SFL103 - Information, Advice and Guidance

Overview

Outline of Proposal

It is proposed that the budget for commissioned 13 – 19 (up to the age of 25 for Learning Difficulty and Disability) Information, Advice and Guidance Service is reduced from April 2013. Changes to councils statutory duties for the delivery of Careers Education Advice and Guidance (from September 2012) mean that Rochdale Borough Council no longer has to provide a ‘universal’ service to all 13-19 year olds, as was previously statute.

The changes include:

• There is no longer the need to provide a ‘universal’ service of Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) for 13-19 year olds (repealed in the Education Act 2011). 
• Councils will only be responsible for assisting the most vulnerable young people and those at risk of disengaging with education and/or work
• Councils must make sure young people who are vulnerable are offered a service of information, guidance and support to enable them to make well informed, realistic decisions into post 16 education, employment and/or training
• Councils need to track and monitor the whole cohort of young people to make sure they engage in education, employment and training and to record young people’s post 16 destinations
• Councils have a duty to encourage, enable and assist young people’s participation in education and training in line with Raising the Participation Age (RPA) agenda

The council has and will work with and support Rochdale Borough High Schools in meeting their new statutory duties in providing impartial Careers Education and Advice to 13-16 years olds.

There is no financial impact on other services as a result of this proposal. The proposal does not have any staffing implications for the council.

There are no legal implications as a result of this proposal.  It is envisaged that the council will be able to meet our statutory duties within the reduced contract value.

Partnership arrangements are in place across the borough with schools, providers, the National Careers Service and other partners to make sure young people, and vulnerable young people in particular, have an offer of advice and guidance which supports them into education, employment and training.

The indicative saving for this proposal is £640,000.

As the proposal will affect service users, we have undertaken an Equality Impact Assessment to identify likely or actual effects on people with protected characteristics. The Equality Impact Assessment will be reviewed and updated as required, taking account of consultation feedback.

You can find the full proposal document and Equality Impact Assessment below in the related documents section.