This 2026 report details how Somerset Council’s Supported Employment Team embedded our toolkit approaches within their pre-supported internship programme. Using survey and interview data, the evaluation explores the impacts on young people’s progression through a lens of Connected Belonging. Case studies bring to life the experiences of four young people.

This 2025 report draws on six-years’ research into early school leaving, school wellbeing and NEET outcomes. It outlines recommendations developed through two subsequent policy roundtables; one bringing together 50 local authority and third sector leaders in NEET prevention from 11 Southwest unitary authorities; another to hear from 43 young people from five Southwest authorities who were NEET or had lived experience of barriers to engagement.

This 2026 report evaluates the impact of the SEET programme on NEET young people's engagement and progression. The programme, run by Somerset Council's Imagine the Possibilities, Supported Employment Team, integrated toolkit approaches and frameworks. Using survey data and interview data,the report exploresthe impacts on a cohort of young people. Case studies bring to life four young people's experiences.

This article from the November 2025 edition of the magazine outlines what makes interventions effective. It also highlights the research-informed tools available to put this into practice at www.connectedbelonging.co.uk

This 2025 report focuses on a support programme developed by Somerset Council to enable engagement and progression support for young people beyond the age of 18. By engaging and training external Advocates in the Pathway to Change and adapting our Risk Review tool for use during support, the evaluation sought to identify the cohort's key barriers to engagement and to understand the value of the strategies in supporting young people's engagement. Focus Groups with Advocate's delivering the programme explored the key barriers and their perceptions of the impact of their support.

This 2023/4 report evaluates the impact of Somerset Council's pilot of three approaches to support young people's educational engagement and outcomes. Working ‘upstream,’ with young people registered at schools within Mendip who have an increased likelihood of early school leaving, the project trialled one-to-one advocacy support for Year 11/12 transition; a 14-16 College Programme for Year 10/11 students; small group school-based support from an neurolinguistic programming professional for Year 9 students. Interviews with young people and staff supported evaluation ofthe impact of each activity.

These slides outline how Somerset's award-winning Imagine the Possibilities team have integrated research insights and toolkit approaches. Their trailblazing partnership has transformed the employment landscape for young people with SEND across rural Somerset through bold collaboration and strategic coherence. In just a few years, the partnership has grown supported internships from one programme to 15 across the county, giving more than 100 young people each year access to meaningful real-world workplace experiences that lead to paid employment.