Inclusive career support for young people with chronic health issues Tristram Hooley

Career guidance “Career guidance refers to services and activities intended to assist individuals, of any age and at any point throughout their live, to make educational, training and occupational choices and to manage their career…The activities may take place on an individual or group basis, and may be face-to-face or at a distance (including help lines and web-based services). (OECD, 2004).

Recent history

Consequences of recent policy Movement of the locus of careers work from Connexions/LA to schools. Weakening of the professional basis of careers work. Reduction in the quality of career support. Reduction in the quantity of career support. Focus on the most vulnerable. …but the definition of vulnerability is dependent on the capacity of the local authority to pay for services for this group.

The current infrastructure School based provision Statutory guidance Local authority provision of targeted services National Careers Service – Inspiration agenda Careers and Enterprise Company Jobcentre Plus in schools Education information and transition support e.g. UCAS & NAS Other local and national initiatives e.g. LEPs, Plotr, various charities, Career Lab, Future Morph

Education, Health and Care Planning A new framework for supporting young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Central to this is a holistic conceptualisation of career where independent living, participating in the community, employment and health are considered coherently. Based on Inter-agency collaboration Co-creation Personalisation Outcomes focus

Problems with EHC planning Excessive and unrealistic (for some young people) focus on paid work as an outcome. Too limited resourcing in local authorities overall. A lack of clarity about the professional base delivering EHC planning (especially in relation to the careers elements) Too narrowly targeted. Who is now excluded?

So who supports young people with chronic health issues? Local authorities are weakened. Focus on the school – but what if you are not in school (at least not very often)? Can be difficult for young people to access fragmented services; especially when they are not marketed very well. Will EHC planning cover young people with chronic health issues?

References Hooley, T., Matheson, J. & Watts, A.G. (2014). Advancing Ambitions: The role of career guidance in supporting social mobility. London: Sutton Trust. Langley, E., Hooley, T., Bertuchi, D. (2014). A Career Postcode Lottery? Local Authority Provision of Youth and Career Support Following the 2011 Education Act. Derby: International Centre for Guidance Studies, University of Derby. OECD (2004). Career Guidance and Public Policy: Bridging the Gap. Paris: OECD.

In conclusion Everyone has a future. Everyone has a career. We need to ensure that all young people have access to support to think about their futures. There are substantial issues with current provision. It is possible that young people with chronic health issues may be slipping through the net.

About me Tristram Hooley Professor of Career Education University of Derby www.derby.ac.uk/icegs t.hooley@derby.ac.uk @pigironjoe https://adventuresincareerdevelopment.wordpress.com/