An investigation of social capital in the narratives of NEET young people

Lead Research Organisation: University of Sheffield
Department Name: Sociological Studies

Abstract

An investigation of social capital in the narratives of NEET young people

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description Throughout the last 25 years, there has been an increasing policy concern regarding young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). It is argued that policy thinking regarding NEET has focused on the perceived individual deficits of young people. My PhD research investigated the role of social support and the collaborative networks developed between NEET young people, youth professionals and employment intervention programmes, in the backdrop of austerity and heightened welfare conditionality. The research found that greater support is needed for NEET young people, in terms of their interactions with government institutions, such as the Jobcentre and Universal Credit, especially throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and resultant crisis. Little academic research has addressed NEET young people's welfare conditionality during the pandemic. The research found that NEET young people had experienced welfare conditionality and several sanctioning measures prior to the pandemic, which intensified for NEET young people in the aftermath of the national lockdowns. Importantly, the cost of living and essential goods has all increased substantially during this time, in line with the decision of the government to reduce pandemic related welfare payments and increase sanctioning for those that do not engage with the labour market within four weeks. This fellowship is timely and has several policy implications, given the ongoing concern for government institutions, such as DWP and Jobcentre Plus, which have been criticised through attracting local, national, and international condemnation from bodies such as the UN and Amnesty International. This shows that policy initiatives at the structural level need to be accessible and equitable to the groups in which they target at the everyday level. The research discovered that NEET young people utilised the support of youth professionals in times of uncertainty and continued to face a plethora of structural inequalities, exacerbated by COVID-19. My research increased public awareness that NEET young people have significantly limited employment options and had formed a significant part of the care workforce prior and during the pandemic, as they provided professional care work, whilst experiencing inadequate training and pay conditions. This is despite juxtaposing messages from the media, government and politicians that publicly celebrated care-related workers during the pandemic, as seen in the 'clap for carers' campaign.
Exploitation Route Beneficiaries include: NEET young people, youth support organisations, youth workers, careers advisors, care workers and the care sector, government bodies (such as DWP and DfE), voluntary sector organisations and international academics researching marginalised young people. The PhD findings are timely given the COVID-19 context and the reduction in youth work support and intervention.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Education,Government, Democracy and Justice,Other
 
Description My engagement work impact has also carried over into sonic media, as having discussed my research on live radio - ALL FM (2019), which was broadcast across Greater Manchester, DAB digital radio and online - and had over 20,000 listeners and hits as downloadable archived content. I was a guest on Dr Annette Rimmer's (University of Manchester/ Producer All FM) radio show, discussing the current politics of youth work, serious youth violence and the intersections of my research about NEET young people in Greater Manchester. My research has already demonstrated international interest, where I have been a discussant at Flinders University (Adelaide, Australia) graduate research seminars (online). Here, I presented on theoretical aspects of my PhD regarding spatial and social mobility studies to an Australian audience of senior academics and early career researchers (Flinders University, 2020). I have discussed undertaking qualitative PhD research during the COVID-19 lockdowns on Professor Tara Brabazon's (Dean of Graduate Research, Flinders University) vlog series hosted via YouTube (Flinders University, 2021). Again, this had has collated several thousand hits, and which has demonstrates the international reach and significance showcased the calibre of my PhD research. Overall, these impactful engagements have demonstrated my potential for an academic research career. My work has the potential to make further impact at the academic, policy, societal and institutional level.
First Year Of Impact 2021
Sector Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education
Impact Types Cultural,Societal,Economic,Policy & public services
 
Description Citation in EU commissioned report
Geographic Reach Europe 
Policy Influence Type Citation in other policy documents
Impact My first article published in 2017 is widely cited and is the third most read article in the Youth and Policy archive, which dates back to the launch of the journal in 1982. This article investigated the reduction in support services and the increased numbers of NEET young people in 'unknown' / 'hidden' destinations outside of the benefit system in Greater Manchester. The second article theoretically mapped the policy developments of NEET over a 25-year history. These articles have had policy impact having been cited two EU commissioned policy reports - 'NEETs in action agenda', which seeks to build a consensus model of supporting NEET young people across the EU and UK (see first report - Spielhofer and Hahne, 2018). My commentary on the lack of tracking and engagement of third sector actors in the UK, has influenced EU policy within the commission, proposing an evaluation programme to consider the propensity of third sector organisations engaging with NEET young people across EU member states (see second report- Krauß et al., 2018).
URL https://neetsinaction.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/IO1_UK_-FINAL-VERSION.pdf