SomersetWorks support young people 15 to 18 years old who are currently not in education, employment or training.
1. What are the upcoming changes to SomersetWorks?
SomersetWorks no longer exists in its current form. SomersetWorks Transition Coordinators have become Learning Mentors in the newly formed Virtual School.
Most of the existing SomersetWorks offer will feature in the new Virtual School.
2. What is the Virtual School?
We are extending the purpose of the Virtual School in Somerset to include supporting children with the most complex situations, managing crises and conflict, creating smooth transitions, intensive intervention and flexible education.
There are three age-group phases in the Virtual School: Early Identification (Early Years – Year 1); Transitions and Flexible Education (Year 2 – Year 8); and Preparation for Adulthood (Year 9 and above).
3. Who will the service support?
The service will continue to provide support and advice for young people who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET).
In addition, we will provide support and advice for young people from Year 9 who are at risk of becoming NEET.
4. What will be the purpose of the service?
The purpose of the service is to support those in the most complex situations, facing barriers related to education and undergoing transitions with their journey towards education, employment, or training.
5. How can I access support?
The service will be continuing to offer Transition Panels to support educational settings with tracking young people at risk of becoming NEET and providing advice and guidance.
If you are an educational setting or professional looking for advice and guidance, a referral form is no longer required. We request that you raise through the Transition Panels or contact the Inclusion Advice Line to enable us to identify the support required. This support will range from telephone advice to direct intervention. Please note that during the summer term there will be reduced capacity for direct intervention.
If you are a young person or parent carer you can access advice and signposting by contacting Somerset Direct on 0300 123 2224. Further information on our summer term drop-in sessions for young people and their families to speak with a member of the team will be available in due course.
6. Why are these changes being made?
It is recognised that young people and families require more integrated services and bespoke and flexible approaches to education. The new virtual school brings together multiple teams to respond to children and young people’s needs and complex situations. We hope that these changes enable us to deliver more targeted support, reaching young people and families across Somerset.
