{"id":71852,"date":"2026-10-23T16:08:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T15:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/?p=71852"},"modified":"2026-10-23T16:08:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T15:08:25","slug":"devon-government-prioritising-support-young-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/devon-government-prioritising-support-young-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Devon and Government prioritising support for young people"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Councillor Denise Bickley tells us about the Brighter Futures strategy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/tkCPOWDjxdY?feature=oembed&#038;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Partners from across Devon have gathered together this week to focus on improving job opportunities and access to education for young people.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Brighter Futures steering group has held its inaugural meeting to explore how it can build on its work, and strengthen local support to make sure it\u2019s available to more young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The County Council launched its Brighter Futures Strategy last year, with the aim of giving every young person in Devon the opportunity to succeed, regardless of the challenges they may face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 981,000 young people aged 16 to 24 were not in employment, education or training (NEET) across the UK between April and June, prompting the Prime Minister to describe the situation as an &#8220;economic catastrophe and moral failure&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Devon County Council Leader Julian Brazil says Prime Minister Andy Burnham is \u201csinging from the same hymn sheet\u201d as Devon on its commitment to help young people into education, training or work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Councillor Brazil reiterated Devon&#8217;s commitment to young people, with the Council&#8217;s Brighter Futures Strategy setting out how it\u2019s working with partners to improve opportunities for young people across the county.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"block_acf-block-6adb786693bec\" class=\"councillor-quote align-right dcc grid-x\">\r\n\t<blockquote class=\"councillor-quote-blockquote medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n                    <div class=\"councillor-quote-title\"><p>Councillor Julian Brazil said:<\/p><\/div>\r\n        \t\t<div class=\"councillor-quote-text\"><p>&#8220;Since I became Leader of the Council, I\u2019ve been extremely clear from day one that children and young people have to be our priority.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m pleased to hear the Prime Minister say that the number of young people not in education, employment or training has to change and that the Government will offer guaranteed support. That is vital and we couldn&#8217;t agree more.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve been working on exactly these issues here in Devon, and I think there&#8217;s a real opportunity now to bring together what we&#8217;re doing locally with the Government&#8217;s ambitions nationally.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n        <div class=\"councillor-quote-aside medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n\t<figure class=\"councillor-quote-image grid-x\">\r\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"small-6 cell medium-12\" src=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/UserData\/7\/1\/1\/Info00000117\/bigpic.jpg\" alt=\"Councillor Julian Brazil\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\r\n        <figcaption class=\"councillor-quote-description small-6 cell medium-12\" >\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=117\" rel=\"noopener\">Councillor Julian Brazil, Leader of the Council<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n            <\/figure>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Almost 4% of 16 to 18-year-olds in Devon were NEET in 2024, lower than the national average of 5.4%, but the Council is committed to reducing this further. And while Devon&#8217;s overall figures compare favourably to the national picture, some young people face much greater challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2024, 13.4% of young people with special educational needs and disabilities or Education, Health and Care Plans were NEET, while almost half of care leavers aged 19 to 21 were not in education, employment or training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For young people in Devon&#8217;s rural and coastal communities, transport and access to opportunities can also present significant barriers. Through Brighter Futures, the Council is working with partners to address these challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"block_acf-block-6adb786693c57\" class=\"councillor-quote align-right dcc grid-x\">\r\n\t<blockquote class=\"councillor-quote-blockquote medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n                    <div class=\"councillor-quote-title\"><p>Councillor Denise Bickley, Chair of the Brighter Futures steering group and Cabinet Member for Children\u2019s Services SEND, said: <\/p><\/div>\r\n        \t\t<div class=\"councillor-quote-text\"><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m proud to say that we&#8217;re already underway with our efforts to address this issue, and our strategy reflects a shared commitment to improving the lives of young people in Devon.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But we also recognise that there is much more to do, particularly for those young people who face the greatest challenges.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For some it&#8217;s about getting to college or work, for others it&#8217;s about having the right support around them to overcome more difficult circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s so important that we work together, not just as a Council but with our schools, colleges, employers, health services and communities.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The key will be not just helping young people into work or education, but ensuring they stay engaged once they&#8217;re there so they can fulfil their potential.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Government&#8217;s renewed focus gives us a real opportunity to build on what we&#8217;re already doing, and I want Devon to be at the forefront of making that happen.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n        <div class=\"councillor-quote-aside medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n\t<figure class=\"councillor-quote-image grid-x\">\r\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"small-6 cell medium-12\" src=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/UserData\/5\/1\/6\/Info00011615\/bigpic.jpg\" alt=\"Councillor Denise Bickley\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\r\n        <figcaption class=\"councillor-quote-description small-6 cell medium-12\" >\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=11615\" rel=\"noopener\">Councillor Denise Bickley, Cabinet Member for Children&#8217;s Services &#8211; SEND<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n            <\/figure>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":71853,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[22,7,24],"tags":[2369,2305,2247,2198],"class_list":["post-71852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-economy-and-skills","category-children-families-and-education","category-dcc-homepage","tag-brighter-futures","tag-cllr-denise-bickley","tag-cllr-julian-brazil","tag-young-people"],"acf":[],"featured_image":{"ID":71853,"title":"Copy of hero image for news website - 2026-10-23T154948.327","alt":"Some of the members of the Brighter Futures steering group","description":"","caption":"Some of the members of the Brighter Futures steering 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