How a borough in Merseyside is bucking the UK's youth unemployment trend

Sixteen-year-old Chloe is certain that if she hadn't received early support, she would likely be one of the million young people in the UK who are not in education, employment or training today, also known by the acronym Neet.

Chloe suffers from severe anxiety and left school when she was 14 to be educated at home in Sefton, Merseyside.

But Chloe found that she was growing increasingly anxious about leaving the house and was unsure about her next steps.

"I was only doing my maths and English at home; I wasn't going out of the house or anything, I was just doing that."

She was then identified by her local council as needing early support to avoid becoming Neet.

Before 2019, Sefton Council had only offered careers support to the over-16s, but seven years ago they decided to try something different and target under-16s who were most at risk of becoming Neet, with one-to-one support delivered through a charity called Career Connect .

The aim was to build a trusted relationship between the young person and a careers adviser, who helps them stay engaged with learning and plan for their next steps.

Chloe's careers adviser, Kate Timmins, met her at home, took her on open days at a local college and helped her secure a place on a vocational childcare course. She also gradually built up her confidence to be able to travel there independently.