marketing and awareness raising activities via youth hubs, the use of peer ambassadors, youth mentors for young people, partner engagement and communications channels to inform young people about the Youth Guarantee. This will aim to increase understanding of the Youth Guarantee offer and awareness of the opportunities available via the Opportunities Portal. The Opportunities Portal (forming part of Employment Engagement and Enhancement) provides a single point of contact/hub for better co-ordination of services and referrals for both young people and employers. This seeks to reduce fragmentation and ensures young people receive the right support at the right time. Young people are increasingly matched to employment opportunities with higher engagement across the programme, and including via the Opportunities Portal, with a reduction of barriers to accessing vital career and personal development support.

Key interventions targeted at young people are delivered. In the tailored support strand, a Personal Development Programme is established across the target geographies of Nottingham City and Derbyshire to engage approximately two hundred and ten young people. Transitions and training support for young people with mental health needs is rolled out to engage four hundred young people. Support for care leavers and young people with SEND in Derby’s most deprived areas is provided for one hundred and twenty young people. Transitions testing pilot activity is used in Derbyshire to engage 900 young people and Nottinghamshire to engage 200 young people. It is intended that there will be an increase in young people’s aspirations, understanding, awareness and perceptions towards EET with specific intervention outcomes for individuals measured. All young people interventions have been designed to support the development of skills and confidence to improve YP’s readiness towards work via training, work placements and volunteering opportunities which will enable more young people to enter and/or stay in education, training and employment.

The Employer Engagement and Enhancement will include a HR inclusion officer and inclusion testing, best practice sharing events, reviewing employer systems, development of an Opportunities Portal and establishing the Good Employment Charter model. Key outputs will be four best practice learning and sharing events and twenty employer systems reviewed. The HR inclusion officer role will build direct relationships with employers to enable an increase in inclusive employment and management practices with the wider aim of employers being better equipped to support young people and others to sustain the employment. This will help bridge the gap between education and employment, making the programme more responsive to local labour market needs. The activities enable employer attitudinal and behavioural change. Growth in employer participation in supporting young people will aim to support changes in employer perceptions and the embedding of inclusive recruitment and management culture and practices. This is intended to contribute to more direct job opportunities for young people with additional needs and complex circumstances.

The development of a youth voice in decision making via a youth committee and existing youth engagement groups is rolled out. The intention is that youth consultation and engagement allow for a lived experience feedback loop on the design and operation of interventions. It is expected that young people consulted will also share their experiences, increasing awareness with peers, parents, and communities.

The Youth Guarantee programme plan is developed with agreements with key delivery partners, the agreed outcomes are unlikely to change significantly but where required the programme will flex to respond to needs in light of learning.

Changes to the system

The activities of the East Midlands Trailblazer will make six changes to the employment support system in the region:

• the Strategic Delivery Partnership supported by the research and learning partner and digital discovery partner with data sharing frameworks and agreements

• strengthened relationships with key wider partnership networks

• piloted Good Employment Model in place

• FE providers provide successfully tested transitions approaches

• personalised support embedded - (dependent on learning from pilot activity) – 1) Transitions/training support for young people with mental health needs, 2) Supporting care leavers and young people with SEND in Derby’s most deprived areas, 3) Personal Development Programme – targeting workless households

• the overall system is supported by a developing regional online Opportunities Portal to aid navigation (for people including young people and employers) to opportunities and support

Assumptions

The East Midlands Trailblazer is based on seven key assumptions. It assumes that local authorities and partners can identify and engage target groups, and that young people will engage with support services if they are accessible, relevant, and responsive to their needs. It also assumes that employers will adopt inclusive practices and participate in the programme. Another assumption is that learning, partner mapping, and insights will ensure engagement is evidence-based, dynamic, and aligned with project needs, with regular reviews to optimise impact. It is also assumed that greater use of data-driven insights will improve the tailoring of opportunities, enable effective progress tracking, and support collaboration across stakeholders. Youth voice is expected to play a central role in shaping and evaluating the programme. Finally, the pilot phase is assumed to provide a safe space for testing and learning, allowing for innovation - even if some approaches do not succeed immediately.

It’s important to bear in mind that it’s Trailblazer, isn’t it? And so, some of the main goals here are to identify what can be brilliant opportunities to take forward. It’s the potential in this thing to take it forward and for it to have an impact on data and the people in the region.

(Stakeholder)

Successfully implementing changes in data sharing across different organisations (with varying data infrastructure and policies) to drive enhanced use of data, along with effectively integrating youth voice, were both identified as significant challenges.

Risks

Stakeholders reported a number of risks and challenges that could impact the success of the East Midlands Trailblazer. There was a high level of concern that these could challenge the extent to which the aims of the programme were met. A key concern reported by participants was that the programme does not sufficiently address the prevention of young people becoming NEET before the age of eighteen, which may limit its potential to drive long-term reductions in NEET rates Two main programme-level risks were also identified. Firstly, that there had been short timeframes for design and procurement, uncertainty regarding Year 2 funding, and a lack of long-term financial certainty threaten programme continuity, staff retention, and the ability to embed learning from the pilot phase. Secondly, short timelines limiting engagement, especially with hard-to-reach youth facing complex needs. Finally, there are concerns about continued limitations in collaboration (including sufficient data sharing agreements and procedures) between central government departments (e.g. DfE, DWP, DHSC), regional localities, and delivery partners. This could create risks of duplication, inefficiency, and missed opportunities for joined up working and co-commissioning.

The following local level risks were also highlighted as potential challenges to the success of the East Midland’s Youth Guarantee. Firstly, barriers to engaging young people including low confidence in the programme and the complexity or long-term nature of the needs that it aims to address. Secondly, employer participation may be low due to fatigue, economic instability, staff turnover, and limited inclusive HR capacity, particularly in SMEs. Thirdly, tension between delivering flexible support and rigid targets may hinder tailored interventions. Finally, time constraints and challenges to accessing and engaging underrepresented voices may prevent youth perspectives from being adequately incorporated into programme design and evaluation, reducing relevance and impact.

Summary

Overall, a clear plan was developed with defined target outcomes across the pilot interventions. However, the overarching goals were widely viewed as ambitious, and there were specific concerns about the feasibility of achieving the aims set for the Youth Guarantee. Key risks were identified, including the decision to target young people at age eighteen rather than earlier, challenges around effective data sharing, and doubts about the programme’s capacity to meaningfully embed youth voice informed by lived experience in a short period of time.

5. Greater London Authority Care Leavers Youth Guarantee

The GLA Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is being led by a Central London Forward (CLF) team. CLF is a partnership of the 12 central London boroughs, working together to support inclusive and sustainable growth. The CLF team are overseeing and co-ordinating 12 London boroughs - Camden, City of London, Islington, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Southwark, Wandsworth, City of Westminster, Lewisham, Hackney, Haringey and Tower Hamlets.

Problem and target audience

This Trailblazer aims to address the multiple and complex barriers to sustained engagement with education, employment and training encountered by CEYP. The 12 London boroughs have a disproportionately high youth unemployment rate compared to the national average, with care leavers being particularly disadvantaged. Statistics show they are 3.5 times more likely to be NEET, and four times more likely to experience mental health issues. These challenges are further exacerbated by intersecting factors such as ethnicity, disability, and health conditions, all of which compound systematic barriers and limit equal access to education, employment, and training (EET) opportunities for young Londoners.

The Trailblazer is working with care leavers aged 17-25. The main focus of the Trailblazer activities is with 18 to 21 year olds. This is a small but high-need cohort, with varying levels of engagement and support needs across the boroughs.

Aims

The Trailblazer aims to strengthen and join up service provision across boroughs, improving engagement and ensuring consistent, wrap-around support for care leavers aged 17-25 (addressing the full range of CEYP barriers) and facilitate access to education, training and the labour market. In addition, the Trailblazer aims to build trusted relationships with care leavers and support them with their wider challenges, that will support them on the journey to employment; and equip CEYP with the resources, skills, mental resilience and experience to settle in sustainable EET (so they will be no more likely to be NEET than their peers).

We want to see an increase in the number of young care experienced people who are able to report distance travelled in terms of more motivation, more confidence or better employability skills… For me, it’s really about being able to find out what interventions work best long term for care experienced young people.

(Stakeholder)

Inputs

There are six key inputs for the Trailblazer: £5 million funding; CLF oversight and co-ordination (including data and performance monitoring systems); borough teams and commissioned partners time, skills and expertise; borough level oversight groups; data sharing agreements; and existing relationships with CEYP, schools, colleges and employers.

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change

Overall, the Trailblazer consists of five streams of activities involving a combination of collaboration, system insights generation, test and learn pilots together with engagement with employers and the CEYP system. The outcomes follow a logical progression and are clear, however the mechanisms of change require further consideration in stream two, three and four. Furthermore, the design for some of the activities at the borough level varies, and some lack detail. 

Stream 1: Establish governance, monitoring together with convening collaboration and data sharing across the boroughs (CLF)

Stream 1 consists of five core activities: 1) weekly mobilisation and implementation meetings; 2) borough-level delivery of support, training, and employment activities; 3) performance data collection and challenge resolution; 4) workshops and follow-up interviews to develop and test TOC; and 5) employer engagement via Care Leavers Covenant/Compact.

CLF will establish regular feedback cycles and opportunities for collaboration and sharing of insights as well as mechanisms for data sharing. The information sharing will mean borough leads are more aware of each other’s offers and approaches and this will contribute to better collaboration, service delivery, cross borough partnerships will be strengthened and ultimately system change.

Stream 2: Develop the services/interventions across 12 boroughs

Stream 2 consists of five sets of activities across the 12 boroughs: 1) mapping of the current offer within boroughs; 2) insight generation including transition point experiences, and service user experiences; 3) co-design projects with care leavers (including for example establishing a care leaver youth advisory panel); 4) test and learn activities to explore different approaches to engagement, functional skills training delivery and mental health support; and 5) development of tools to aid support. 

Work to develop services/interventions across 12 boroughs includes a mapping of the current services to identify gaps, overlaps, fragmentation and duplication. These insights will allow boroughs to better integrate their services and provision and develop continuous support (ensuring there are no stops or cliff edges) for service users. In turn this will lead to greater integration and improved services and service user experiences. These insights will also help cross-borough working. The mechanisms of change here require further consideration.  

Test and learn activities lead to better understanding of the best ways to engage the target population and how to better meet the needs of the population (and barriers to education and employment) to support their journey to sustainable employment. Insights will improve service design and user experience. Improved services will lead to greater engagement, and this will lead to more CEYP being in education or on placements - reducing NEET rates and CEYP accessing out of work benefits.

Stream 3: Working with borough partners

Activities in stream three focus on enhancing borough level support and training. This includes: 1) enhancing mental health support provision; 2) delivering functional skills and readiness for work training (including trauma-informed career coaching) and mentoring (including peer mentoring); 3) developing apprenticeships and internships ringfenced for care leavers as well as paid employment placements; and 4) delivering staff training on supporting care leavers, understanding trauma-informed practices.

Enhanced trauma-informed support and ringfenced placements are already contributing to improved engagement and early progress in borough delivery with services as the full range of user’s needs are being addressed and placements are appropriate and accessible. This will lead to more sustained engagement and a reduction in the number of NEET CEYP. The mechanisms of change are being refined through ongoing delivery and learning.  

Stream 4: Engaging with employers

Stream 4 consists of two core activities. First, the creation of employment and placement opportunities, including apprenticeships and internships ringfenced for Care Leavers, and supporting employers. Second, employer support which focuses on delivering training on supporting care leavers, understanding trauma-informed practices, and maintaining inclusive workplaces.

Employer engagement will enhance awareness and engagement in support for employing or offering placements to CEYP. This will lead to more employers engaging with and employing CEYP and sustaining their employ through the use of support services. This will lead to a more inclusive employment system and an increased number of CEYP in sustained employment or work placements. The mechanisms of change continue to be strengthened as employer engagement and support activities expand.  

Stream 5: Engagement and outreach work

Stream 5 engagement activities are three-fold: 1) schools and colleges to encourage care leavers’ participation; 2) employers to develop appropriate experience and employment opportunities; and 3) peer advocacy and engagement with CEYP. Note, while initial borough plans varied in the level of detail, most have since developed peer-led and partnership-based outreach models to enhance engagement.   

Engagement and outreach through schools and colleges will drive greater awareness and provide opportunity for enrolment with services and support programmes. This will lead to greater engagement amongst CEYP with the services and programmes of support available, particularly where awareness was a barrier.

Peer advocacy and engagement will reach CEYP who may have become disengaged or wary of working with the ‘corporate parent’. The soft approach to engagement will facilitate trust amongst CEYP and in turn will drive engagement with the services and programmes of support available amongst CEYP who may have become disengaged or wary of working with the ‘corporate parent’.

Engagement with employers will drive participation in work experience and placement opportunities by improving awareness of the support available for, and the benefits of, offering placement opportunities to CEYP and recruiting ‘non-traditional’ candidates.

Changes to the system

The Trailblazer is driving three key system changes to the support system for CEYP. First, greater integration within and across borough services for CEYP and related DWP services. Second creation and implementation of bespoke, dedicated programmes of education, training and wellbeing support for care leavers. Third, the implementation of ringfenced paid placements for CEYP. 

Assumptions

This Trailblazer is based on seven key assumptions which are similar to those across the programme, but no major concerns were raised about them by stakeholders. (1) It is assumed that innovation, as well as the testing and trialling of new approaches, will be valued as learning opportunities, even where findings indicate that approaches are less effective. (2) It is assumed that CEYP both want to engage with the programme and are able to do so. (3) The programme relies on the willingness and ability of delivery partners and employers to provide tailored, trauma-informed support to participants. (4) Employers are expected to be in a position to offer employment opportunities that are appropriate and suitable for CEYP. (5) It is assumed that boroughs will be able to mobilise rapidly, even in the face of delayed funding. (6) The commitment of delivery partners and employers to providing tailored, trauma-informed support is assumed. Finally, (7) the programme assumes that existing data collection and monitoring systems are sufficiently robust to capture both quantitative and qualitative outcomes effectively.

Risks, challenges and barriers

Stakeholders reported a number of risks and challenges that the Trailblazer faces and expressed some concerns about delivering the Trailblazer to its full potential in the funding timeframe. 

Four risks and challenges were raised by stakeholders regarding the design of the Trailblazer programme. Firstly, the speed and pace of the programme, especially delays in the set-up phase, initially created delivery pressures but have since been mitigated. Secondly, delays to the DWP grant funding agreements created challenges for the Trailblazer and its partners, delaying mobilisation and shortening delivery timelines. Third, the first year was not seen as sufficient time to realise system changes and test new approaches and services and see results (and there was concern this could de-value their efforts with DWP), although these concerns have been somewhat alleviated by the announcement of the extension of the programme into year two. Finally, labour market changes and uncertainties impacting the range and volume of opportunities available presents a key risk.

Four risks and challenges were raised by stakeholders regarding the local delivery risks of Trailblazer programme. First, the potential for limited stakeholder buy-in during early development stages. Second, challenges in engaging the care leaver population, in particular segments with English language barriers to engagement. In addition, vulnerable cohort of young people, comes with risks which are managed continuously by boroughs. Third, stakeholders highlighted that changes in Borough partnership arrangements or delivery partners mid-programme may undermine delivery and engagement (should change be required). Lastly, possible gaps in data or difficulties tracking progress without robust baseline information may lead to difficulties in evaluation and attribution of outcomes to the Trailblazer.

Summary

The plan is now well established and provides a strong strategic framework for delivery across 12 boroughs. There are LA level targets set; however, the plan lacks detail in places in terms of the activities being undertaken at LA level, in part due to some of these still being in design. The Trailblazer has well defined high-level outcomes it is working towards across each of the five streams of activities. The mechanisms of change were clear but lacked in-depth consideration in some instances. Engagement of care-experienced young people remains a key focus area, with new peer-led and employer-based outreach helping to strengthen participation to engage and onboard CEYP to the Trailblazer programme and activities. Note, Year 1 will lay the foundations for accelerated delivery, deeper impact, and long-term system change in Year 2 and beyond.

6. GLA Pan-London Youth Guarantee Trailblazer

This Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is being led by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and is closely linked to the GLA’s Inclusive Talent Strategy and the linked Get London Working Plan. The GLA is delivering a pan-London Youth Guarantee trailblazer, as well as being the accountable body for four other London trailblazers (three economic inactivity and one youth). The GLA’s evaluation will focus on the pan-London trailblazer but will also provide an overview of all five London trailblazers. 

Problem and target audience

London’s youth economic inactivity rate exceeds the national average, and is higher than people often assume, but there are significant geographic and socio-economic disparities across the city. The foundation of this Trailblazer is the belief that young people are struggling to access employment support due to poor integration, collaboration and data sharing between services. There is currently a lack of London-wide leadership for youth services, and this contributes to the situation where there is a broad range of services being delivered, but lack of mapping means there are gaps, duplication, and poor integration. Lack of clarity about the offer to young people is an access barrier and poor integration leads to young people accessing multiple services and re-telling their story which can be traumatising and lead to service fatigue. Resource is already stretched and there has not been resource available for joining up the offer.  

The target audience for the Trailblazer is primarily 18-21-year-olds across London, and particularly those who are hidden NEETS (those at risk of falling into economic inactivity during key transition periods) and young people facing mental health challenges. The Trailblazer will work with some 16-17 year olds in its NEET prevention work.

Aims

This Trailblazer is focused on addressing system integration challenges. The aim of the Pan-London Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is to build a more comprehensive and consistent youth offer for London which is then realised at the hyper local level. It is working towards achieving a more integrated support system for economically inactive young people across London, with less duplication, and which gets young people to the right service, at the right time, and gets this right first time. The vision is for every young people across London to be able to access support and EET opportunities and for more young people (notably hidden NEETS and those at risk of becoming NEET e.g. due to facing mental health challenges) in London to be in EET. The ultimate impact will be more young people in London in meaningful jobs and reduced numbers of young people who are NEET in London.   

Developing this shared vision for youth services is the overarching objective for this Trailblazer and all the other components are elements of it … or we are testing approaches to feed into it.

(Stakeholder)

Inputs

There are five key inputs for the Trailblazer: £5-million Trailblazer funding which resources delivery activity, staffing and the independent evaluation; and time, skills and expertise from partners (notably the SRPs, LOTI, and London Councils). Stakeholders stressed that this Trailblazer also draws on wider GLA resources and initiatives, notably including the mayor’s convening powers, and other GLA young Londoner projects, including the work of the Inclusive Talent Strategy.   

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change

Overall, the Trailblazer consists of eight activities involving a combination of system integration, targeted hyper local pilots, and work to develop data sharing infrastructure. The outcomes and mechanisms of change are mostly clear and well developed.  

Developing a core youth offer is central to the work of this Trailblazer. The Trailblazer will use a bottom-up co-design approach to develop a shared vision of a Core Youth Offer for London and engage stakeholders and communicate this to partners and young people. The core offer will map services and reduce duplication. The approach will involve insight projects, stakeholder engagement, research with partners, and co-design with young people. The shared development and communication of this core offer will make providers and partners more aware of each other’s offers and contribute to increased service integration. Communication of this youth offer to young people, service providers and youth practitioners will make them more aware of services, which will mean more young people contact support services, therefore increasing service reach. It is as yet unclear what the tangible output from this activity will be as the GLA want this to be informed by sector engagement and young people co-design.

Work to improve data sharing is a key part of the Trailblazer. The Trailblazer is funding work – led by the GLA and LOTI (London Office of Technology and Innovation)– to develop an MVP for a data sharing tool which will allow providers and partners to share aggregate and individual case level data. The Trailblazer is developing the DSA and DPIAs to create a governance framework as well as an MVP for the tool. Developing these will create scalable infrastructure as well as learnings from the development process. Once developed, sharing data via the tool will mean that services can make more data informed decisions (e.g. about resource targeting) and services can reach individuals earlier and reduce the need for young people to interact with multiple services.

The Trailblazer will fund four dedicated young people leads to the London SRPs to develop communities of practice through events and meetings and to develop local service maps. These activities will make service providers and partners more aware of each other’s offers which will contribute to stronger service integration. The leads will also develop Youth Integration Networks (YIN) and the sharing of information through these will improve referral pathways and mean there are more referrals between services, which in turn contributes to greater service integration and means services reach more young people. This sharing of information will also contribute to stronger relationships and greater collaboration between services across London.

The Trailblazer will create an online resource which aims to support young people and empower youth services and practitioners (including mentors, teachers, youth workers, any trusted adult) to better support young people to navigate the system landscape and access the right services and opportunities. It will be promoted via a communications plan and the YINs. Communication and use of the resource hub will mean that more young people are aware of employment support services, which in turn will lead to services reaching more young people.

The Trailblazer will fund the Hidden NEETs pilot which is informed by a whole-college approach in two colleges to support students at risk of mental health challenges. Firstly, it will fund staff training on early identification of tier 1 and 2 issues which will lead to more referrals – strengthening service integration and meaning support services reach more young people earlier. Secondly it will strengthen NHS referral pathways by building and strengthening the colleges’ relationship with local mental health stakeholders and with the ICB. This will create stronger relationships and greater collaboration between providers and partners. Finally, it will funded targeted resilience activities to increase student knowledge and confidence around mental health.

The Hidden NEETs+ pilot will also use data to identify those at risk of being NEET earlier and coaching based outreach and enrichment activities to support them, including work placements. This will improve referral pathways to support services and mean that services reach more young people earlier and keep them engaged. It will improve relationships and collaboration between colleges and other services in the local areas. The coaching will improve young people’s confidence in finding the right training and employment for them. The use of work placements with local employers (for example via BIG South London Network) will improve relationships with local employers and contribute to more young people being in meaningful jobs if placements convert into permanent jobs.

As well as developing its own activities, the Trailblazer will also fund additional mental health support on the GLA led Support for Young Londoners (SfYL) programme, to their NEET young people focused activities. This will contribute to raised confidence levels in young people.

As part of its London-wide co-ordination role, the Trailblazer has established a Working Group and Governance Board which meet monthly to share learnings and case studies. The information shared at these meetings means service providers and partners are more aware of each other’s offers and this will contribute to better service integration.

The Trailblazer has a set of defined outcomes it is working towards. For the pilots, short term targets include: 80% of participating staff report increased knowledge of the system and 90% report enhanced awareness of referral pathways. In the medium term, the pilots are aiming for improvements in a range of measures for 900-1,200 young people supported including: increased confidence (70%), enhanced engagement (50%), and transition to EET (40%). 

Changes to the system

The Pan-London Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is focused on system integration and will make seven changes to the youth employment support system across London:

• develop an integrated core youth offer for London
• add a data sharing tool which providers can support data sharing between services
• add four dedicated young people leads to the NWD hubs who will build Youth Integration Networks across the four sub-regions
• develop an online resource hub which acts as a single front door to accessing support and advice
• the Hidden NEETs pilot will add knowledge to colleges, resilience activities to colleges, and new Liaison Officers between colleges and the ICB
• the Hidden NEETs Plus pilot will add coaches and work placements
• extra mental health support will be added to the SfYL programme

Assumptions

The Pan-London Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is based on six key assumptions many of which are similar to those across the programme. Crucially, the Trailblazer is built on the fundamental assumption that a key reason why the target audience are not accessing services is due to lack of integration, collaboration and data sharing between services. The Trailblazer assumes that short- and medium-term system change will facilitate change in economic inactivity among young people. Some stakeholders raised the risk that this may not be the case and system changes may not reach young people and impact economic inactivity levels. In addition, the system integration work assumes that stakeholders will firstly engage with the work and take part in the programme (notably developing and using the core offer) and secondly share sufficient information via the networks and that this information sharing will lead to increased referrals (although the exact MOC for this remains unclear). In addition, the Trailblazer assumes that addressing mental health challenges among young people will reduce economic inactivity and that young people will find and want to use the resource hub and core offer. 

Risks, challenges and barriers

Stakeholders reported a number of risks and challenges that the Pan-London Youth Guarantee Trailblazer faces, and these broadly reflect those reported across the programme. Overall, stakeholders broadly expected to achieve positive change but there were concerns about the delivery of the data sharing activities and the pilots. 

Two risks and challenges were raised by stakeholders regarding the design of the Trailblazer programme. Firstly, there was some concern that the short development timeframes may constrain potential scope and ambition, particularly the need to start delivering outcomes in the first year. Secondly, stakeholders reported challenges with spending the funding in the first year and being able to deliver outcomes after the grant funding agreements were delayed.

As with the other London Trailblazers, concerns were raised about the size and diversity of London and extent to which challenges for young people vary across the city and specifically that the spreading of the funding across the city could dilute impact for young people.

Regarding the Pan-London Youth Guarantee Trailblazer specifically, five key deliveries risks were raised. Firstly, as mentioned about, there is a risk around the extent to which the GLA will be able to evidence the impact of system level changes planned on young people particularly within the programme timeframe. Secondly, the GLA does not deliver employment support programmes, therefore stakeholder buy-in and partner collaboration will be crucial to ensuring the success of the project. In addition, providers and partners may not want to join up and refer where this affects their structures and KPIs. Thirdly, and relatedly, partners may not be able to commit resources to contributing to the programme. Fourthly, the Trailblazer’s data sharing plans could face technical and legal delays. Finally, young people may not reach the online hub or the core offer as these audiences remain hard to reach.

We don’t know whether this [DSAs] is going to take two weeks or six months.

(Stakeholder)

Summary

Key stakeholders reported that they expect the plan to continue to evolve, informed by the experience of delivery and by the evaluation. Specificities around the outputs of the Youth Offer development and the online resource will only be available following sector and young people engagement. This could present meaningful risks to the successful delivery of the Trailblazer, but leaders expect to continue to iterate and adjust the plans as they begin delivery. Beyond this, the main risk to the Trailblazer is that it addresses challenges at system-level and impact on young people might be hard to evidence within the short term of the project lifetime.

7. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Youth Guarantee Trailblazer

This Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is being led by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA). The Trailblazer will operate alongside Connect to Work to ensure continuity between support for young people and adults – sharing governance and employer standards (such as the planned Good Work Charter output) and leveraging common networks such as with employers and training providers.

Problem and target audience

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough region has experienced rising rates of economic inactivity. The unemployment rate for 16-24-year-olds in this area is higher than for the total working age population (16-64-year-olds). There is a significant issue of long-term sickness and mental health conditions. There is also inequity based on sub-regional areas, with Fenland and Peterborough particularly affected by youth inactivity. Structural fragmentation presents a further challenge: there is no single accountable body for tracking 18–21-year-olds, and statutory tracking for younger cohorts is not consistently connected to post‑18 support. This means that the scale of youth inactivity is somewhat unknown, since there are gaps in the data and information.

There is no one single agency that is accountable for tracking 18- to 21-year-olds with regards to education, training, and employment. So, although we have these figures from DWP data, we actually don’t know precisely.

(Stakeholder)

The Trailblazer will engage with NEET young people, with targeted interventions for more vulnerable groups who face the greatest barriers to employment, including care‑experienced young people, those supervised by the youth justice system, young carers, BAME groups, learners with SEND, and those with long‑term health conditions.

Aims

The objectives of this Trailblazer span enhancing pre-existing services as well as ‘testing and learning’ with new pilot initiatives, ultimately with an end goal of building a coherent system that ensures every young person can access the right support at the right time to enter and sustain education, employment, or training. This Trailblazer programme has three interconnected goals:

• Improved system co-ordination and partnership working: a clearer, data‑driven, joined‑up local ecosystem.
• Improved employability and confidence: targeted support that develops skills, confidence, and work‑readiness.
• Stronger employer engagement: more and better opportunities for young people, especially with SMEs across priority sectors.

Over the longer term, the Trailblazer aims to reduce youth economic inactivity and unemployment and to narrow place‑based disparities. With the planned continuation into year two, CPCA will refine delivery based on learnings from year one.

Inputs

The £5 million DWP investment funds a core delivery team led by a full-time Programme Lead, supported by officers for programme management, youth voice, data, and evaluation. Delivery involves partnerships with Cambridgeshire County Council, Peterborough City Council, Jobcentre Plus, Youth Employment UK, and other agency partners who are giving time and expertise to the programme. Governance is provided through a Programme Board, Youth Forum, and place-based delivery consortiums which are contributing time and expertise to the programme

Activities, outputs, outcomes and mechanisms of change

Overall, the plan for this Trailblazer involves three streams of activity which are focused on enhancing the current employment support system, testing and piloting new services for the target audiences, and increasing collaboration between services in the area.

Build upon the current system

The target outcome of these activities is to improve the network of pre-existing services for young people and employment, by convening, scaling up, or sharing data – so that the system is more unified and accessible for NEET young people to use.

A Programme Board will be established for stronger governance, which brings together partners from Local Authorities, education, employment, health, policing, housing, and the voluntary sector to co-ordinate delivery and align the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer activity with wider local programmes, such as the Careers Hub and Connect to Work. There will also be representation of young people via a newly set up Youth Forum which meets monthly to co-design communications, advise on employer engagement, and review planned activities to ensure delivery reflects the lived experience of young people.

Based the on success of the model within CPCA of placements funded by the UKSPF, young people (aged 18-21) will be able to participate in paid internships, supported by funding from the Trailblazer. As a result of feedback from Youth Forum, the duration of the placements is extended to last twelve weeks (they were previously six weeks), with a target of up to 100 to be completed. SMEs receive support through small grants and wage subsidies to deliver high-quality internships and tasters, while employers can benefit from Youth Employment UK membership to promote vacancies.

The introduction of a set of formal data-sharing agreements between CPCA and LAs will enable full visibility about young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET. Each LA retains operational responsibility for statutory tracking, but information is shared securely with CPCA through an agreed framework that sets out the purposes, data flows, and governance arrangements for use. This co-ordinated approach enables the Combined Authority and its partners to identify ‘unknown’ young people, and track transitions more effectively. Data sharing also extends to Jobcentre Plus to improve visibility of claimants aged 18–21, and data agreements will also be established with delivery partners (with anonymity protected where relevant).

The Youth Impact Programme will be leveraged and scaled up to support young people, including those with learning difficulties or disabilities, via a range of services and provisions such as events, youth clubs, counselling, skills development, and community engagement. The mechanisms of change involve campaign efforts to raise awareness and therefore engagement, as well as investing in additional staff time in order to deliver the support.

Overall, the Trailblazer activities which extend, or leverage pre-existing interventions are aimed at building system cohesion. There are general targets related to enhancing existing services, such as engaging more young people in the system, but these will be refined during implementation

Structurally it’s about tidying up what’s already there, and gluing them together so that they’re more cohesive… the Guarantee moves us towards a unified approach across the different services.

(Stakeholder)

Test and learn from new approaches

The target outcome of these activities is to understand which new interventions are most effective at improving skills and wellbeing for employability, beyond the current service offer.

Grant funded initiatives: through a dedicated grant programme, investing £1.5 million of the Trailblazer budget, CPCA is selecting and commissioning a range of short-term (six-month) interventions proposed by service providers (and these were still in the process of being selected at the time of fieldwork). These include community-based mentoring projects, creative and digital skills pilots, and partnerships with voluntary sector organisations targeting vulnerable or hard-to-reach cohorts. Outcome targets for these initiatives vary according to their design, set by the delivery partners during the commissioning process with CPCA. Each project is required to evidence outcomes and share learning through performance monitoring, feeding into the overall evaluation framework.

Data-informed understanding of youth inactivity: CPCA is partnering with Youth Employment UK to conduct research and good practice mapping across the region. This work will capture the experiences of young people and identify barriers to youth employment. Learnings will inform ongoing policy design.

Co-location Youth Hub: CPCA is supporting the development of a youth space to encourage joint working and improve accessibility of support services to young people locally. A key pilot will be based at Peterborough United Football Club, providing a hub for young people to access careers advice, employability support, and referrals to training or work placements in one place. This pilot will be delivered in partnership with the English Football League (EFL in the Community) who have past experience of supporting youth hubs. 

Overall, the Trailblazer activities which are new interventions at CPCA are part of an effort to experiment with innovative approaches as part of the pilot:

We are embracing the Trailblazer opportunity to ‘test and learn’ in its purest sense, with a variety of different initiatives spanning different themes of ‘need’. We’ll then distil it down into more targeted ways of working. So, throwing the net wide in Year 1 and then refining it in Year 2.

(Stakeholder)

Changes to the system

The activities of the CPCA Youth Guarantee Trailblazer will make the following changes to the support system for local young people:

• establishing consistent governance structures, through a Programme Board for strategic oversight
• establishing a Youth Forum that convenes on a monthly basis, to ensure the views and needs of young people are heard during the implementation of the Trailblazer
• filling in any knowledge gaps about the issue of youth inactivity, through data collection and dissemination – supported by the census to be carried out locally by Youth Employment UK
• expanding the Talent Hive digital platform, to host real-time listings of work tasters, paid placements, training courses, volunteering opportunities, as well as digital badging when these are completed
• setting up data-sharing agreements with national and commissioned partners (Jobcentre Plus, Kooth, Mind etc.) for cohesive information in the system
• strengthening employer engagement and understanding of meaningful opportunities e.g. creating the Good Work Charter
• strengthening links between health and employability support, via expanded working practices with partners such as Kooth and Mind

Assumptions

This Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is underpinned by several key assumptions. It assumes that disengagement among young people who are NEET who are not accessing support services is primarily due to system fragmentation and that greater integration and data sharing will improve visibility and engagement. It assumes that young people will find and use the new digital resource hub, the co-location space, and the enhanced Talent Hive when these are available and promoted through trusted networks.

Risks, challenges and barriers

There are foreseen risks with this Trailblazer which are similar to other areas, such as: the speed and pace of mobilising the programme within one year, which could limit the scale of impact within the evaluation timeframe. Linked to this, there are risks around the complexity of establishing data-sharing systems in the interests of integrated communication – moving from a system of siloed databases (local authorities, DWP, Jobcentre Plus etc.) into a joined-up set of information about NEET young people.

More particular to the CPCA Trailblazer are risks associated with the grant-funded pilot interventions. Firstly, there is the challenge of effectively measuring comparatively between different initiatives. Secondly, the variety of ‘test and learn’ initiatives can create further fragmentation in the system when there is an overarching programme goal of cohesion. Thirdly, there is a risk that partners will not effectively integrate and collaborate – though the Trailblazer’s approach mitigates some of these risks by encouraging flexibility and adaptive management as delivery progresses. For example, CPCA identified opportunities for ‘blending’ proposals during the selection process of the grant-funded initiatives.

Summary

The programme approach covers scaled-up investment in existing services as well as funding for innovative new approaches. The focus is on building governance, expanding work opportunities, improving digital access, extending tracking, and testing pilot interventions. The findings from the test-and-learn pilots will shape a more targeted and sustainable approach in year two, supporting CPCA’s ambition for a fully integrated, locally responsive youth employment support system. The voice of local young people is intentionally embedded throughout via the Youth Forum, ensuring that the Trailblazer is shaped and delivered in partnership with those it aims to serve.

8. West of England Combined Authority Youth Guarantee Trailblazer

The West of England (WECA) Youth Guarantee Trailblazer is being led by West of England Combined Authority (WoE CA). Three of the eight work packages are led by WECA’s constituent LAs, with the other five more strategic packages led by WECA itself.

Problem and target audience

The West of England is a prosperous and attractive place to live and work for many. However, many young people experience a variety of challenges including significant deprivation, inequality and other barriers. They require co-ordinated and effective support to ensure they are able to access the learning and employment opportunities the region provides. This includes completing their learning and/or sustaining their employment. Employers need greater access to a talent supply chain, in order for this to happen there needs to be greater mobilisation of workforce. 

There are a number of challenges that need addressing. There is not a comprehensive picture of the disengaged 18–21-year-old cohort in the region. Some young people are engaged with support services (youth services, health, criminal justice etc.), while others are unknown. If the cohort is not known, then they cannot be engaged onto the programme. This is coupled with a lack of shared understanding of the full range of services and support available to young people in the region. This includes both education/skills and employment support. 

This trailblazer is partly place based and focuses on three areas and a different priority cohort in each: young people who have special educational needs but who do not have an Education, Health, and Care plan (EHCP) (in South Gloucestershire); those in areas of high deprivation (in City of Bristol), and those in rural communities facing transport challenges (in Bath and North East Somerset). The LAs selected the target audiences.

Aims

The overall aim is to improve employment outcomes for young people aged 16 - 21 in the chosen cohorts in the three places by addressing systemic and place-based barriers to work. The Youth Guarantee Trailblazer seeks to increase access to tailored support, work experience, and employment opportunities, while also improving co-ordination across youth services, boosting employer engagement with the youth workforce, and improving data systems to enable better visibility of young people who are NEET and those at risk of becoming NEET to enable earlier intervention.

Inputs

There are seven key inputs for WECA Trailblazer:

1. £5 million in funding.

2. An additional £363,000 from the DfT Bus Grant.

3. Existing knowledge of regional youth support services and young people’s challenges.

4. Time and expertise from LAs, internal WECA teams, stakeholders

5. Time and expertise from delivery partners (such as youth development workers and employability coaches).

6. Relationships between LAs, DWP, NHS, FE/HE institutions, the VCSE sector, and employers.

7. Time contributed by young people participating in youth voice panels and interventions.

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change

Overall, the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer consists of 8 work packages involving a combination of activities led by LAs or WECA. Key activities are listed under each work package below. Work packages 1, 2, and 3 are led by LAs and share common core elements, aiming to remove barriers to young people accessing Trailblazer opportunities and EET more broadly.

Work package (1) ‘Rural Access Cohort’

Led by Bath and Northeast Somerset Council, this workstream focusses on young people in rural communities within Bath and Northeast Somerset. The programme provides free or subsidised transport for rural residents where transport is a barrier in accessing jobs and services. The programme also offers information, advice, and personalised coaching support from job coaches. The intervention aims to improve employment readiness and reduce transport-related barriers to labour market participation among young people residing in rural areas.

Work package (2) ‘Place-Based Cohort’

This work is led by Bristol City Council. It focusses on young people in South Bristol, targeting areas with high barriers to employment such as low attainment, deprivation, high NEET rates, crime or gang violence, and transport issues. NEET young people aged 17 - 21 receive one-to-one career coaching, access to an employability programme, and access to a bursary scheme. The programme will also create a local post-16 and post-18 handbook for young people and parents to support transitions and service visibility. Bristol City Council have partnered with a VCSE organisation to lead youth voice work and are developing a range of work taster opportunities. The programme is designed to increase progression into EET by enhancing individual capabilities and improving local service visibility, with outcomes assessed through changes in NEET rates and transition success.

Work package (3) ‘Special Educational Needs Cohort’

Led by South Gloucestershire Council, this programme supports young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) who do not have an EHCP, particularly those facing mental health or educational challenges that limit access to work. It begins with a four-week work readiness programme, followed by an eight-week structured work placement, and includes access to a dedicated work coach trained in Acceptance Commitment Therapy to provide holistic, mental health-informed support. The programme engages multi-agency groups and promotes a tailored support offer. The intended outcomes include increased engagement with employment support, improved coach capability in mental health, and improved participant mental health to reduce participation barriers and improve personal confidence. Longer-term aims are improved progression into EET, stronger service co-ordination, and enhanced local partnerships. Outcomes will be evaluated through service uptake, wellbeing improvements, and EET progression rates.

Work packages 4 – 8

These are more strategic and focussed on system integration and navigation activities. These are led centrally by WECA.

Work package (4) ‘Skills, Support & Employment system mapping’ focuses on comprehensive mapping of the support landscape for young people and integrating this data into the Skills Connect platform with a dedicated young person’s landing page.   Planned enhancements include a youth specific area with tailored content shaped by young people, and engagement workshops for practitioners, providers, and employers to embed Skills Connect as a ‘one stop shop’ and boost usage across the region.

Work package (5) ‘FE/HE Progression Research’ is a piece of research commissioned by WECA to identify barriers to transitions through FE and HE pathways, with outputs including actionable recommendations to strengthen support and reduce disengagement.

Work package (6) ‘Enhanced Risk of NEET Indicator (RONI) Data Roll-Out/ Post-Key Stage 5 Tracking System’ This focuses on collating and co-ordinating a variety of data sources into a regional data system that utilises predictive analytics to identify young people at risk of becoming NEET. This system will provide schools, and local authorities, a real-time Risk of NEET data, enabling earlier identification of at-risk young people and more effective targeting of interventions. The system will also include the tracking of individuals post-KS5. This will enable the effective identification of young people at risk of becoming NEET, enabling earlier, more preventative intervention.

Work package (7) ‘Employer Engagement’ is a collaborative effort between WECA and LAs, with economic development teams and dedicated employer engagement staff in each LA building relationships, brokering placements, and providing tailored support and training to employers through an employer support programme (including bursaries, webinars, and workshops). This approach prepares and supports employers to host young people, resulting in more and higher-quality work experience opportunities, ultimately improving YP’s access to meaningful placements and their chances of sustained employment as a result. 

Work package (8) ‘Convening the Youth Guarantee’ is led by WECA and has two key activities: convening a quarterly regional steering group that brings together key partners for oversight, co-ordination, feedback, and continuous improvement of the Trailblazer, and local convening hubs, one in each of the three LAs which act as which act as multi-agency steering groups to co-ordinate local delivery, oversee work packages, and ensure interventions are tailored to the needs of specific cohorts. The hubs are also responsible for adapting and expanding existing local partnerships to fit the Trailblazer’s aims.

Changes to the system

The activities of the WECA Youth Guarantee Trailblazer will make the following changes to the young people employment support system in the region:

• 1x new regional Youth Guarantee Trailblazer Steering Group (including work package leads)
• 3x new Youth Guarantee local convening hubs (multiagency steering groups)
• new work experience, placements, interviews, apprenticeships offered
• provision of young people bursaries (e.g. subsidised/free transport options) and employer bursaries
• RONI and Post KS5 tracking system rolled out across all LAs in the WECA region
• employer support programme including bursaries, webinars, workshops
• Skills Connect hub: add a comprehensive directory of youth support provision, serve as a digital tool to engage youth support delivery partners through workshops and webinars, and create a dedicated youth landing page

Assumptions

This Trailblazer is based on three key assumptions, namely: that a lack of joined-up data prevents early identification and support for young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET; that fragmented systems limit awareness and access to support; and that multi-agency collaboration will improve outcomes. It assumes that targeted, locally tailored interventions are more effective than a single unified offer, and that young people will engage if barriers like transport and confidence are addressed. Employers are expected to respond positively to co-ordinated engagement and continue offering opportunities despite economic pressures and increasing demands from local and national government. System mapping, data sharing, and youth voice are assumed to be critical for improving service design and delivery, enabling more holistic and effective support.

Risks, challenges and barriers

At a programme design level, a key risk, as highlighted in other case studies, is the short delivery window for year one. There may also still be incomplete or low-quality data on disengaged young people which could affect tracking efforts. Young people may also have low trust in services due to repeated short-term funding and withdrawn interventions, which may affect engagement, and the Trailblazer may not be able to improve this. Low trust may impact the willingness of young people to provide the personal data required by DWP for the purpose of evaluation and discourage them from enrolling. Co-ordinating across multiple agencies also risks duplication or gaps, and a lack of guaranteed funding beyond the pilot phase raised concerns about sustainability at the outset.

Key local delivery challenges include limited employer capacity to engage with multiple local and regional initiatives that require their participation, and relatedly, a risk of employer fatigue. There may also be challenges in LAs and WECA teams being able to secure suitable entry-level roles due to market factors or other reasons outside of their control. Young people may struggle to stay engaged, especially if barriers like transport or mental health are not fully addressed by support provision. Capacity constraints in education and mental health services may also limit the ability to absorb increased referrals, and wider sector funding cuts may reduce available opportunities and resources.

Summary

WECA has collaborated closely with its three LAs to co-develop a proposal that reflects locally tailored activities aligned with the Trailblazer’s aims. The scope of work across the region is both broad and ambitious, with strong stakeholder buy-in and enthusiasm for contributing to the mainstage evaluation. Mechanisms of Change are generally well-articulated, and the work on NEET tracking and post-KS5 visibility stands out as potentially valuable learning for other Trailblazer areas. Following delivery of these outputs, WECA intends to embed insights into ongoing service design and evaluation practice to strengthen youth transitions and system-level co-ordination.

9. West Yorkshire Economic Inactivity Trailblazer

The West Yorkshire Economic Inactivity Trailblazer is being led by West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA). The programme is working in partnership with the NHS Health and Growth Accelerator.

Problem and target audience

Economic inactivity due to long-term sickness is a growing concern in West Yorkshire, affecting both regional growth and access to opportunity. This type of inactivity is closely linked to deprivation which influences patterns of economic inactivity across the region and within places. Early intervention for young people who are NEET is limited, and youth unemployment remains a priority. Employers often lack capacity to support staff with health needs, reducing access to inclusive employment. The employment and skills support system is fragmented, with unclear pathways, overlapping programmes and poor co-ordination, making it hard for residents to navigate support.

There’s lots of provision, there’s lots of support, it’s difficult to navigate for citizens… probably difficult for some of us as service providers to navigate and understand.

(Stakeholder).

The Trailblazer aims to support economically inactive individuals with health conditions who are furthest from the labour market, helping them move closer to employment and avoid long-term inactivity. This includes residents returning to work after more than twelve months of ill-health or absence, who may benefit from targeted support. Specific key groups that the Trailblazer aims to target include young people, care leavers, older workers with low skills or physically demanding jobs, those with caring responsibilities, lone parents, ex-offenders, and people experiencing homelessness.

Aims

The successful delivery and embedding of the Trailblazer will aim to ensure that individuals can access employment and health support that responds to their needs and priorities. It will support more businesses to succeed and promote good quality work. Employers will create inclusive workplaces that support people with long-term health conditions and disabilities, addressing the disability employment gap. At a regional level, the Trailblazer aims to improve population health and wellbeing, increasing the number of years people live in good health. It will contribute to the reduction of health and socio-economic inequalities with a reduced gap in healthy life expectancy between people with mental health conditions, learning disabilities and / or autism, and for those most socioeconomically disadvantaged and the rest of the population. The programme also seeks to support improved socio-economic outcomes such as reducing workless lone parent households and addressing childcare barriers. Overall, the Trailblazer will contribute to a stronger regional/local economy with inclusive growth.

Inputs

The six key inputs for the Trailblazer are: £10 million Trailblazer funding per year; additional WYCA matched funding via investments and additional funding streams (e.g. NHS Health and Growth Accelerator); WYCA staff and skills to build on existing governance and maintain local networks and co-ordination across the region, including the Mayor’s convening power; staff and skills from delivery partners (LAs, VCSE, Employment West Yorkshire) and wider partnerships; infrastructure such as places, systems and processes for delivery; and analytical capacity through the existing workforce.

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change

This Trailblazer includes Ten activities across five focus areas: strengthening systems leadership and service integration; expanding Employment West Yorkshire; collaborating with innovative VCSEs; co-producing solutions to recruitment and retention barriers; and designing and testing incentives to help more people into work. The Trailblazer will establish the Healthy Working Life Board, jointly led by WYCA and the ICB, and further develop a governance approach through new partnership boards, a refreshed identity under Healthy Working Life, and co-ordinated partnership events and marketing. The mayor’s convening power will help align cross-sector leadership. These changes within the system will aim to establish strategic systems leadership and strategic collaboration between regional partners, reducing duplication, improving connections between employment, health, and VCSE support, and an increase in co-commissioning and co-design. This is expected to make support easier to navigate by simplifying the system for individuals by reducing complexity in service delivery and enabling greater integration between services. Joint decision-making, shared accountability, and data-sharing agreements will aim to enhance system co-ordination and service integration. There will be collaboration on evaluation and monitoring, with support for ongoing learning. This is intended to strengthen system learning and adaptation mechanisms for ongoing learning, feedback loops, and agile adaptation. The approach aims to enable continuous feedback and evaluation to allow the system to adapt and refine interventions based on what works and aids more effective and responsive support models over time.

Peer networks and forums will be established to bring organisations together around individuals more effectively, supported by a range of forums and collaborative spaces. It is intended that their successful operation will enhance system capacity, co-ordination, and service integration on the ‘ground’. This is anticipated to therefore foster mutual support, shared learning, and better understanding of barriers needed for the enhancement of employer practices and more inclusive workplaces.

WYCA, LAs, VCSE, and partners will co-design place-based delivery plans tailored to specific cohorts. It is intended that lived experience will inform interventions to ensure they meet individual needs. Delivery will be through grant-funded, place-based holistic support, with VCSE commissioning across all five local authorities. VCSE organisations will aim to build trust within communities, guide individuals to appropriate services, and deliver tailored support to one thousand people. By boosting confidence and aspiration, individuals will be better prepared to pursue education or training as a route to employment, helping economically inactive people access and sustain good-quality work. These interventions are designed to build capability, motivation, and engagement, helping individuals increase their knowledge, skills (e.g. reskilling or upskilling), and confidence. Also, the increased investment in VCSE-led delivery will aim to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of the sector due to increased referrals and delivery for VCSE organisations, greater integration and the embedding of partnerships and services.

Employers, residents with lived experience, local partners, and VCSE organisations will co-design incentives to help individuals overcome employment barriers. Incorporating lived experience is intended to ensure that incentives are responsive to the needs of individuals. Individuals will receive incentive support to increase travel confidence and reduce digital exclusion. The incentives aim to remove key barriers to entering work and support more people finding good quality work. Testing the effectiveness of providing financial support is expected to further contribute to improved learning for the system. This will help identify effective approaches to reducing employment barriers.

Employment West Yorkshire, now branded as the Healthy Working Life programme, is an established provider of regionally co-ordinated support delivered through LA partners. There will be additional development of Employment West Yorkshire interventions (e.g. via 1-2-1 intensive support via keyworkers) focusing on locally defined areas of need and individuals who are economically inactive due to ill-health. One thousand economically inactive people will be supported and engaged. It’s intended that programme capacity will expand as a place-based, relational, and co-ordinated pathway to enable universal access to services. Increased investment in capacity is expected to enhance identification and enable 1-2-1 work with individuals. The interventions are expected to support greater confidence and aspiration which then contributes to increased engagement in education or training as a pathway to employment. This enables economically inactive individuals to access and maintain good quality work. Therefore, individuals feel supported and empowered to access and engage with appropriate support through interventions that meet and address their needs.

Achieving sufficient referral volumes across the individual focused interventions, based on assumed conversion rates, is key to meeting the target of preventing economic inactivity for 1,300 individuals. Increased capacity within Employment West Yorkshire, combined with stronger local engagement through trusted VCSE organisations, will aim to improve identification and outreach to economically inactive people. It is intended that this will support a shift toward more accessible, navigable, and personalised support aligned with individual needs.

Work with employers includes incentives such as paid placement schemes to support inclusive recruitment, the scaling up of existing support for current employees and recruitment (e.g. Fair Work Charter), delivering employer engagement mechanisms, and creating and promoting resources to help SMEs. To support this there will be co-production of interventions that address barriers to recruitment and retention for employers. One hundred employers will be supported through consultation and delivery which will increase confidence in collaborating with employment services. These interventions are intended to enable shifts in employer attitudes and then behaviours to provide better support for employees. This aims to support the conditions for individual success, supporting employers to create inclusive workplaces to provide better support for employees. Over time, it is expected that this will contribute to more businesses offering and promoting good-quality work to targeted cohorts, and lead to longer-term improvements in enhanced employer practices and inclusive recruitment.

A regional campaign and case studies will be developed to engage businesses, share real stories, and raise awareness of available resources and funding. This will aim to promote inclusive employer practices, encouraging wider adoption and impact. These will therefore help expand the reach of employment support.

The overall Trailblazer outcome aimed for is 1,300 people prevented from becoming economically inactive (a shared outcome with the NHS Health and Growth Accelerator).

The delivery plan is well developed and unlikely to change beyond the specific activities to be carried out via the LA and VCSE organisations.

Changes to the system

The activities of the West Yorkshire Trailblazer will make six changes to the employment support system in the region:

• strengthened governance structures via the WY Joint Healthy Working Life Board and supporting Healthy Working Life Programme Board
• peer networks and forums added
• increased capacity and range of VCSE organisations providing delivery
• specific place-based integrated interventions and community support for economically inactive people within their communities
• incentives to support more people into work (1) Support to individuals (2) Employer tools/resources
• interventions addressing barriers to recruitment and retention for employers

Other interconnected programmes that will drive system change across the Healthy Working Life system include the NHS Health and Growth Accelerator, Connect to Work, and Healthy Working Lives. The contribution of different programmes also makes attributing impact of the Trailblazer challenging.

Assumptions

The West Yorkshire Trailblazer is built on six key assumptions. Central to its approach is the belief that system leadership, integration, and collaboration will improve individual outcomes. It assumes co-ordinated design and delivery will occur across health and employment programmes including NHS Growth and Health Accelerator, Connect to Work, Healthy Working Lives, and the Trailblazer. Co-production and lived experience are expected to shape interventions. VCSE partners are assumed to effectively reach and support hard to reach groups. Employers are expected to engage with incentives and adopt inclusive practices. Finally, the intervention tests are designed to meet local needs while ensuring regional coverage and avoiding widened inequalities.

Risks, challenges and barriers

Overall, there was confidence in achieving the outcomes of the Trailblazer but some caution due to key challenges. Stakeholders identified several risks and challenges facing the West Yorkshire Trailblazer. At the programme level, six key risks emerged: time constraints due to rapid mobilisation and a short delivery window; procurement delays affecting funding and provider contracts; tension between fast delivery and equitable, co-designed approaches; difficulty isolating Trailblazer impacts due to overlap with other programmes (e.g. NHS Health and Growth Accelerator); concerns over funding sustainability beyond Year 2; and external factors such as labour market volatility, national policy changes (e.g. NI contributions, benefits reform), and healthcare system restructuring that may undermine local efforts.

At the local delivery level, four risks were noted: limited provider capacity to deliver the full range of interventions; potential duplication across work and health programmes; challenges in identifying and engaging economically inactive residents; and the possibility that employers may not engage with the programme. In addition, successful engagement with economically inactive people and employers were flagged as significant risks.

Summary

West Yorkshire had a strong delivery plan in place, underpinned by a coherent approach that builds on existing provision while piloting innovative new methods with clearly defined mechanisms of change. Overall intervention-level outcomes were still being developed locally, in collaboration with local authorities and delivery partners. The Trailblazer was perceived as ambitious, with stakeholders identifying specific risks that could limit its successful implementation. These included the capacity of the VCSE sector to deliver within the proposed timescales, and the extent to which target groups and employers would engage with the programme.

10. South Yorkshire Economic Inactivity Trailblazer

The South Yorkshire Economic Inactivity Trailblazer is led by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA). The Trailblazer operates in partnership with the NHS Health and Growth Accelerator as part of the broader Pathways to Work programme to provide a cohesive employment system for South Yorkshire.

Problem and target audience

Economic inactivity within South Yorkshire which is higher than national average and above the wider Yorkshire and Humber region. The region has experienced generational unemployment linked to post-industrial decline, alongside a low skills base and low median wages. A significant proportion of the working-age population is economically inactive due to complex, multi-layered barriers. Since the pandemic, there has been a rise in NEET rates and an increase in individuals with caring responsibilities. It is perceived that many economically inactive individuals are willing to work but require tailored support and accommodations due to health conditions, caring responsibilities, or neurodiversity. Despite a rich ecosystem of support services, provision is fragmented, shaped by national programmes rather than local needs, with no co-ordinated system or single access point and making navigation difficult for individuals.

The Trailblazer is focused on supporting all economically inactive individuals, with targeted cohorts receiving personalised support. This will include young people who are NEET aged 18-24, people who are economically inactive and have been for less than two years and people with health conditions, particularly mental health conditions and MSKs. Local authorities (Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield) will also target specific cohorts for intervention with an emphasis on hard-to-reach communities. This will be achieved through hyperlocal approaches that leverage place-based voluntary and community sector organisations.

Aims

The main aim of this Trailblazer is to provide a regional system that tailors services to local needs and demographics through hyper-local design and delivery of personalised support, particularly for those facing disadvantage. Alongside this, a more resilient and trusted VCSE sector will be embedded with greater capacity in the wider system to support outcomes for communities. Ultimately, the delivery of personalised support and work with businesses to address skills shortages and retention challenges will contribute to a healthier, more inclusive, and economically active population in South Yorkshire supporting inclusive growth. The approach will lead to improved health and wellbeing outcomes for the population, and employment that is both sustainable and supportive of individuals’ wellbeing. SYMCA will also demonstrate devolution in action, using regional autonomy to implement solutions that address South Yorkshire’s unique challenges.

Inputs                                                                              

There are four key inputs for the Trailblazer: £10 million Trailblazer funding; the time and expertise of core SYMCA strategic and operational roles (e.g. System Steward, System Service Managers); time and expertise from delivery partners (e.g. LA, VCSE), and additional LA investment in staff supporting Trailblazer delivery (including repurposed internal roles and non-cash contributions from LAs and partners).

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change

Building on the success of the Barnsley Pathway to Work commission, South Yorkshire has developed a whole-system approach - ‘Pathways to Work’- to align DWP Trailblazer funding, NHS Health and Growth Accelerator funding, and existing work streams (WorkWell, Connect to Work, Working Win, and UKSPF), alongside localised support offers, into a single, cohesive employment support system. The Trailblazer approach consists of three interconnected components of system redesign, employer engagement and activation (working with businesses to address skills shortages and retention challenges), and personalised support for the local population, particularly facing disadvantage. These elements work together to deliver a user-centric, holistic service model focused on individual needs. These components are delivered through seven key activities.

New governance and data structures are being developed to support the integration of work and health services. This includes regular South Yorkshire Work and Health Board meetings and recruitment of key system roles, a regional System Steward and locality-based System Service Managers within local authorities, to strengthen collaboration and joint commissioning. Regional stewardship and local system management is intended to will bring stakeholders together, promote integration and equity across South Yorkshire, and manage funding flows from central government or the ICB to local areas. Establishing governance and data-sharing frameworks will aim to improve co-ordination between strategic and delivery partners, streamline data collection and sharing, and enable consistent, collaborative working. The governance structures are also expected to support the integration of employment and skills services across local authorities by aligning funding streams, making services easier to navigate for individuals and more efficient for providers. In the medium term, this combined activity will aim to help develop a scalable proof of concept that can be locally adapted and applied across regions, enabling strategic partners to co-commission around shared outcomes.

We’ve implemented a whole new governance structure that sits around work and health to make sure it has the visibility it needs… bringing together partners from across the system—DWP, local authority, combined authority, ICB, and health colleagues. The governance structures we’ve put in will drive some of this change in how we commission together to be better and remove duplication.

(Stakeholder)

Ecosystem mapping is developed to reduce duplication, improve clarity, and support the alignment and integration of services. A shared map of services and programmes is intended to help identify overlaps and linkages between interventions, improving system navigation for individuals and enhancing co-ordination across health, employment, and skills services. This aims to enable residents to better understand and access relevant support, reducing confusion and duplication.

LAs, develop tailored hyper-local interventions (including through co-design with affected cohorts), and commissioning via a diversified contracting approach to build VCSE sector capacity. VCSE organisations use engagement strategies via existing relationships built in the community, based on trust, to identify and support individuals at the local level. They deliver targeted, personalised employment and health support that is strengths-based, trauma-informed, and responsive to individual needs (e.g. health and wellbeing, and caring responsibilities). This approach aims to improve individual outcomes such as confidence, motivation, resilience, physical and mental health, skills development, and proximity to the labour market. It supports the target of placing 2,000 economically inactive people into work, contributing to reduced economic inactivity and higher employment rates. The interventions also intend to contribute to better health outcomes for those whose inactivity is health-related, easing pressure on public health services. Increased awareness and targeted engagement at the local level will aim to improve navigation and access to support. Over time, it is intended that VCSE involvement will be optimised to effectively engage economically inactive residents, with more individuals across the region accessing tailored support.

Design and set up of employment engagement and activation activities are intended to contribute to increased employer engagement, including internships and work experience for young people, strategic outreach, awareness campaigns, innovative work simulations, and practical support offer. Employers will be supported to develop and promote inclusive jobs and recruitment practice through the dedicated support designed (e.g. work simulations and practical support on in-work processes and policies), encouraging flexibility and inclusive approaches for economically inactive cohorts. This will support changes in employer confidence and attitudes. A shift in employer attitudes and adoption of new approaches is also expected to increase the embedding of inclusive recruitment and workplace practices, and help place individuals with disabilities, health conditions, complex barriers, and caring responsibilities into employment. Overall, this will aim to reduce economic inactivity and contribute to higher employment rates of economically inactive people.

The Work and Health Board will oversee evaluation and make go/no-go decisions on test-and-learn activities. Evaluation outputs will assess the effectiveness of system integration, identify the most effective models for targeting and delivering tailored interventions at the local level, and explore the role of employer activation in meeting support needs. It is intended that learning will be embedded into delivery to adapt and refine interventions in real time, enabling more responsive and effective services. Alongside governance and data activity, this will aim to contribute to a scalable proof of concept.

The Trailblazer will have defined outcomes for personalised support interventions (these were not shared at the time of fieldwork) and engage fifty employers in employment engagement and activation activities.

The delivery plan is well developed and unlikely to change beyond the specific hyper local activities to be carried out via VCSE organisations.

Changes to the system

The activities of the South Yorkshire Trailblazer will contribute to five changes to the employment support system in the region:

• System Steward at regional level, responsible for overseeing the work and health ecosystem
• locality based System Service Manager (situated within multiple LAs) who works with partners to shape the system and service offering including the NHS Health and Growth Accelerator and Trailblazer
• tailored support for individuals commissioned on a hyperlocal approach
• new targeted service provision to support, educate, incentivise and de-risk for employers
• support services across SY accessed via a single triage function and operating with a no wrong front door principle (core funding for triage system via the NHS Health and Growth Accelerator but supported by Trailblazer system change)
• services are increasingly commissioned with a hyper-local approach through locally designed services that are delivered via the VCSE sector

System change will also be supported and strengthened by the NHS Health and Growth Accelerator, and data infrastructure and integration programme.

Assumptions

There are six key assumptions underpinning the approach. The broader Pathways to Work programme is expected to ensure cohesion between both the NHS Accelerator and Trailblazer initiatives, enabling the management and evaluation of approaches at both South Yorkshire and local levels. A central design assumption is that a single governance mechanism will support the agreement of joint outcomes between key commissioners, while also encouraging the development of integrated pathways with existing services and a joint triage mechanism to simplify access for those seeking support. It is also assumed that a ‘single front door’ or ‘no wrong front door’ approach will reduce barriers, simplify access, and improve engagement. Place-level differences are recognised as significant; while core cohorts are shared regionally, each area faces distinct challenges requiring tailored, holistic responses. VCSE organisations are assumed to be well-positioned to engage hard-to-reach groups due to their trust, locality, and lived experience, with barriers to participation effectively addressed. Finally, it is expected that employers will engage with new models and adopt inclusive practices. Stakeholders felt the engagement of individuals and employers were the most important to highlight as risks.

Risks, challenges and barriers

There was a medium level of concern regarding challenges to the programme. Stakeholders identified four key risks in the Trailblazer programme’s design. The initial short one-year timeframe may deter provider involvement and limit partner buy-in, while the rapid pace of change could restrict meaningful co-design. Concerns were raised about the programme’s ability to scale or sustain impact without further continued investment and strong partner commitment. External factors could undermine programme outcomes such as deteriorating labour market conditions and limited job opportunities, and policy changes affecting employer engagement (e.g. NI and tax pressures, Employment Rights Bill).

At the local level, six key risks were highlighted. Individuals may delay engagement due to fears of losing financial security from benefits or misunderstanding policy changes. There is also a risk of failing to engage employers effectively at both local and regional levels. There were also concerns about the level of VCSE provider capacity across the region to deliver personalised support. Additionally, uncertainty remains around whether individuals and employers will actively engage with the programme. The additional support offer could also increase fragmentation for individuals or employers with reduced take up and lower than expected effectiveness of interventions. Additionally, there could be failure to effectively align outcomes between partners and develop effective strategic oversight. Finally, achieving ambitious change and attributing impact to the Trailblazer programme is challenging due to its integration with other Pathways to Work initiatives.

Summary

South Yorkshire has a well-developed plan, showing progress across all components of system redesign, employer engagement, and personalised support. The Trailblazer has clearly defined outcomes and aims, which are embedded within an overarching theory of change for system and service redesign through the Pathway to Work model. Key risks for the Trailblazer include how to measure its specific contribution to system change in the region, and whether the capacity of the VCSE sector can be sufficiently scaled to support successful delivery within the current funding and delivery timescales.

11. York and North Yorkshire Economic Inactivity Trailblazer

The York and North Yorkshire Trailblazer is led by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority (YNYCA).

Problem and target audience

Despite high employment in York and North Yorkshire, underlying issues persist of poor health, underused skills, and rising inactivity. Challenges include a shrinking workforce, early retirement, youth disengagement, and mental health conditions. Long-term sickness is a growing cause of inactivity, and many working residents with health conditions risk exiting the workforce, threatening business growth and the YNY Growth Plan. Many employers find the employment and skills system complex and disconnected from their needs. At the same time, economically inactive individuals face challenges in navigating and accessing support.

The Trailblazer target audience is economically inactive individuals and people with long-term health conditions (e.g. physical or mental health prevents them from entering or remaining in the workforce) with specific focus on 16-25s (including those at risk of becoming NEET) and 50-64s. Other cohorts of interest who will be supported by bespoke support include people with mental health needs, women and carers, veterans, individuals with health conditions (e.g. MSK conditions) rural and coastal communities, neurodivergent individuals, and those with SEND.

Aims

The aim of the Trailblazer is to strengthen greater institutional collaboration between sectors (e.g. health, employment, and community services) and offer a more co-ordinated and navigable local employment and skills system that is more accessible and inclusive. Residents will be able to access a person-centred offer that recognises the different experiences of health issues and the influence of wider economic and social determinants. Targeted provision will be available to support those in greatest need, removing structural barriers to employment for marginalised groups and addressing inequalities rather than exacerbating them. This will then support the overarching aim to get more residents into ‘good work’. Employers in the region are recognised as the creators of ‘good work’ opportunities in YNY, but many need assistance to make their workplaces more accessible and inclusive, and to overcome barriers which prevent them from recruiting economically inactive people and retaining or progressing those affected by inactivity and ill health. Region-wide, this approach will contribute to enhanced social participation, civic engagement, and community involvement, healthier communities with high wellbeing and life satisfaction, a reduction in regional health inequalities, improved regional economic participation and productivity, improved regional health and community wealth, and a more inclusive and resilient labour market.

Inputs

The four key inputs for the Trailblazer include: £10 million Trailblazer funding (with additional UKSPF and local investment); time and expertise from YNYCA, LAs and partners (including employers); place-based navigators (who are existing practitioners and volunteers from community, health, and business support organisations); and evaluation and research partner time and expertise.

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change

Overall, the Trailblazer consists of 10 activities involving the joining up of systems and services, engaging and supporting inactive people, and engaging and supporting employers through Good Work.

New governance and partnership structures will be established in April 2026 to support cross-sector collaboration and joint planning. Once fully operational, the Good Work and Health partnership and governance model will enable stronger co-ordination between LAs, the NHS, and VCSE partners through a clearer and increased understanding of service capacity and capability. The operation of cross-sector collaboration and joint planning intends to support smoother referral pathways, improved access to support, and strengthened VCSE partnerships. Over time, these structures are expected to lead to sustained partnerships and integrated governance across the region.

Improved data collection and sharing systems are being developed, including data integration, shared local intelligence, and common dashboards. Enhanced data access and analysis will aim to strengthen co-ordination between health, employment, and community services by making labour market and health data available to both strategic leads and frontline practitioners and increase understanding of capacity and capability. This is intended to enable better targeting of interventions, more effective service design, and evidence-based decision-making. Local systems are then expected to start to adapt based on data insights.

We’ve got economy over here, health over there, data and intelligence all over the place… How we join those systems up can make it much more fleet of foot, more flexible, more understanding.

(Stakeholder)

The development and set up of the Interchange web-based platform (‘front door’ for residents and employers) and triage systems are intended to support access to work, health and skills provision available across the region for individuals and employers. The interchange will be designed to provide a web-based system acting as a ‘front door’ for residents and employers to search and access work, health, and skills support. The platform simplifies the system’s complexity, making it easier to navigate. Triage systems (details of how they would operate were not shared at this stage) will aim to enable targeted allocation to appropriate interventions, improving engagement with priority cohorts and geographies. This will be supported by place-based navigators (see below) and expected to support better system navigation and more effective support for individuals and employers.

The establishment of a navigator network and training of place-based navigators (existing practitioners) is intended to provide entry-level triage and improve outreach and engagement by leveraging trusted local networks. This will then aim to enhance the targeting of priority cohorts and geographies and improve navigation of support systems. The network will be established by training existing place-based practitioners to provide entry-level triage and improve outreach through their trusted local contacts and networks. To avoid duplication, navigator engagement and referrals will be aligned through the Interchange and shared navigation networks.

The idea with the navigator is they’re there to help the navigation process so that people don’t get passed from pillar to post or fall through the gaps.

(Stakeholder)

There is the development of a joint research programme and identification of priority research areas (exploring inactivity with targeted cohorts and employers’ attitudes to inactivity due to health, disability, neurodiversity and barriers to inclusive recruitment). The programme uses data-driven targeting, drawing on deprivation indices and health data, to identify priority areas and cohorts for commissioning bespoke and pilot interventions, which are then evaluated. Alongside, a wider programme of action research and evaluation is being delivered by a commissioned research partner. Insights from both strands will aim to inform learning from targeted interventions and build understanding of what works for different population groups. It is then intended that local systems will adapt based on pilot findings and improved data insights, supporting sustained improvements in service delivery and access.

Engaging and supporting inactive people is delivered via three main stands of interventions: 1) scaled up existing engagement activity (via established VCSE organisations including Better Connect programmes), 2)  the commission and set-up of new bespoke stand-alone and pilot approaches for specific priority inactive cohorts/geographies– activity across each LA area via VCSE, and 3) commission and set-up of targeted work and health provision (including MSK Hubs/Leisure services and Mental Health Hubs, Sport and Active Wellbeing Workforce and ICB led bespoke fit note pilot). Interventions will offer tailored one-to-one support through VCSE partners, practitioners and key workers to build trust, and aim to address individual barriers (e.g. physical and mental health challenges), and provide activities such as confidence-building, skills development, and supported volunteering. It is intended that this will increase individuals’ confidence and motivation, leading to behavioural activation (e.g. job-seeking, training) and progression toward economic activity. Participants will also access support to remove practical barriers, enabling greater inclusion and participation.

The good work workstream (engaging and supporting employers) aims to build employer capacity and foster inclusive employment practices through an enhanced support offer and design and set up of pilot provision. These include wage subsidy pilots, co-ordinated employer engagement via the Interchange, and aligning employer values with the Good Work Charter (through increased sign up). An inclusive growth narrative (via the Good Work Charter) will aim to frame employment as a driver of community wellbeing and productivity - not just social value. Increased employer engagement activity will build business capacity to engage. It is intended that there will be an increase in awareness knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of employers of inclusive processes and practice. Employers are also expected to adopt inclusive recruitment and retention practices, including hiring and supporting individuals with long-term health conditions or barriers to work (e.g. through job placement schemes), and reducing entry barriers for targeted groups such as young people and veterans. This is then intended to encourage employers to create inclusive workplaces, and support greater retention of employees with health conditions, and increased recruitment of previously inactive individuals. Ultimately, it is expected that this will contribute to improved employment outcomes and the reduction of the number of residents becoming or at risk of becoming economically inactive.

The Trailblazer aims for one thousand five hundred inactive people to receive support and Good Work services delivered to one hundred and fifty businesses and five hundred employees.

The delivery plan is well developed and unlikely to change beyond the specific bespoke local activities to be carried out via the VCSE organisations. Targets for each intervention were not shared at the time of fieldwork.

Changes to the system

The activities of the York and North Yorkshire Trailblazer will make eight changes to the employment support system in the region:

• Good Work and Health Partnership and new governance and partnership structures (YNYCA/ICB/LA alignment)
• place based navigators to provide ‘entry level triage’ across YNY entry level triage via navigator network
• Work and Skills Interchange set up (co-ordinated point of access for work, health and skills support and entry level triage)
• scaled up and innovation of Better Connect programmes and wider VCSE programmes
• tested piloted approaches for specific priority inactive cohorts/geographies
• increased investment and joint delivery with health partners, neighbourhood teams and primary care networks (MSK Hubs/Leisure services/Mental Health Hubs)
• ICB led bespoke support for individuals identified through fit note review
• Good Work, extending existing employer provision– 1) enhanced business support offer, 2) extending Good Business Charter, 3) Anchor Good Work Network set up

Assumptions

This Trailblazer is built on six key assumptions. It assumes tailored, place-based support is more effective than universal approaches. The Work, Health and Skills Interchange is expected to wrap around all interventions to ensure seamless support. It assumes target cohorts can be identified and engaged, with trusted community navigators essential for access. System navigation tools and networks are expected to improve individuals access to support. While many employers lack capacity to support staff with health conditions, they are assumed to be willing to adopt inclusive practices with the right support. Finally, the Trailblazer relies on a long-term strategic commitment from DWP, with flexibility for piloting, embedding action research, and adaptive learning. Key assumptions flagged as having potential risk were employers’ engagement and long-term support for the programme.

Risks, challenges and barriers

Stakeholders identified several risks for the York and North Yorkshire Trailblazer and was a medium level of concern regarding these. At programme level, five key risks were raised: the 12-month delivery window may limit procurement and service rollout; tight timelines could limit the sustainability and depth of interventions to accommodate individual needs; lack of long-term investment may hinder progress; any national policy changes pose external risks; and uncertainty around ICB restructuring may impact support. Additionally, concerns were raised about whether DWP would value the outcomes of action research and pilot flexibility, and whether unsuccessful interventions would be seen as failure by the area rather than as learnings for the future.

Three local delivery risks were identified: difficulty engaging SMEs and microbusinesses due to time constraints or lack of interest; challenges in data collection and governance, especially with vulnerable participants sharing personal information (e.g. NI information); and inconsistent evaluation tools across partners, limiting data aggregation and comparison.

Summary

Overall, York and North Yorkshire have a well-developed plan, with clear oversight and partnership structures in place. Specific activities are still being refined. Development and design work is actively underway for both the Interchange model and targeted pilots aimed at supporting inactive individuals. VCSE organisations are in the process of applying for grant funding to deliver bespoke pilot projects. Stakeholders have a strong understanding of the expected changes in individual-level outcomes, although specific targets and measurement tools are still being defined. The main risks identified include the level of employer engagement with the programme and the challenge of developing a consistent evaluation approach across the region’s varied interventions.

12. North East Economic Inactivity Trailblazer

The North East Economic Inactivity Trailblazer is being led by the North East Combined Authority (NECA).

Problem and target audience

The North East experiences high levels of economic inactivity which are significantly above national averages, with entrenched barriers such as long-term health conditions, disability, limited job opportunities, and caring responsibilities. The North East also experiences inequalities in health, life expectancy, access to employment and skills, and poverty, especially among marginalised groups including women, young people, social housing tenants, carers, and those with disabilities. In addition, there is complexity and fragmentation of support services (some of which are short term), making it difficult for residents and employers to navigate available help. As such, residents face complex barriers to employment and support.

The Trailblazer is working in seven LAs - County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland. It is working with anyone who is economically inactive but targeting groups that face the greatest challenges, including women, young people, social housing tenants, carers, and those with disabilities.

Aims

The objective of the North East Economic Inactivity Trailblazer is to develop a more consistent and reliable support infrastructure across the region and improved access to support, particularly for marginalised groups (women, disabled people, young people, carers, and social housing tenants) using innovative approaches. The Trailblazer aims to improve employment and skills opportunities, and engagement with employment, skills. The Trailblazer aims to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for the target groups, achieved through improved health services, increased employability and decreased economic inactivity across the region. The overall impact will be reduced health inequalities across the region.

[The trailblazer is] designed to be innovative and find new ways of really getting under the skin and tackling sort of long-term economic inactivity on account of health in particular and to try doing things differently.

(Stakeholder)

Overall, the Trailblazer aims to reduce economic inactivity and improve the health, wellbeing, and life chances for residents, particularly groups that face the greatest challenges to employment. 

Inputs

There are eight key inputs for the Trailblazer: £10 million funding; the North East CA (NECA) Trailblazer team (three Combined Authority staff); NECA oversight and co-ordination; NECA advisory board; time, skills and expertise (delivery partners, VCSO and  LAs); existing services provided by LAs; commissioned services from third party providers; existing relationships held by LAs and third parties with delivery partners, VCSO, education and support providers and employers.

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change

Overall, the Trailblazer consists of three priority areas involving a combination of insights work to support system integration, support and service enhancement, targeted support for marginalised groups (test and learn) pilots, system change test and learn pilot, and data sharing.

The outcomes follow a logical progression and are clear, however the mechanisms of change lack detailed consideration in some instances. Furthermore, there were no set targets at the Trailblazer level. LA level targets were in place, but NECA were not prepared to share these on account of the Trailblazer being about innovation and supporting residents on their journey to employment.

Priority area 1: Better pathways into employment  

Priority area one consists of four key sets of activities. First, insights work and mapping activities to understand in detail LA support offers, existing interventions and referral pathways. Second, activities to develop a community of practice, collaboration and co-ordination within and across LAs. Third, the establishment of physical hubs for service users. Fourth, the scaling up of the childcare grant programme (additional 45 grants being made available).

Insights work and mapping activities will allow for an overview of the existing services as well as the identification of gaps, overlaps, fragmentation and duplication with LAs. Specifically, this work will map the referral pathways. These insights will allow for better understanding of LA service provision and the wider system. This will then inform and improve integration of services and provision as well as the development of continuous support (ensuring there are no stops or cliff edges) for service users, 3) the development of a single referral pathway across support services. In turn this will lead to a more consistent and reliable support infrastructure across the North East region.

The NECA Trailblazer will develop opportunities for collaboration and sharing of insights as well as best practice within and across LAs. The sharing of best practice will mean LAs are more aware of each other’s offers approaches and this will contribute to better collaboration, service delivery, cross LA sharing and collaboration will lead to strengthened partnerships, for ongoing programme delivery and adaptation facilitating greater resilience as well as adaptability in the support ecosystem.

Physical hubs will enable better access to support services, improved service user experiences and will facilitate the development of a single referral pathway. In turn this will lead to more efficient, effective and continuous support. Effective employment support will facilitate sustained employment for residents, reducing economic inactivity in the region.

Childcare grants will facilitate participants to engage in education, training and work placement opportunities.

Priority area 2: New ways of working through market innovation

The second priority area focuses on test and learn pilots. The Trailblazer has commissioned 21 pilots that specifically aim to support groups that face the greatest challenges, on their journey to employment: support for women (7); support for social housing tenants (2); support to individuals within primary care (4); supporting young people (2); supporting neuro-diverse individuals (1); supporting employers (4), and; VCSE small grant (1).

Test and learn activities lead to better understanding of how best to engage populations that face the greatest challenges and how to better meet their needs (and barriers to education and employment) to support their journey to sustainable employment. Insights will improve service design and user experience. Improved services will lead to greater engagement. Greater engagement will progress participants along their journey towards sustainable employment and ultimately lead to a reduction in economic inactivity, particularly among groups facing the greatest challenges to employment.

Engagement with employers will lead to greater employer confidence and capacity to recruit and retain individuals with barriers to work – through skills training and support resources. This in turn will lead to employers being more willing and open to more diverse recruitment practices. Employers will understand the value of more diverse recruitment practices and engage in these at a higher rate. Ultimately leading to more inclusive recruitment practices amongst employers facilitating greater resilience as well as adaptability in the regional labour market.

Priority area 3: Systems reform

Priority area three primarily aims to generate understandings of how best to approach system reform in the region. Activities here focus on research to explore and test how to re-design the local work and health system, how to co-ordinate support and better share best practice. In addition, there are six local service re-de-sign test and learn projects. This priority area is also aiming to develop a digital platform for employers and job seekers / employment support seekers and establish a regional Labour Market Information (LMI) data hub and to set up data sharing across LAs.

Research will provide insights as to how best to re-design the local work and health system, co-ordinate support and better share best practices. Insights will be converted into staged adaption progressing towards system change. System change will improve support services, and access to services as well as user experiences. This will lead to more effective support, progressing groups that face the greatest challenges towards employment and directing economically inactive residents into sustainable employment.

The digital platform will improve access to, and visibility of opportunities and employment support. This will lead to greater engagement with support, progressing groups that face the greatest challenges towards employment and directing economically inactive residents into sustainable employment.

Data sharing will strengthen partnerships, and governance will inform ongoing programme delivery and adaptation, facilitating greater resilience as well as adaptability in the support ecosystem, whilst the LMI will facilitate the development of appropriate support, education and training.

Changes to the system

The activities of the North East Trailblazer aim to make six changes to the employment support system in the region:

• provide additional childcare grants
• establish an LMI data hub and data sharing practices
• start work on developing a single referral pathway
• establish physical hubs
• greater integration of employability support services across and within LAs
• develop mechanisms of support better suited to the needs of groups that face the greatest challenges to employment

Assumptions

The North East Trailblazer is based on six key assumptions which reflect those across the programme. It assumes that integrated, multi-agency collaboration will improve outcomes and reduce barriers. Furthermore, it assumes that residents and employers will engage with new and enhanced support offers. In addition, the Trailblazer plan assumes that building on existing strengths and infrastructure will accelerate progress and ensure relevance, and that data and intelligence sharing will be effective and inform better decision-making. It also assumes that short-term interventions and pilots will generate learning for longer-term system reform, and that investment in innovation and evidence-led approaches will produce scalable and transferable models of best practice.

Risks, challenges and barriers

Stakeholders reported a number of risks and challenges that the North East Trailblazer faces and were concerned about delivering the Trailblazer to its full potential in the funding timeframe. 

Five risks and challenges were raised regarding the design of the Trailblazer programme. First, the tight timescales were seen to present a key challenge in the delivery of the programme, particularly in terms of achieving meaningful engagement. Second, it was felt that short-term and uncertain funding limits long-term sustainability of pilots and activities that effectively work to improve economic engagement in the region. Third, it was reported that not having Grant Funding Agreements from DWP before the beginning of the year,^{[footnote 2]}  together with the perceived rigidity of the final return date for the first quarterly grant claim presents a financial risk for commissioned projects and the Combined Authority – with very limited time to complete and submit their claims. Fourth, stakeholders were concerned that demonstrating impact may face complexity due to different definitions in use (i.e. how ‘economically inactive’ is defined compared to the definitional status of being ‘unemployed’). Fifth, there was a concern that the innovative approaches may not work, and a risk that this may be seen by DWP as a failure of the area and programme to deliver its aims and self-defined targets, as opposed to delivering insights and learnings that could be used to better design and deliver services.

Ultimately we want to deliver outcomes so in an ideal world we would want to have latched on to all of the brilliant projects that are going to absolutely deliver outcomes, and all of them would be hugely successful. But we know that that’s not likely to be the case and I’m just worried that failure will be, you know, a failure to deliver outcomes for some of the schemes will be regarded as a failure in the scheme rather than the embraced as positive learning.

(Stakeholder)

Regarding the North East Trailblazer plans specifically, four key delivery risks were raised. First, the complexity of the needs of marginalised economically inactive populations means that individuals require a longer time to reach a point of being job ready. As such there is a need to think about progression in terms of distance travelled as opposed to measuring a reduction in economic inactivity initially. Second, there is a risk that the complex programme landscape may remain difficult for some residents to navigate. Furthermore, the Trailblazer may add complexity to the landscape with the programmes being delivered. Third, risks remain around potential disengagement where service users experience gaps in support whilst the programme works towards system integration and a single referral pathway. Fourth, there is a risk for delivery with limited capacity for delivery across LAs and specialist staff - with Trailblazer activities generally being undertaken in addition to existing roles and responsibilities.

Summary

The programme was close to finalisation after significant revisions to priority area three and at the time of fieldwork was seen as unlikely to change significantly going forwards. High-level outcomes were developed and followed a logical progression, but the mechanisms of change were less clear representing a risk for Trailblazer impact. In addition, plans for service integration lacked details but the Trailblazer activities aim to develop the insights required to establish plans in the future. Stakeholders were primarily concerned to learning and innovation through the Trailblazer as such no targets are set at the Trailblazer level. LA level targets were in place, but NECA were not prepared to share these on account of the Trailblazer being about innovation and supporting residents on their journey to employment. Stakeholders were primarily concerned that the innovation element was no longer a priority.

13. Greater Manchester Economic Inactivity Trailblazer

The Greater Manchester (GM) Economic Inactivity Trailblazer is led by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). GMCA have included the Trailblazer under their city-region wide Live Well movement for community health and wellbeing.

Problem and target audience

This Trailblazer seeks to address persistent economic inactivity across the 10 GM local authorities, among diverse cohorts who are not currently served by Jobcentre Plus or traditional employment support mechanisms. These individuals face a range of personal barriers, including poor health, low confidence, and limited skills, as well as broader structural challenges such as insecure housing, previous convictions, and caring responsibilities. Systemic issues also contribute to their economic inactivity, including unfair recruitment practices, poor quality employment and unequal access to opportunities, while problems with support systems include poor data sharing, duplicated service spend, and a lack of trust in mainstream employment services.

The target audience for this Trailblazer includes economically inactive residents across GM who are disadvantaged and often heavily reliant on public services. These groups include those with health conditions, disabilities or experiencing multiple disadvantage. LAs have other priority cohorts which include those with caring responsibilities, care-experienced young people, and asylum seekers/settled refugees.

Aims

The aim of the GM Trailblazer is to increase employment among economically inactive residents, reaching and supporting them through preventative and person-centred support. The Trailblazer aims to provide a coherent offer across GM, with each borough tailoring their support to suit local needs, drawing in the voluntary, community, social and faith-based enterprise (VCSFE) sector and employers to respond to resident need. GMCA see the Trailblazer as a part of its city region-wide Live Well initiative. Live Well is a ‘movement for community-led health and wellbeing’ and a prevention demonstrator, through health service and LA partnerships to pool resource and reprofile public service spending towards prevention. The Trailblazer is an enabler of systems change and a vehicle for learning about what works to support economically inactive cohorts towards work. It aims to direct learning into efficiencies and innovation, feeding into eventual cost savings, increased value-for-money to the public purse, and greater equity between GM residents.

The biggest prize is the system shift… The second biggest prize is actually         we’ve… improved the lives of the relatively small number of people that have     gone through this… programme.

(Stakeholder)

Inputs

The programme is made possible by several inputs: £10 million in Trailblazer funding; resource from the GMCA; and resource and spot purchasing budgets from local authorities. The VCSFE sector provides time and expertise, while primary healthcare providers and other commissioned partners contribute additional capacity. An evaluation partner is also engaged to support learning and continuous improvement throughout the programme.

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change

The GM Trailblazer TOC includes 13 activities, which the area have allocated into two categories. Test 1 activities are intended to transition employment services to the ‘Live Well’ model, integrating them with other social need services. Test 2 explores new approaches to identifying, engaging and supporting hard-to-reach residents.

The first of the Test 1 activities is GMCA’s establishment of a Get GM Working Collaborative (GGMWC) to lead a Get GM Working Plan. The Trailblazer is also co-ordinating, with LAs, the scoping and design of a Live Well blueprint and the establishment or expansion of a single point of access for skills, work, social and health provision in some areas. Live Well blueprints, single points of access and GGMW plans ensure GMCA and LAs share an integrated approach to employment, health, social care, and community services, providing locally tailored public services which are responsive to resident needs. Those working in the system can set shared goals, reduce repeat assessments and provide personalised support to residents that prevents economic inactivity.

Get GM Working and local Live Well plans incorporate learnings and barriers identified in resident voice sessions and test and learn cycles. Any gaps can then be addressed through local collaboration, facilitated by local spot purchasing budget.

GMCA is leading initiatives to improve data sharing, linking, flow mapping and expansion of a work and health data dashboard. This enables GMCA and LAs to share understanding through access to detailed resident data as to who needs what support and target them to provide support and track outcomes. It also improves LA ability to identify LA cohorts. This should contribute to improvement in medium term outcomes across health, social and economic inequalities, health outcomes, employment, social mobility and resilient, empowered and self-sufficient communities.

GMCA is scoping plans for a digital repository of information and data that residents can use to access information about Live Well support. This scoped solution will prepare plans for a ‘digital passport’ which enables a smooth participant experience, without the need for residents to have repeat conversations at each new contact.

GMCA has issued funding to Voluntary Sector Northwest to train and capacity-build in the VCSFE sector. Investment provides VCSFE organisations, who are close to the economically inactive cohort and trusted by them because of their community links, with the right resources and infrastructure to identify, locate and engage economically inactive residents. This works alongside other channels of referral (e.g. housing providers) and trialling new triage/navigation co-ordinators, to improve LA ability to identify and locate economically inactive cohorts, engaging 4,500 residents in year 1.

LAs are also training service and VCSFE personnel to ‘keywork’ or provide wraparound support, offer referrals to other support and encourage take up of that support. This training gives them the skills and knowledge to understand what economically inactive residents might need and motivate them to take advantage of services. The keyworker structure removes needs for multiple interactions and makes residents’ service experience smoother. Service and VCSFE personnel can provide referral to specialist support, and direct economically inactive residents to training and education opportunities.

The Trailblazer is embedding employment support with public services and co-locating Trailblazer wraparound with community and neighbourhood-based services. This eases participant access to information, advice and guidance (IAG), basic and life skills and employment support, and access to work and volunteering experience. Economically inactive residents learn, get experience in work environments and develop basic, interpersonal and life skills that remove barriers to employment one at a time, building their confidence and eventually leading to employment or self-employment.

LAs and individual keyworkers are supporting employers to accommodate their employees’ needs in the workplace. Some LAs are also working with employers through Intermediate Labour Market (ILM) models to create jobs for economically inactive residents. When employers engage with support, their understanding and openness to recruiting non-traditional candidates increases. In the long-term this leads to reduction in systemic barriers to employment, change in employers’ capacity and employment behaviours and sustaining employment rates.

Finally, GMCA is commissioning an external evaluation, to record learnings from LAs’ interventions, to be digested and used by GMCA and LAs to apply and improve understanding of what economically inactive residents and employers need. If learnings are adopted and embedded this will have a positive impact on the system-wide work, health, social and skills offer, VCSFE responsiveness to residents and support of economically inactive residents.

The Trailblazer targets are for 4,500 economically inactive residents engaged in Year 1 and 200 employed. Although the Trailblazer is expected to achieve health-related outcomes GMCA have not set targets for these. The plan is well developed and unlikely to change significantly going forward.

Changes to the system

GMCA is changing the system by implementing new structures, roles and strategic initiatives that enable more coherent local delivery.

• GMCA are engaging strategic partners through new groups – either the Get GM Working Collaborative or the LA delivery group – and have introduced six Trailblazer-focused roles to manage the programme.

• GMCA are implementing initiatives to improve system integration, through data sharing and linking improvements, co-ordinating LA Live Well blueprints, scoping a digital information repository and integrating JCP into GMCA systems.

• GMCA and LAs are investing in and building VCSFE sector capacity to deliver the Trailblazer. The Trailblazer also acts as a means of joining up existing parts of the system, introducing and enhancing single points of access and trialling triage co-ordinators for residents in each LA if not pre-existing, and extending outreach pathways through existing programmes and providers.

• The Trailblazer provides a local wraparound offer that guides economically inactive cohorts to existing interventions such as IPSPC and Work Well, as well as new Trailblazer activities, through co-location and embedding employment support in public services.

Assumptions

The success of this Trailblazer is based on several key assumptions. It is assumed that the programme will be supported by wider GM system initiatives and complementary programmes. Service integration and accurate identification of economically inactive residents are essential to effective support. It is also assumed that residents will engage with employment support through outreach and keyworker interventions, and that building on existing provision will be a successful strategy. The Trailblazer assumes that there are capacity and capability within the VCSFE sector to deliver high-quality employment support, while professionals across services are assumed to have the time and willingness to adapt to integrated approaches. The Trailblazer relies on employers being open to engagement and employing economically inactive cohorts. Finally, there is a strong assumption that system change will lead to improved outcomes for individuals and communities.

Risks, challenges and barriers

Stakeholders identified four key programme design risks to the Trailblazer. One was its short funding timeframe (pre-extension), which would limit the Trailblazer’s ability to support the most disengaged and complex participants or bring about system change. Stakeholders reported that this has been compounded by delays in funding confirmation, guidance, and data provision from the DWP, which have slowed local agreements and delivery start. Stakeholders also thought that the evaluation might be constrained by imperfect data, the short delivery window, and the non-linear nature of participant journeys towards employment, making it hard to measure outcomes and attribute impact.

Employability is not a problem for somebody who isn’t looking for work. Employability is a problem for someone who’s looking for work but isn’t in work, someone who’s unemployed. So, you know, you can move people forward and create problems as you do it.

(Stakeholder)

In relation to local delivery, stakeholders raised four key risks. Firstly, if economically inactive residents do not engage with outreach or keyworkers, intended outcomes may not be realised. Likewise, a lack of interest or willingness to participate from employers could undermine efforts to change employer attitudes and place participants into employment through ILMs. Some smaller VCSFE organisations may struggle with consistent data collection, which could affect learning, monitoring and evaluation efforts, and variability in VCSFE capacity and financial stability may result in uneven intensity or coverage of delivery across different localities.

Summary

The plans for this Trailblazer are well developed, with system integration activities well underway and prioritised by GMCA staff as part of their move to the GM Live Well model. LAs have strong influence over their delivery of the Trailblazer in comparison to some other Trailblazer areas implementing specific models. To GMCA and LAs, the Trailblazer is an opportunity to innovate to reach the economically inactive cohort, who traditionally have not engaged in high numbers with GMCA services or JCP. The Trailblazer relies heavily on the VCSFE sector to engage economically inactive cohorts. If GMCA’s assumptions about VCSFE potential capacity are wrong then there is strong risk to Trailblazer outcomes in the long term; however, in the first year GMCA is mitigating this risk by commissioning mostly known VCSFE partners to support the Trailblazer. GMCA and partners are also delivering substantial other activity, which all aligns under the Live Well aim, but may make it hard to distinguish what specific activities have contributed to Trailblazer outcomes.

14. Neath Port Talbot Economic Inactivity Trailblazer

The Neath Port Talbot element of the Wales Economic Inactivity Trailblazer is being led by Neath Port Talbot Council.

Problem and target audience

This area has experienced persistent and intergenerational economic inactivity following post-industrial decline. Ongoing barriers to employment include long term-health conditions, disability, digital and geographical exclusion and generational unemployment. Additionally, long NHS waiting times particularly for mental health, MSK conditions, and diagnostic services, are a significant barrier to employment.

This Trailblazer will focus on the Afan Cluster in Neath Port Talbot. Afan Valley is in a geographically remote area. Stakeholders highlighted that this could lead to people who live there feeling isolated and forgotten about with most services being offered in town centres. This impacts on their outlook on life and prospects for employment and access to college courses. Mental health problems are the highest among the eight Swansea University Health Board Clusters according to the Primary Care Indicator Summary Wales, 2025. These clusters bring together local health professionals to improve care. Currently, there is a lack of a structured programme to formally integrate health, skills and employment support for those who are economically inactive. There is also a lack of services which offer progressive steps into employment through a range of participant activities.

This Trailblazer is working with anyone who is economically inactive but primarily targets economically inactive people with health conditions. This will be predominantly within the Afan Cluster, but it is hoped that the programme will be rolled out to the rest of NPT if funding continues. There is a particular focus on those furthest away from work.

Aims

The programme aims to deliver tailored, wraparound support for economically inactive individuals by better integrating health and employment services. NPT Council will work closely with the Health Board to address broader social determinants of health, helping people, especially in the Afan Valley, overcome health-related barriers and move towards their goals The key aim is to provide a person-centred approach which fosters a stronger sense of purpose, community, and improve mental health and wellbeing which will contribute to reducing economic inactivity in the longer term and may also ease pressure on the health system. The Trailblazer also seeks to establish sustainable partnerships and community-led activities that can continue beyond the initial funding

…contributing and feel[ing] as if they’re making positive contributions to the community and to society.

(Stakeholder)

Inputs

There are six key inputs into the Trailblazer, and these include: £2.5 million Trailblazer funding; new staff including Work and Health Coaches, Partnership Officers, Development and Outreach Officers, a Financial Inclusion Officer; and six seconded staff. There will also be time and expertise from the Afan Primary Care cluster, participant expenditure (such as training, memberships and transport provision), funding for transport provision, and working groups and governance time.

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change

Overall, the Trailblazer consists of nine activities aimed and providing wraparound and tailored support through employing new staff, expanding existing provision of activities, employer engagement and system integration. There are also activities aimed at raising awareness of this support. A key component of the activities will be to provide person-centred and tailored support.

This strand of work focuses on improving the health and wellbeing provision within the Afan Cluster. It is hoped that if this is successful, it will be rolled out to other clusters in the University Health Board. It aims to apply the Cwmtawe mental health model^{[footnote 3]}; an evidence-based community-level primary care model focusing on early intervention and prevention of mental and emotional health issues.

Engagement Pathways

The existing triage process will be enhanced to include a health and wellbeing element. Currently, Communities for Work Plus (CfW+) has one Partnership Officer focused on employability programmes. Two new partnership officers will triage individuals identified as being as not ready to work within the next six weeks onto new work and health coaches. The coaches will be able to provide 1-2-1 support and seek out suitable health and wellbeing support options for the individual. This additional resource is intended to increase referrals among economically inactive individuals with health conditions onto the support of health and work coaches, which will contribute to increased engagement and completion of support programmes.

Community outreach will be enhanced with new Partnership and Development officers who will promote the Trailblazer to communities via pop-up events e.g. in schools, town centres and miners’ halls. This aims to increase resident awareness by providing information about the programme at these events and building rapport and trust within communities. This will contribute to increased referrals and engagement with the programme.

The Trailblazer will implement virtual wards. They are based on the Cwmtawe Mental Health Model and aim to identify mental health support pathways for individuals via multi-disciplinary teams. The virtual wards will contribute to increased awareness of the support available by offering a range of remote sessions with multi-disciplinary teams where economically inactive individuals with health conditions can learn about a range of alternative mental health support services to their GPs. This will contribute to increased referrals and engagement with mental health support programmes via NHS partners and improve mental health in the longer term.

Working Well for You

Work and Health Coaches are new employees at NPT Council as a result of Trailblazer funding. They will provide targeted support for economically inactive individuals. Regular 1-2-1 consultation will enable the coaches to assess individuals’ needs and capabilities to provide suggestions for tailored activities. The tailored nature of the support is intended to build individuals’ confidence and direct them to suitable activities to support skills development and progression to their next step and contribute to improved health and wellbeing and sustained engagement on programmes. The coaches will also act as liaison points to offer a more integrated and co-ordinated effort between health and employment partners.

A peer led wellbeing programme will be led by the Work and Health Coaches with lived experience residents who are economically inactive through disabilities and work limiting health conditions from the Afan Cluster. This will contribute to trust building among disengaged individuals, increase the presence of support within the community, and gain insight into the challenges faced when it comes to moving closer to employability. This in turns helps to integrate employment and health support.

Living Well for You

In this strand, participants will be referred to a range of bespoke activities that are tailored to their needs. There are some new activities, but they are mainly pre-existing to avoid duplication and reinvention of the wheel. The existing activities will be expanded through Trailblazer funding. They include life skill activities such as cooking sessions, enhanced cycle to work scheme, assistance with driving lessons, qualification support; for example reading, writing and maths skill courses, life advice and support; specialist advice for housing, benefit and debt including one new financial inclusion officer who will help individuals to make benefit calculations to assess if they are better off in work, health and wellbeing provision including walking groups, free gym sessions with Celtic Leisure, season tickets to country parks, and expanding access to translation services and translation of key employment-related materials, with a focus on prevalent local languages. This tailored and flexible approach will mean that participants are more likely to be on support programmes that are more suited to them, which will contribute to increased completion of programmes and sustained engagement, which will in turn improve health and wellbeing and bespoke development of skills. Given the tailored nature of this. outcomes will be dependent on the individual.

As part of Living Well for You, short paid work opportunities will be offered to those economically inactive individuals who are far away from employment. This will provide more flexible employment opportunities which will give economically inactive individuals the opportunity to gain an insight into working life in a flexible setting to increase their skills and confidence. In the longer term, this should lead to more (x150) individuals being referred to mainstream employment provision.

Employer Engagement

New posts including employer advisers, disability champion, business co-ordinators will be employed to identify and prioritise employers with a strong record of supporting individuals with health conditions, disabilities, or caring responsibilities. Employers willing to offer reasonable adjustments and flexible working will be recognised as Inclusive Trailblazer employers and will be prioritised for paid work opportunities. The NPTC business team will continue to promote inclusive practices, aiming for 30 employers to pledge support, leading to more inclusive employer approaches to recruitment and the workplace.

The Trailblazer has targets to engage 1,000 economically inactive individuals who have a health condition, are disabled or have caring responsibilities; with 150 of those being referred to mainstream employment provision.

Overall, numerous activities in the delivery plan are still in their early stages of design and planning and many of the new posts are still in recruitment phase. The range of participant activities listed is not exhaustive; in providing a flexible and bespoke programme, this means that there may be additional existing health and employability programmes that participants can access that are most suited to them. There are also softer outcomes such as confidence, skills building and readiness which may be difficult to measure as part of the mainstage evaluation.

Changes to the system

The activities of the Neath Port Talbot Trailblazer will make the following changes to the employment support system in the region:

• expanded triage service (x2 new partnership officers to add health and wellbeing element)
• creation of virtual wards to identify suitable mental health support pathways
• work and health coaches to offer 1-2-1 tailored support
• community pop-up events (x3 Partnership and Outreach Development Officers)
• funding to improve access to digital tools
• X1 financial inclusion officer to provide specialist and tailored housing, benefit and debt advice
• new employees to engage with employers and co-ordinate short paid work opportunities
• Trailblazer Steering Group set up with Blaenau Gwent and Denbighshire to share learnings and co-ordinate activities where appropriate

Assumptions

The Neath Port Talbot Trailblazer is based on six key assumptions. Firstly, it assumes that taking a localised approach within the Afan Valley primary care cluster will be most effective and secondly that it is possible to roll out pilots in other primary care clusters.  It assumes there are sufficient employers that are willing to engage in these timeframes and are able to offer work placements. Another assumption, as with the other areas, is that there will be sufficient demand and engagement with these sorts of support activities and that recruitment to posts will be successful within the timeframe. Lastly, it assumes that focusing on a tailored and bespoke wellbeing support approach will improve economic inactivity.

Risks, challenges and barriers

The main challenge that stakeholders identified was avoiding duplication and reinventing the wheel given the existing established employability programmes in place. To mitigate this, NPT have added value and resource to existing provision to assist with the challenges around economic inactivity. They were also concerned about the timings of the programme; namely that there is insufficient time to realise system changes, fully test new approaches, and see results. Given the focus on creating new posts within Neath Port Talbot, they were concerned about recruitment challenges and the sustainability of employment posts. In terms of engagement, there was concern around engaging the hardest to reach groups with the programme and employers. There are many SMEs in NPT, and they may find it difficult to engage with these activities given time and capacity constraints. However, the new Trailblazer team will endeavour to support employers throughout the process. Lastly, there was concern about the challenges involved in measuring softer outcomes such as improved confidence and trust. NPT are working towards capturing all measures of best practice and lessons learned although these were not established at the point of fieldwork.

Summary

NPT’s delivery plan is still in the early stages of implementation. Key stakeholders reported that they expect the plan will continue to evolve, particularly in terms of wellbeing support and employer engagement activities. Whilst there are several existing employment programmes included within the delivery plan such as CfW+ and UKSPF programmes, NPT have clearly outlined how they will use Trailblazer funding to employ new staff to support engagement, appropriate referrals and add value to existing services. Due to the bespoke and tailored nature of the programme, stakeholders noted that outcomes will be dependent on the individual and their employment stage. There are also softer outcomes such as increased confidence, self-esteem and work-readiness associated with the focus on the hardest-to-reach individuals who are furthest away from employment.

15. Wales Economic Inactivity Trailblazer - Denbighshire

Part of the Wales Economic Inactivity Trailblazer, the Denbighshire element is being led by Denbighshire County Council (DCC) and overseen by the Welsh government.

Problem and Target Audience

Currently, there is a lack of a structured programmes and systems in place to integrate health, employability and community support systems in Denbighshire. This fragmented system is driving significant barriers to accessing employment for service users and economically inactive people in Denbighshire. The core issue Denbighshire is trying to address is how to engage and support individuals into meaningful, sustainable employment while improving systems of collaboration across services.

The Trailblazer in Denbighshire is working with anyone who is economically inactive but specifically targeting economically inactive individuals with disabilities, mental health challenges, physical health conditions, caring responsibilities and those who are furthest from the labour market (including individuals who are long-term unemployed, young people at risk of becoming NEET and those at risk of losing their jobs or in work poverty).

Aims

The aims of this Trailblazer programme is  to test out and promote the importance of bespoke wraparound employment support systems, tailored to the needs of economically inactive individuals, which better integrates health and employment support. Working Denbighshire is DCC’s strategic approach to employability and skills support, the Trailblazer is being used to ‘turbo boost’ the existing Working Denbighshire provision which includes Shared Prosperity projects such as; Early Intervention and Engagement, Barod, Work Start Scheme, Communities for Work Plus and Connect to Work. Working Denbighshire was set up to simplify and streamline how residents and professionals access support. The Trailblazer will also be used to focus on better collaboration with health and employers. DCC aims to work more closely with pre-existing delivery organisations, such as Working Denbighshire (including the Barod Project), Connect to Work and Shared Prosperity Funded projects. System improvement and collaboration will work towards maximising place-based support to reducing economic inactivity as well as addressing the gaps within the pre-existing networks. The Trailblazer will be a part of Working Denbighshire’s approach in providing a seamless journey for local service users that is easy to navigate and is more accessible, impacting and improving community mental health and wellbeing which would indirectly release demand and pressures on the health system. This Trailblazer hopes to turbo-boosting existing provision of Working Denbighshire’s infrastructure as well as creating new collaborative pilots with health, employers and the third-sector. Critically, demonstrating the approach adopted in Denbighshire is a desired outcome to ensure that funding is achieved to sustain models of partnerships that can function beyond the Trailblazer funding.

Inputs

There are four key inputs for the Trailblazer: £3.06 million Trailblazer funding; multi-agency Partnerships (DWP, NHS, colleges, voluntary sector); existing Working Denbighshire infrastructure; and expertise from DCC’s consultancy Trust Impact. 

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of change

Overall, the Trailblazer consists of 14 key activities all aimed at ‘turbo-boosting’ the current Working Denbighshire infrastructure^{[footnote 4]}. There are four key types of audience that activities are focused on in the Denbighshire area; participant focused activities, health organisation focused activities, employer focused, and system change focused activities.

Firstly, participant focused activities aim to build engagement, improve guidance and build confidence and motivation of service users. Denbighshire will recruit three engagement officers to expand the overall level of engagement activities. The Trailblazer will access LIFT (Local Integrated Family Team) to assist the targeting of specific cohorts.  The LIFT programme helps families with managing children and young people (up to 18 years old) with their challenging behaviour at home. Using and accessing this pre-existing programme will enable further targeting of children, young people and adults with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) The Trailblazer funding will be used to establish a physical venue (health, work, and skills station) in the Denbighshire area to provide advice and support to target groups and participants. Recruitment of two Citizens Advice advisors for this venue in Rhyl, will support the increased demand for services and anticipated increase of engagement and referrals. These advisors will enhance engagement within communities by going out and actively carrying out activities that help people to understand their finances better and getting economically inactive residents to understand what the implications of getting into work might be. This will enable greater provision on finances, employability and all-around guidance and support for those who need it. Support for self-employment pathways will also be provided, by hosting self-employment insight sessions locally. This direct contact is intended to increase awareness of available support, leading to increased engagement with support services, improved confidence and motivation, and greater participation in job search and employability activities, intended to increase awareness of available support, leading to increased engagement with support services, improved confidence and motivation, and greater participation in job search and employability activities.

Work to enhance existing programmes aims to improve existing services and interventions in the Working Denbighshire model. These improvements include engaging and contacting more people from the target group and increasing the number of participants moving towards the idea of employment and entering suitable and sustainable employment through engagement with job search and employability activities (attending job clubs, engaging with English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and training). The Trailblazer will double and also increase the ‘Barod’ scheme, which is a scheme that supports Denbighshire residents aged 16 or over to overcome barriers like low motivation or wellbeing challenges and get back into work or training. They will expand the mentoring programme currently available by providing holistic, person-centred, 1-2-1 mentoring and casework support. Tailored intervention strategies will be created by Working Denbighshire, bespoke to the individual, for carers, refugees, the Gypsy/Traveller communities and people with complex disabilities. These interventions will address specific barriers to employment, with the intention of improving confidence, increasing flexibility in employment approaches, and increasing positivity towards employment among target groups. Commissioning rapid access to counselling, condition management and therapy aims to provide more participants with easier access to specific tailored support, resulting in improved skills, experience, and confidence, as well as an increased engagement with person-centred employability activities.

Secondly, health care and health organisation focused activities aim to create partnerships and collaborative ways of working with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and Conwy and Denbighshire Public Service Board. Denbighshire will be attempting to embed therapeutic health professionals in employment settings, opening doors for co-conversations between the employment and healthcare sector and creating outreach and recruitment opportunities in targeting this hard-to-reach demographic. Through embedding OT action plans and offering secondment to existing Occupational Therapists (OTs) who have experience with both Mental and Physical health to work within the job centre and the Working Denbighshire Team. The Trailblazer will embed OTs in the Rhyl Jobcentre, the Working Denbighshire office and within GP surgeries. This will enable more holistic, person-centred support, increasing referrals to occupational health, greater integration of OT action plans, and improved early intervention for those signed off as unfit for work. This will create new referral pathways from health to employability support, increasing the number of healthcare professionals who see health as a work outcome, leading to more referrals to occupational health or employability services. The Trailblazer will deliver training on inclusive practices, disability confidence, and mental health awareness to staff in health and other third sectors. This intends to increase understanding of inclusive practices and work as a health outcome. Creating networks to facilitate collaborative conversations with health care and delivering training to healthcare professionals (‘Make Every Contact Count’) the Trailblazer will encourage more flexible approaches to employment and through these inclusive practices of training and collaborative conversations, will actively work on shifting healthcare mindset and narratives around employment and employability.

Thirdly, employer-focused activities aim to extend partnership with employers, including SMEs. Frequent communication and campaigns with employers will be established, aiming to sustain these partnerships. Creating campaigns such as ‘Work, Works’ to highlight the benefits and real-world stories from experienced and participating employers, encouraging shared experience to ascertain more engagement. The Trailblazer will develop ambassador networks amongst employers. These networks will increase the number of disability-confident employers through sharing the benefits of providing employability opportunities through training and work-related placements. The network will aim to expand the number of suitable opportunities available with more employers, increasing knowledge and awareness, fostering greater overall employer support and interest for participants. Development of an employer framework for inclusive recruitment and peer support will improve internal infrastructure communication and relationships. This formal framework will include employer, third sector and community partnerships, supporting peer learning and best practice sharing. This will increase employer support for participants, improve systemic change in recruitment, and foster peer-to-peer encouragement and networking. The Trailblazer will provide training on inclusive practices, disability confidence, mental health awareness, reasonable adjustment knowledge for employers. This training will assist the development and ‘turbo-boosting’ of job matching, in-work support and further support the Work Start scheme currently set up in Denbighshire. This training will increase understanding and use of inclusive practices and support systemic change in recruitment processes. Ambassador networks between employers will be created to engage potential new employers to also take part in training and deliver partnership/placements for employment.

Finally, system change activities focus on sustainability of internal and external partnerships and relationships across employment, health services and third sector organisations. Firstly, the Trailblazer will establish new partnerships with local providers, health services, and third-sector organisations. This will increase collaboration between employment and health services, improve referral pathways, and assist OT action plans with supporting employability and skills staff to encourage individuals to think about employment and access those who might not have considered reaching out for help. Secondly, The Trailblazer will invest in building the capacity of smaller providers, enabling them to deliver high-quality support. This will increase local provider capacity and capability, expand the diversity of services, and support improved impact measurement and continuous improvement. Lastly, the Trailblazer will implement a ‘no wrong door’ approach and shared data systems, making it easier for participants to access support regardless of entry point. This will increase use of shared data systems, improve participant experience, and support continuous improvement through better data and feedback.

The Denbighshire Trailblazer has defined outcomes it is working towards. Some of the key outcomes include engaging and actively contacting 1,000 economically inactive residents from target groups; 300 economically inactive residents from target groups actively participating in community groups; 300 economically inactive residents from targets groups actively engaging with keyworker support systems; and 200 economically inactive target residents being referred to mainstream employment. However, it is likely these measures will be only partially achieved due to delays in funding and other unavoidable circumstances.

Overall, the numerous activities in the delivery plan are still in their early stages of design and planning, and many of the new posts are still in the recruitment phase. Due to the broad and changeable list of activities and the challenges in distinguishing the impact of Trailblazer-funded activities with existing programmes, the outcomes and MOCs are not always clear or well-defined. Working Denbighshire’s approach is to simplify and streamline provision, creating a more coherent and accessible employability and skills offer. While this integrated approach delivers more efficient and effective ways of working, eliminating duplication and addressing gaps in support, it also makes it difficult to attribute outcomes to any single funding stream. As a result, although the impact is strong, funders often seek discrete statistics that do not fully reflect the collective success of the model. This Trailblazer is also working towards softer outcomes such as increased confidence, motivation and readiness. As a result of the Trailblazer, these softer outcomes will be measurable through the new CRM system and the performance measurement framework that has been developed though working with Trust Impact^{[footnote 5]}

Changes to the system

The activities of the Denbighshire Trailblazer will make the following nine changes to the employment support system in the region:

• a more co-ordinated/collaborative approach will be implemented across health, employment, and third sector services; and this includes improvements to data systems, communication channels, and outcome tracking to strengthen partnership working – but the plans for these were still in the early stages at the point of fieldwork
• existing initiatives such as Barod, LIFT, Working Denbighshire, will be scaled up and enhanced. These programmes will also introduce tailored support for self-employment pathways within the target group and add value by funding the early intervention, engagement work and the collaborations with health and employers
• identify and refer economically inactive individuals to employment support, and provide financial guidance integrated with Trailblazer pathways
• co-deliver commissioned pilots and wraparound support services, including mental health, wellbeing, and community engagement activities
• provide support for young and adult carers with tailored mentoring and employment planning, helping them transition into work or training
• provide culturally sensitive mentoring and job readiness support, with dedicated roles to improve access to employment for refugees
• new staff recruited to boost outreach, strengthening existing social media and engagement teams., increasing visibility and service user participation
• a change in partnership with the Health Board will execute new staff roles beyond employability. OT’s will be embedded within employability and skill settings
• enhanced employer knowledge and understanding of disability confidence and workplace barriers. Inclusive recruitment will be elevated through targeted training, placements, and employability support

Assumptions

The Denbighshire Trailblazer has six key assumptions which are similar to those across the Trailblazer programme. The only assumption which was raised as a key risk by stakeholders is the assumption that NHS partners will buy into and support the embedding of employability advisors in healthcare settings. Given that they are and have been for some time, in special measures, which will impact their capacity to engage. Beyond this, the Trailblazer assumes that local partnerships will be established and sustained through development of new frameworks for partnerships and collaboration. It assumes that employers will respond positively to ambassador-led engagement and are willing to adapt where necessary if they are given the right support and training to develop. It assumes that the Trailblazer can create employment and training placements that are perceived as a health outcome for participants. It assumes that Trailblazer funding will not duplicate any existing provision but will enhance and add value, implementing this using new data systems for impact measurement of supporting programmes. Lastly, it assumes foundations of systemic change will be implemented through co-ordinated and collaborative efforts; exemplary of this is the assumption that upskilling GPs and attempting to embed employability advisors in healthcare settings will benefit health and employability. Furthermore, it further assumes that economically inactive targeted residents will respond positively to this system change.

Risks, Challenges and Barriers

Stakeholders reported numerous risks and challenges that the Denbighshire Trailblazer faces, which reflect the risks reported across other case studies.

Four main risks and challenges were raised by stakeholders regarding the design of the Trailblazer programme. Firstly, the programme’s limited timeframe may constrain overall delivery, impacting the delivery of the targets and outcomes. Secondly, the short-term contracts provided to hired staff for the Trailblazer raised concerns as to whether staff retention will be sustained. Thirdly, there is a risk of drop-off in support and participation post-programme from employers, partnerships, LAs and participants. Lastly, as in other areas, risks related to data collection and CRM implementation were raised, despite Trailblazer funding the new CRM system in Denbighshire, there was emphasis on the technical and legal challenges associated with establishing this

On a local level, there were several challenges and barriers to the programme’s successful delivery reported. Barriers to measurement of outcomes and impact were commonly raised as issues, as measuring outcomes like ‘increased opportunities’, ‘increased use of inclusive practices’ and ‘reduced welfare reliance’ will be challenging, although Trust Impacts measurement framework will support Denbighshire with this. There are difficulties in extracting data and providing evidence for these outcomes. Challenges with embedding advisors in clinical settings were raised due to pre-conceived perceptions of professionals in these settings as they are deemed intimidating to the target groups, resulting in potential disengagement with healthcare services Furthermore, resistance or lack of readiness among employers was raised as a key risk. Due to the lack of infrastructure currently in place and lack of employer engagement, stakeholders were concerned about how partnerships within the Denbighshire infrastructure would be created and sustained.

Summary

Denbighshire’s delivery plan is still in the early stages of development. Key stakeholders reported that they expect the plan will continue to evolve, particularly in terms of wellbeing support, employer engagement and embedding healthcare professionals into employability services. This means that the outcomes and mechanisms of change for the Denbighshire area and are not always particularly clear. There are several challenges associated with this Trailblazer. Due to the tailored nature and target audience of the programme, stakeholders noted that the longer-term outcomes will be dependent on the individual and their progression with employment services rather than employment itself. There are also softer outcomes planned such as increased confidence, motivation and improved mindset about work-readiness associated with the focus on the hardest-to-reach individuals who are furthest away from the labour market and employment. The fact that there are several existing programmes included within the delivery plan such as Barod, LIFT, Working Denbighshire, and the Connect to Work programme, will create challenges when it comes to attributing the impact of the Trailblazer programme.

16. Wales Economic Inactivity Trailblazer - Blaenau Gwent

Part of the Wales Economic Inactivity Trailblazer, the Blaenau Gwent element is being designed and led by Blaenau Gwent Council and overseen by the Welsh government. The area has a new Employability Programme Board which will support feeding into this map from Early intervention and prevention, Youth Guarantee and through to the Trailblazer.

Problem and target audience

Blaenau Gwent (BG) has the 11th highest unemployment rate in the UK; with 11,500 individuals on Universal Credit and 45% of those with declared health conditions. It was described as having ‘generations of worklessness’ and poor health. The healthy living age for women is 58. BG also has a few isolated and rural areas which are poorly connected by public transport, which is a key barrier to employment activity.

There is also poor support system integration in the area. Previously participants have not been able to attend multiple DWP support programmes simultaneously. This rigid approach has meant that participants have not always been suited to the programme they were allocated to and have not been able to easily switch to another programme.

Programmes have also been set strict targets which has led to siloes and a lack of co-ordination. Alongside this, employability programmes have mainly focused on those closest to entering the labour market and there has been a lack of co-ordination with the early stages of pre-employment support such as health and wellbeing support.

Where I think we’ve benefited in Blaenau Gwent is the fact that our SPF and CfW+ projects are aimed at those closer to the labour market… We’ve got the support there to get people back into employment. It’s those that are furthest away that we’ve not got the support in and that was the big gap that we established early on for Trailblazer.

(Stakeholder)

Similarly to Neath Port Talbot, the BG Trailblazer aims to engage the hardest to reach individuals who are further away from employment. This includes economically inactive individuals with long term health conditions, adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, neurodiverse individuals, carers, the Gypsy/Traveller community, young gamers and single parent families.

Aims

The aims of the programme are to create a sustainable support ecosystem where learnings, data and resources are shared between health, volunteering and employment partners. This model will benefit the hardest to reach individuals and will be underpinned by the Marmot principles: fair employment and good work for all; healthy and sustainable places and communities developed; sustainability and health equity pursued together; and individuals’ capabilities and control over their life maximised^{[footnote 6]}.

As with Neath Port Talbot, the aim is to create a more flexible and bespoke support programme which enables individuals to access activities that build confidence and self-esteem and are suited to their needs and development. The Trailblazer aims to build stronger connections between employability support programmes and the health board (‘Happy Healthy Blaenau Gwent’) to treat work as a health outcome.

I think, you know, the more confident an individual is, the higher their self-esteem is, the more likely they are to have confidence to sit in an interview.

(Stakeholder)

Inputs

There will be six inputs, and they include: £2.5 million Trailblazer funding; nine new staff including wellbeing coaches, case workers and psychologists; time and expertise from Aneurin Bevan health board; participant expenditure (such as training, memberships and transport provision); delivery partner time; and working groups and governance time.

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change

Overall, the Trailblazer consists of eleven activities aimed at raising awareness and providing wraparound and tailored support by employing new staff, expanding existing provision of activities, system integration and data sharing, and employer engagement. One of the main activities involves the expansion of the ‘Happy Healthy Blaenau Gwent’ programme which is led by Aneurin Bevan Health Board.

Engagement Pathways

The triaging process will be enhanced through the addition of six wellbeing coaches and links with GPs. Currently, CfW+ has triage officers focused on employability programmes, like NPT. The wellbeing coaches will add an additional layer to the triage process by triaging suitable economically inactive individuals with health conditions onto different streams within programme. This additional resource is intended to contribute to increased referrals onto the programme because the coaches will be able to provide more targeted triaging that is more suited for economically inactive individuals with health conditions. This in turn is intended to lead to an increase in individuals engaging with activities on the programme.

There will be a range of community engagement activities via existing services to reach out to economically inactive individuals. BG has strong community links, so it was felt to be important to not reinvent the wheel when engaging participants onto the programme. Engagement will occur via Adults Services (e.g., individuals with learning disabilities), Family Services (via Flying Start Hubs to target low-income single parent families), and skills training on Gypsy/Traveller sites (Breaking Barriers project). Existing engagement officers will also carry out town centre engagement to refer individuals to the Trailblazer programme. This will contribute to an increased awareness of the support offered via the spreading of information at these events and sessions. This in turn is intended to contribute to an increase in referrals to the programme and more individuals engaging with the activities.

The ‘Go Connect’ gaming intervention will provide regular gaming activities in local communities to draw out young people who are house bound. This will engage young people back into the community through doing activities that they enjoy which is intended to lead to an increased willingness to engage with community activities more generally. It is also intended to lead to an increase in individuals engaging with other activities on the Trailblazer programme through the session organisers informing participants about the range of support activities available.

Participant Support

Six new wellbeing coaches will be employed from Aneurin Leisure and other third sector organisations. They will provide 1-2-1 support to increase participants’ willingness to engage with community activities. This means that they will find activities which are most suitable for the participants’ needs and development. This level of tailored support will also help to build the participants’ trust with the coaches and this positive experience is intended to contribute to a higher level of trust among those in other supporting roles. This should ultimately contribute to improved mental health and motivation and an increase in sustained engagement on the programme.

Similarly, the additional case workers and psychologists employed within the ‘Happy Healthy Blaenau Gwent’ scheme within Aneurin Bevan Health Board are also intended to provide more targeted mental health support, which will involve confidence and self-esteem building, which aims to increase participants’ willingness of engage with community activities and sustained engagement with the programme in the longer term. The 1-2-1 nature is also intended help to build trust and ultimately improve mental health and motivation. The case workers and psychologists will act as a link between employment and health support by treating ‘work as a health’ outcome. This is intended to lead to a better integration of health and employment support and a better co-ordination between partners.

The ‘Activate’ programme will provide more opportunities for free access to exercise and wellbeing activities. This is intended to contribute to an improvement in participants’ wellbeing, confidence and skills through participants engaging with these activities. This aims to ultimately improve participants’ mental health and motivation in the long term and mean they are more likely to be able to engage with employment support.

Existing volunteering groups will be enhanced. This is intended to lead to improved wellbeing, confidence and skills because they will provide participants with the opportunity to get outside and engage in mindful and purpose-led activities (such as habitat management), with positive reinforcement from the volunteering staff. There will also be the opportunity to discuss work experience opportunities at these volunteering groups, which is intended to contribute to some participants feeling more ready to have a conversation about employment opportunities and in turn, more participants engaging with work placements.

Short 12-week paid work opportunities will be offered to those economically inactive individuals who are far away from employment and would find longer placements too challenging. This will provide more flexible work placement opportunities, which will give economically inactive individuals the opportunity to gain an insight into working life in a flexible setting. Through this, it is hoped they will increase their skills and confidence, feel more ready to talk about longer-term employment opportunities and be more engaged with other work placements. In turn, this is intended to contribute to an increase in individuals with health conditions reporting earnings.

System Integration and Data Sharing

There will be a new case management system (Access Elemental) which will be accessed and updated by delivery partners and health practitioners (including GPs) to provide a database about participants. This is intended to reduce duplication of services because it will provide streamlined and accessible information about the support they have received before and their health history. This is intended to lead to a better integration of health and employment support and a better co-ordination between partners.

There will be monthly operational engagement sessions with all delivery partners to share suggestions for Trailblazer activities. This is also intended to reduce duplication of services because it will allow for co-ordination of services and resources between partners. This is intended to lead to a better integration of health and employment support and a better co-ordination between partners.

Employer Engagement

BG is still in the early stages in terms of planning employer engagement. However, they are aiming to set up training for employers in partnership with the DWP disability friendly programme, including training on neurodiversity and autism support mechanisms. This aims to lead to employers having an increased knowledge and awareness of inclusive practices. In the longer term, BG hopes this will contribute to employers having more inclusive approaches to recruitment and the workplace; particularly among SMEs (which is a significant assumption of the programme).

BG has targets to engage 200 economically inactive people who have a health condition, are disabled or have caring responsibility. It aims to engage all these individuals to access mental and physical health support, with 15 taking part in a work experience programme^{[footnote 7]}.

Overall, numerous activities are still in their early stages of design and planning and many of the new posts are still in the recruitment phase. As with Neath Port Talbot, the broad and changeable list of activities and the challenges in distinguishing Trailblazer-funded activities with existing programmes means the outcomes and mechanisms of change are not always clear yet in this area.

Changes to the system

The activities of the BG Trailblazer will make the following changes to the employment support system in the region:

• access Elemental case management system in place
• enhanced triage process from wellbeing coaches
• six Wellbeing Coaches to provide tailored 1-2-1 employment and health support
• additional case workers and psychologists as part of ‘Happy Healthy Blaenau Gwent’
• enhanced volunteering and health and wellbeing provision
• enhanced community engagement including ‘Go Connect’ online gaming intervention
• 12-week work placement opportunities
• employer training (DWP Disability Friendly Scheme)
• Trailblazer Steering Group with Neath Port Talbot and Denbighshire to share learnings and co-ordinate activities where appropriate

Assumptions

The BG Trailblazer is based on five key assumptions. Firstly, it assumes that the engagement strategies and changes to referral processes are sufficient to increase numbers on the Trailblazer programme. Another assumption, as with the other areas, is that economically inactive individuals will want to engage with these sorts of support activities. It assumes that Aneurin Health Board will have the time and capacity to engage with Trailblazer activities. It assumes the same about employers. Lastly, it assumes that focusing on a tailored and bespoke wellbeing support approach will impact economic inactivity.

Risks, challenges and barriers

The main challenge that stakeholders identified was avoiding duplication and reinventing the wheel given the existing established employability programmes in place. They were also concerned about the timings of the programme: that there is insufficient time to realise system changes, fully test new approaches, and see results. As well as this, the time involved in providing regular data and information to DWP was also highlighted. In terms of engagement, there was concern around engaging the Aneurin Health Board and the time needed to build trust and relationships between the council and the Health Board.  Lastly, as with Neath Port Talbot there was concern about the challenges involved in measuring softer outcomes such as improved confidence and trust.

Summary

BG’s delivery plan is in the early stages of planning. Key stakeholders reported that they expect the plan will continue to evolve, particularly in terms of the data system sharing and employer engagement activities. There are several challenges associated with this Trailblazer. Due to the bespoke and tailored nature of the programme, stakeholders noted that outcomes will be dependent on the individual and their employment stage. There are also softer outcomes such as increased confidence, self-esteem and work-readiness associated with the focus on the hardest-to-reach individuals who are furthest away from employment. There are also several existing programmes included within the delivery plan such as CfW+ and SPF programmes that make it difficult to identify Trailblazer-funded activities. This means that the outcomes and mechanisms of change and are not always particularly clear or well-defined for this Trailblazer at this stage.

17. GLA Local London Economic Inactivity Trailblazer

The Local London Economic Inactivity Trailblazer is led by Local London subregional partnership, hosted by Redbridge Council. As with the other London Trailblazers, the Pan-London Trailblazer is providing co-ordination activities. 

Problem and target audience

There are high levels of economic inactivity among disadvantaged groups in the Local London area. The Trailblazer has identified common barriers to employment across the subregion to be lack of access to affordable childcare, shortages in relevant skills (particularly digital skills), and limited availability of flexible job opportunities.

The Trailblazer is active in nine local authorities (LAs) in Northeast and Southeast London: Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Bromley, Enfield, Havering, Greenwich, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest. Levels of economic inactivity vary by borough, as do the cohorts of interest. Overall, target populations for the Trailblazer include individuals with health conditions and disabilities, young people (age band not defined), older adults (55+), Roma communities, migrants and refugees, parents and lone parents, and care leavers.

Aims

The Local London Trailblazer aims to increase sustainable employment and self-employment among economically inactive residents by providing holistic, wraparound support that removes barriers to employment. Through sustained employment rates, it seeks to reduce health inequalities in LAs and lower levels of resident crisis and homelessness. Local London hopes that the Trailblazer will inform fundable and high-quality employment support services in the future, as well as generate cost savings and improve value for money in public services.

So, it’s really being able to have a demonstratable track record that different approaches can lead to the outcomes. I think often a lot the funding regime is such that we’re totally reliant on external funding that is quite prescriptive.

(Stakeholder)

Inputs

The Local London Trailblazer is supported by £6.97 million in Trailblazer funding and involves contributions from five full-time equivalent Local London staff, LAs, delivery partners, and independent evaluators. Oversight of the activities is provided by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and governance groups.

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change

The Local London Trailblazer consists of ten activities, incorporating marketing and outreach, local plans, staff upskilling, new triage structures, employer engagement and three strands of activity with economically inactive residents: wraparound support, self-employment and childcare grants. The outcomes and mechanisms of change are clear and well developed.

GLA and London councils are co-ordinating and integrating the Trailblazer and developing Work, Health and Skills plans and a delivery toolkit. These provide direction for efficient, joined-up delivery, and resources to guide implementation.

Local London have produced a communications plan, marketing materials and a launch event to raise awareness of the Trailblazer among frontline workers, employers and residents. This is a starting point for partnerships and stronger relationships between those delivering the Trailblazer, leading to joined up delivery and holistic resident support.

Local London and LAs are providing training for frontline staff, which contributes to more effective and efficient service to residents. Training sessions and materials improve and maintain staff employment support skills, such as in strength-based approaches and motivational interviewing. Training sessions and resources also provide staff with knowledge to pass on as advice, for example about existing childcare provision and gaps where a childcare grant could be required.

Local London have introduced a subregion level digital triage system, One Front Door, which directs residents referred to services to the correct borough’s integration hub. This and participant outreach through social media, community information sessions and other frontline services, signposts 1,000 economically inactive residents to the Trailblazer via a LA-level local integration hub. Local London Integration Officers are working to improve these systems throughout the Trailblazer funding period.

Once referred to a local Employment Brokerage, LAs provide Strand 1 of resident Trailblazer support: wraparound support from local integration hubs, which involve co-located services to smooth residents’ path to work through easy access to multiple services in one interaction. Building rapport and trust with one advisor through wraparound support keeps residents engaged in services and continued engagement leads to trust in services and confidence. The advisor provides residents with what they need in terms of information, advice and guidance, action plans and benefit calculations. They also direct residents to services relevant to them including training, employer-led short courses, peer support, mentoring and coaching, digital solutions, childcare advice and grants and incentives for employers to offer placements. This supports economically inactive residents to build skills that match employer need, and give residents confidence that they are employable, leading to job searching, placements and residents moving into employment and self-employment.

The second strand of resident Trailblazer support is business start-up support, mentoring, training and grants, delivered either through existing services in LAs or by a commissioned subregional provider. Entrepreneurship grants fund materials or equipment required where affordability is a barrier to residents purchasing themselves. Alongside the wraparound support of Strand 1, this second strand of activity supports economically inactive residents to build skills that match employer need, and give residents confidence that they are employable, leading to job searching, placements and residents moving into employment and self-employment.

The third strand of resident Trailblazer support is a Childcare Support Fund, administered by Local London. This provides grants to economically inactive parents of children aged up to the age of 16, removing the cost of childcare as a barrier to work. To date, there has been low take up of this offer and Local London are considering reallocating budget to other activities.

LAs engage with employers to educate employers about economically inactive resident needs, reasonable adjustments, support for employers and how they can practice flexible working, term-time working or job carving to meet both their business and economically inactive residents’ needs. Sustained engagement through placements means employers invest in recruiting individuals and can maximise any training Trailblazer participants are doing, by providing a context to apply it in. Employer awareness and understanding is a pre-requisite for sustained employment outcomes, so employers can support economically inactive residents once in employment. Through employer engagement LAs learn about the skills that economically inactive residents need to move into work with these employers.

These activities, outputs and mechanisms of change contribute to the outcomes of employment and self-employment. These build resident confidence, mental health and wellbeing and self-worth, and reduce social isolation by working with others. Unemployment is a social determinant of health and therefore, having more residents in work reduces the prevalence of health inequalities in an area. When residents can support themselves financially through work, they are less likely to need support with housing or fall into crisis which requires LA support.

Local London and individual LAs have commissioned evaluation and research, to collect data on test and learn approaches, to understand what does or does not work for economically inactive residents. Making findings available to adapt Trailblazer approaches and evidence future programmes, leads to effective, efficient delivery and cost savings.

In its first year Local London is working toward clearly defined targets: 250 residents actively job searching, 300 economically inactive residents in job placements, 325 reporting increased employability, 250 economically inactive residents supported into employment or self-employment, and 60 residents entering ‘good work’ jobs with accredited employers^{[footnote 8]}.

The plan is well developed, but since LAs have not received the demand, they anticipated for the childcare grants they may adjust the Trailblazer approach.

We haven’t found that to be one of the challenges that people are facing because there’s already quite a lot of government support around childcare, which people can sort of access anyway… So, it’s shown that that isn’t as big a barrier as we may have thought it was just in our experience.

(Stakeholder)

Changes to the system

The Trailblazer is intended to better integrate services across all nine boroughs through:

• a London Working group and a Trailblazer steering group
• funding for programme management staff equivalent to 5 FTE posts
• a new One Front Door triage system, to refer individuals to the correct LA, while pre-existing local Employment Brokerages direct residents to the Trailblazer if required and streamline access to within borough support
• new subregional activity such as training for frontline staff training, a Childcare Support Fund, entrepreneurship support and evaluation
• new local level activities such as local outreach, staff training, wraparound support, and employer engagement to set up paid placements for economically inactive residents

Assumptions

The programme assumes that the One Front Door and integration hubs will be effective across all Local London areas. The Trailblazer is firmly focused on three primary barriers to work: childcare, flexible job availability, and skills shortages, so has a strong assumption these are the primary barriers to employment for economically inactive individuals in the subregion. Related to the assumption around childcare, setting up a childcare fund also assumes that residents will be able to find available places in nurseries, childminders, and pre-schools to support working parents. The Trailblazer assumes that building on previous and existing provision is an effective way of supporting economically inactive residents into employment once they have been engaged.

Risks, challenges and barriers

Stakeholders identified three key risks regarding the design of the Trailblazer. One of the largest risks already realised was that data sharing and reporting set up, as well as delays in DWP and GLA grant funding agreement processes, had reduced time for delivery, affecting outcomes. The short-term nature of the Year 1 funding also posed risks to staff retention and recruitment.

At local delivery level, stakeholders discussed four key risks. There is a risk that economically inactive residents choose not to engage with the Trailblazer, limiting its outcomes. Time required to reach and support residents with the highest barriers to work means they might not be supported within the initial funding timeframe. National policy and economic conditions may reduce employer demand, and there may be a lack of disability-confident employers at the local level. Lastly, one stakeholder was concerned that the short mobilisation period may limit time for innovation at local level, limiting new outcomes or learnings from the Trailblazer.

Summary

Overall, Local London stakeholders have a clear, shared understanding of their Trailblazer plans and strong working relationships between the LAs. However, the plans are likely to be adapted. Firstly, when fieldwork was conducted the Trailblazer delivery was only just beginning, having been delayed with establishing the One Front Door and issuing grant agreements to LAs. Secondly, there has been limited demand for childcare support, which is a key strand of the Trailblazer, so Local London were considering whether to redistribute budget from the Childcare Support Fund. Their childcare research should help identify which support is required to support parents into work. A key risk is that early delays to delivery reduce positive outcomes, especially for those furthest away from employment.

18. South London Economic Inactivity Trailblazer 

The South London Economic Inactivity Trailblazer is being led by the South London Partnership (SLP). It relies on partnerships with six LAs for successful delivery of the Trailblazer. As with the other London Trailblazers, the Pan-London Trailblazer is providing co-ordination activities. 

Problem and target audience 

South London’s economic inactivity rate was reported to be higher than average and data shows that ill health (particularly MSKs), caring responsibilities, and housing issues are significant drivers. The benefits system provides disincentives to trying work as claimants must leave and potentially re-start in the system leading to a gap in income. There are numerous employment support programmes across London (although there are fewer services in South London compared with other SRPs), but the system lacks mapping (so there are gaps and duplication) and sufficient integration (especially with GPs) which reduces referrals. The system lacks operational capacity to integrate services. Experience from the UKSPF programme has shown that economically inactive people in the area are not being reached and that there is a need to raise awareness of support services and for more proactive engagement to increase referrals. 

The Trailblazer is working in six South London Boroughs (Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton, and Wandsworth). It is working with anyone who is economically inactive but targeting economically inactive people with health conditions (particularly MSKs and neurodivergence), aged 18-24 or over 50, in social housing, from BAME groups, women, and those with no qualifications or experience of the criminal justice system.  

Aims 

The aim of the South London Trailblazer is to create a more integrated health, housing and employment support service which has new referral pathways that identify, refer and support more people into employment, including those who services did not previously reach. Overall, the aim is that the impact of the Trailblazer will be improved health and wellbeing outcomes for the target groups, achieved through increased employability and decreased economic inactivity across the region. The overall impact will be reduced health inequalities across the region.  

The aim is to maximise the reach and effectiveness of the services we have got currently by transforming how the partners and services work together locally … and identifying innovative approaches.

(Stakeholder) 

Inputs 

The are six key inputs for the Trailblazer: £3.9 million Trailblazer funding; five FTE staff members; SLP staff time; GLA staff time for London co-ordination work; time and expertise from partners; and time and expertise from a procured communications agency.  

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change  

Overall, the Trailblazer consists of eight activities involving a combination of system integration, awareness raising, targeted support pilots, and employer engagement. The outcomes and mechanisms of change are mostly clear and well developed.  

SLP will complete a mapping exercise of the service landscape and produce a map which identifies gaps and duplication in delivery. Participation in the exercise and sharing of the output will raise practitioner awareness of the Trailblazer, referral routes and services available. This will contribute to better service integration in the region. This is based on the assumption that the right participants have been identified for this exercise and that the output will be shared effectively with the right people. It is unclear how this mapping activity will be used and how it will influence decisions on service design.  

The Trailblazer has set up a new triage service, consisting of three new staff members working at a hub at SLP. It will refer economically inactive people within two working days to Connect to Work or LB Employment and Skills teams. The digital triage service (which residents and practitioners can use) refers directly into the hub. This service increases the number of referrals into support services, and again in turn increases the number of people in employment support services. 

The Connecting with Health programme will engage and provide training to practitioners (including HCPs) via a procured training provider. The training will raise awareness of the triage hub and encourage referral to it. The materials will also help to positively change mindsets about referrals and encourage practitioners to use them. This will contribute to better service integration in the region and increased referrals as well as the creation of ‘employment as a health outcome’ for HCPs and social prescribers.  

A marketing campaign on social media and OOH will be run by SLP and a procured communications agency. This will raise resident awareness of the Trailblazer and the option to self-refer via the referral page to the triage hub. This will contribute to increased referrals. 

The MSK Support Programme will support MSK patients identified by GPs as ready for work with an intense package of holistic support, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, mental health support, and work placements. The programme increases the number of referrals into employment support services, which in turn means there are more people in and completing tailored employment support programmes. The programme aims to get 40 people into employment. 

The Community Link Workers project uses link workers to refer social housing residents to employment support services. The Trailblazer is funding one extra role per LB. They will identify economically inactive social housing residents via a case management system and contact them with referral information, working with a caseload of 120 people. This increases referrals into the system and again in turn increases the number of people in employment support services. Each worker has a referral target of 40 people.  

The Trailblazer is giving and overseeing funding to the six LB Employment and Skills teams to boost their engagement and support work with the target groups. Most importantly this is being used to deliver bespoke hyper local employment support projects to target groups in their area, which contributes to more people receiving effective employment support (examples include supplying clothing for interviews and mock interviews). The funding is also being used for multi-disciplinary pop-up events which will raise awareness of the referral page and triage hub to increase self-referrals. The funding is also being used to support existing work on brokering relationships and partnerships with local employers, for example through workshops, events and training. These will help to increase employer awareness and knowledge of the barriers to work for the target groups which will help to encourage them to employ economically inactive people in the area and increase the number of people in employment. The brokerage work also aims to identify new opportunities for people from target groups and lead to more people in training and employment (this has included training for stewarding positions in a local sports stadium). 

The Trailblazer will be informed by user research conducted at the Pan-London level, but it is unclear how the insight from this work will be used. 

The Trailblazer has well defined outcomes it is working towards, namely from target groups: 1170 referrals, 660 in and completing programmes, and 240 in employment (including 40 from the MSK programme).  

Changes to the system 

The activities of the South London Trailblazer will make seven changes to the employment support system in the region: 

• the new triage service at SLP (and digital triage service into it) will be added to the support system – residents and practitioners will be able to refer into this, and it creates new referral routes to Connect to Work and the LB E&S teams 

• connecting with health training will raise awareness and knowledge levels of the triage service among HCPs and the VCSE sector 

• the new pop-up events and marketing campaign will be added to the system 

• the MSK Support programme creates a new referral route between GPs and employment support and adds a new bespoke support service to the system for this group  

• the Community Link Workers boost the referral route into the triage and LB E&S teams 

• funding supplied to the LB E&S teams means new bespoke and tailored employment support offers are available to residents  

• funding supplied to the LB E&S teams means new and strengthened relationships with employers 

Assumptions 

The South London Trailblazer is based on six key assumptions which are similar to those raised across the programme. None were flagged as significant risks to successful delivery of the Trailblazer. The Trailblazer assumes that taking localised approaches overseen by Pan-London co-ordination is an effective approach to addressing economic inactivity. It assumes that economically inactive residents want to find a job, and this assumption, particularly for those with long term health conditions was questioned. It assumes that residents will want to self-refer to services and that GPs will want and can-do referrals to the triage hub and that LBs will use the triage and case management system (and this last assumption was questioned). The Trailblazer plans assume that there are local jobs available or that it is possible for employers to create them locally and that they will want and be able to employ and support target groups. The Trailblazer is built on the assumption that pilots can be rolled out in other LBs once trialled. The approach has assumed that LBs can get funding in place in time via their approval systems, which was also questioned by stakeholders.  

Risks, challenges and barriers 

Stakeholders reported a number of risks and challenges that the South London Trailblazer faces, and these broadly reflect those reported across the programme. None were flagged as significant risks to the successful delivery of the programme overall. 

Four risks and challenges were raised by stakeholders regarding the design of the Trailblazer programme. Firstly, the speed and pace of the programme, especially the set-up phase, means the Trailblazer may not be able to deliver its early targets. Recruitment of staff has been a notable challenge which has led to delays. The MSK programme is due to start work with its first cohort in October 2025. Secondly, not having Grant Funding Agreements from DWP before the beginning of the year created challenges for the Trailblazer and its partners and led to some partners working without agreements and funding in place. Thirdly, the lack of stability of the funding has created and continues to contribute to staff recruitment and retention challenges. It also presents a major challenge to the sustainability of the changes introduced, particularly to the future of the MSK programme and to changes which rely on funded roles (i.e. the link workers and triage service). Finally, the first year was not seen as sufficient time to realise system changes and test new approaches and services and see results (and there was concern this could de-value their efforts with DWP), although these concerns have been somewhat alleviated by the announcement of the extension of the programme into year two. 

In 3 to 4 months, we should be starting an exit strategy, and we haven’t even started our programmes yet … we need to adjust our expectations … ideally we should be using this time to model for the next financial year … so what we deliver is sustainable in the long term … beyond the grant funding.

(Stakeholder) 

As with the other London Trailblazers, there was concern raised about the size, scope and diversity of London and the region making it difficult to provide consistent services and/or tailor them sufficiently to the needs of local populations.  

Regarding the South London Trailblazer plans specifically, three key risks were raised. Firstly, that the new triage system may not be able to handle the potential caseload once it launches. Secondly, that insufficient buy in from stakeholders (notably GPs and LB E&S teams) could mean they don’t use the new case management system and that this could be driven by issues with the design of the referral page. Finally, as with other areas, there is a risk that services remain more interested in retaining users for their own KPIs rather than referring to other services (Connect to Work is a key risk here). 

Summary 

Overall, the plan for this Trailblazer is well developed and unlikely to change significantly going forwards, beyond the specific hyper local activities to be carried out via the LB E&S teams. There is a good oversight mechanism in place monitoring these activities. The Trailblazer has clear outcomes and evidence-based targets set, the mechanisms of change are mostly clear and well developed. The main delivery risk is that the triage system may not be able to cope with demand once launched.

19. GLA West London Alliance Economic Inactivity Trailblazer 

The GLA West London Alliance Economic Inactivity Trailblazer is led by the West London Alliance (WLA), hosted by Ealing Council. As with the other London Trailblazers, the Pan-London Trailblazer is providing co-ordination activities. 

Problem and target audience 

The WLA area experiences high levels of economic inactivity, with common drivers being mental and physical ill health, caring responsibilities, and precarious employment terms. To support those in ill health, there are additional data sharing barriers that prevent effective integration between the NHS and employment services.  

The target cohort for the WLA Trailblazer is individuals living with MSK conditions, although this cohort will have other challenges, typically mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. 

Aims 

The Trailblazer aims to increase employment rates among economically inactive residents with MSK conditions, while reducing the impact that MSK conditions have on quality of life and as a cause of economic inactivity. It aims to make cost savings, free up capacity in the health and employment support sectors and integrate health and employment systems working. The Trailblazer aims to improve trust and engagement in services from economically inactive residents with MSK conditions, and to have a positive ripple effect on families and communities of those engaged.  

…you see that kind of ripple effect that employment, you know how it helps and how it can also set precedent and show children, for example, Mummy and Daddy are going to work today. So, you’re gonna go to work one day, sweetheart.

(Stakeholder) 

Inputs 

The programme is supported by 7 inputs: £9.1 million in Trailblazer funding; staff time from Shaw Trust and health and employment coaches; governance and working group contributions’ resources from the West London Alliance and Cora; space provided by GLL leisure centres; and administrative and physiotherapy support from the NHS. 

Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, and Mechanisms of Change 

This Trailblazer includes 10 activities, working primarily through outreach to NHS waiting lists via Community Appointment Days (CADs), where economically inactive residents with an MSK condition can be referred to high-intensity employment and health support. 

WLA have integrated the Trailblazer with other services under the WorkWell One Front Door, enabling referrals to the Trailblazer through the One Front Door. WLA staff are also working with LAs to host CADs – one day health and wellbeing events - in community hubs to engage those living with MSK. One Front Door and dedicated triage team at the CADs collect key data about participants and ensures participants are referred to the most suitable provision (e.g., IPS, mental health, or Trailblazer).  

Customers complete feedback surveys about CADs and organisers write gap-analysis reports, the findings of both of which are then applied to improve future CADs. Attendance at and referral through CADs immediately reduces MSK waiting lists, giving patients support before conditions become chronic and reducing long-term NHS demand. 

We have lots of patients sitting on a waiting list and that doesn’t help their anxiety if they’re waiting for a long time, the quantity of how they present and their ability to self-manage declines if they’re just waiting. So, the Community Assessment Day gets people in early.

(Stakeholder) 

Shaw Trust train Health and Employment Coaches to deliver intensive person-centred support in Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) centres. The coach supplies coaching and facilitates peer support activities that make participants feel socially included and motivates participants to engage in the labour market, reducing jobless households. They also provide information about work and skills, thereby increasing their confidence, and help them understand that work is possible and desirable. They can refer them to training to improve skills or talking therapies and community activities to improve health and wellbeing. Physiotherapy also improves patient health and self-efficacy. The H&E coach holds wellbeing conversations using Dialogue Plus that help direct what mental health or wellbeing support they require, educate about healthy behaviours and track participant progress. Participants are given access to equipment (if needed) and gym membership, removing financial barriers to tools and activities that improve patient autonomy in their recovery and self-management of MSK conditions. These all-help participants move closer to the labour market, actively seek work and gain sustained employment. 

In the medium- to long-term, the intensive person-centred support can address wider determinants of health through peer support, education and awareness building about healthy behaviours, which makes participants feel more socially included in their communities, contributes to sustained employment outcomes and helps them build new habits and knowledge they can pass on to family members, e.g. healthy eating. These outcomes then contribute to a reduction in numbers of jobless households and have a positive ripple effect on families and communities. 

Each participant’s case is jointly managed by the Health and Employment Coach and a physiotherapist. One coach provides support on health and employment providing a streamlined approach to both and removing obstacles to participant accessing either type of support. Weekly co-ordination meetings between physiotherapists and coaches align health goals with job readiness. This contributes to integration between health and employment support systems. 

Coaches engage with employers, supported by the employer engagement plan to smooth residents’ return to work. The coach’s proactive outreach helps educate and reassure businesses, especially SMEs, around the needs of those with MSK conditions, explaining support available for both businesses and employees. Employer understanding increases and in the medium- to long-term they improve working conditions and reasonable adjustments for employees with MSK conditions. Employers become more ready to employ, and confident about employing, individuals with MSK conditions, and this mindset change contributes to them hiring and supporting such individuals, leading to sustained employment outcomes.

WLA has undertaken a mapping exercise of the service landscape and gaps in existing employment and health provision. They have also commissioned an evaluation of the Trailblazer and Connect to Work, to compare outcomes from each intervention. They hope that the mapping exercise and evaluation findings will be read, understood and applied for learning and expansion of CADs and Trailblazer activities for other cohorts, improving evidence and use of evidence to secure funding and deliver effective support. 

The Trailblazer has defined targets: at the end of the first year 20% of participants should be actively looking for work, 30% in sustained employment and 70% reporting improved health and wellbeing. Trailblazer delivery is well established in West London, and activities are unlikely to change substantially. 

Changes to the system 

This Trailblazer has introduced the following three system changes: 

• a WLA operational group and improved joined up working between DWP, GLA, NHS Integrated Care Boards, and local boroughs 

• the Trailblazer brings private MSK physio providers into the system for the economically inactive cohort – in this case Cora physiotherapy 

• the Trailblazer is available through the One Front Door as a new referral pathway for residents referred by other organisations/programmes, including for programmes closing such as Work and Health  

Assumptions 

There Trailblazer is based on a number of assumptions, the first three of which were flagged by stakeholders as potential risks to delivery. The Trailblazer’s key assumptions are that individuals with MSK conditions will respond positively to high-intensity employment and health support interventions and that Shaw Trust health and employment coaches can be trained quickly and effectively to provide that intervention. It is expected that focusing on health will lead to improved employment outcomes. The Trailblazer approach is untested in a community employment focused context, and the health and employment coach role is new, so these are strong assumptions. Triage systems are presumed to be effective, and local NHS teams are anticipated to engage and navigate data sharing and commissioning processes efficiently. Access to key datasets is assumed to be possible for outcome measurement, and employers are expected to be open to recruiting individuals from the MSK cohort. 

Risks, challenges and barriers 

Stakeholders identified three key programme design risks: that quick mobilisation meant there was potential underspend within the first-year funding cycle and risked the programme not getting support from all external stakeholders before delivery. Stakeholders also suspected there were limits to how far sustainable impact could be achieved with short-term funding. 

It’s in a short kind of burst of intense activity… It’s unclear how sustainable its effects can be as a result… really for sustainable outcomes and recouping the cost you need to have a sustained intervention.

(Stakeholder) 

The primary risk stakeholders identified to the Trailblazer delivery was limited recruitment of participants into the Trailblazer because of competition from other referral options, followed by the risk that health and employment coaches were new recruits who might not provide good quality support. Stakeholders also raised concerns employers may not be receptive to hiring individuals from the MSK cohort, despite engagement. They were also concerned that limitations in data access might impact the programme evaluation. 

Summary 

Overall, this Trailblazer is well established, partly thanks to its uniform approach across local boroughs (although there may be variations in delivery and outcomes based on local context such as employer landscape or deprivation profile of the area). WLA began holding the CADs early in the delivery period and are committed to the structure of the CAD as a means of reaching the economically inactive MSK cohort, then referring them to the high intensity support run by Shaw Trust for WLA. The high intensity support is based on other programmes applied in different contexts or aiming for health rather than employment outcomes; there are also other current programmes that the MSK cohort might be referred to for their other challenges (e.g. mental health). Therefore, there is a risk that while this Trailblazer is innovative, it will not achieve its intended aims. At the same time, WLA have clear plans to monitor progress with strong links between all partners involved and have commissioned an evaluation already to assess the Trailblazer.

1. Liverpool City Regional Investment Fund ↩

2. DWP issued Grant Funding Agreements to Trailblazers in April 2025. These were then reviewed by Trailblazers before signing by both parties. ↩

3. Cwmtawe Mental Health Model ↩

4. Denbighshire Jobs and Employees ↩

5. Trust Impact is a service that helps organisations understand, measure and maximise their impact. They assisted Working Denbighshire in attaining an impact diagnostic assessment and creating a theory of change of their services. Trust Impact - Understand, Measure & Maximise Social Impact ↩

6. Blaenau Gwent - A Marmot Council ↩

7. To note these are provisional figures that are expected to change once the delivery plans have been implemented and the projects start in earnest. It would be anticipated that the overarching figures will increase, but until some of the new and innovative interventions have been tested it is difficult to give an accurate prediction on numbers. ↩

8. For more on the Good Work Standard for London employers, see the GLA website ↩