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The Connexions service was established in 2001 with the aim of providing a comprehensive service to meet young people's needs for information, advice and support.
Through multi-agency working, Connexions provides high-quality, impartial, information, advice and guidance (including careers advice and guidance), together with access to personal-development opportunities to help remove barriers to learning and progression and ensure young people make a smooth transition to adulthood and working life. As part of the service, a dedicated website, Connexions Direct, is available for young people aged 13 to 19.
Target groups
Connexions is designed to help all young people aged 13 to 19 regardless of need, and those aged up to 24 with a learning difficulty or disability. However, there is a particular focus on those at risk of not being in education, employment or training (NEET), or of being socially excluded.
Delivery
The Connexions service has recently been through a process of transition. Following the publication of Every Child Matters: Next steps, children's trusts were set up in each area. From 1 April 2008 the funding that went directly to 47 Connexions Partnerships now goes directly to all 150 LAs, via the new Area Based Grant, with LAs now responsible for delivery.
Service specifications for s from 1 April 2008
The Education and Skills Act 2008 transfers to s the statutory responsibility for the delivery of Connexions services.
Until the new duties are commenced and new directions and statutory guidance issued, s will continue to be guided in their responsibilities for Connexions services (including the conducting of assessments relating to learning difficulties and the provision of careers services) by the interim arrangements set out in letters from the Secretary of State, dated 25 March 2008, to lead members and to directors of children's services (DCSs).
The letter to DCSs included the Connexions Service Specifications for from 1 April 2008 as an annex. These specifications set out the most important features of the Connexions service which LAs are required to adhere to in the way that they provide for Connexions services. In addition, the letter to lead members set out in wider terms the Department's expectation of every LA, and acts as a reminder of the Department's ambitions set out in the Children's Plan.
Delivery support and guidance
To ensure the requirements are clearly communicated, and that the appropriate support resources are readily available, the following pages have been created to reflect the policy areas and guidance which s are required to have regard to. Full details of the current service specification are included, where appropriate.
Select the link to view the page and access further information, including links to other relevant sections of this website:
- Quality standards for young people's information, advice and guidance (IAG)
- 16- to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET)
- Connexions Direct (CXD) website and helpline
- service delivery through a workforce of Connexions Personal Advisers
- Connexions branding
- Inter-area provision for young people receiving education in a different LA
- Learning difficulty assessments (formerly known as S140 assessments but now covered by S139 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000).
- Common Assessment Framework (CAF)
- Targeted youth support
- Activity Agreements
- Information systems.
In addition, a range of good-practice guidance, case studies and reports are available on the 'Core information' page, with budgetary information detailed on the 'Funding' page.
Associated documents
Ministerial letter 2: Delivery
(1015.0Kb)
Ministerial letter 1
(936.0Kb)
Download the contents of this page:
as a Word Document
Last updated on 28/05/2009
