Youth Service Evaluation – June 2014

Youth Service is a new approach to working with vulnerable young people where MSD contracts a service provider to work actively and intensively with a young person

Young people who access a main benefit are at extremely high risk of long term benefit dependency. Youth Service was established in August 2012 to address this and help this group of vulnerable young people reach their full potential.

This evaluation presents findings from the first 18 months of Youth Service’s operation. The findings consider:

• young people’s participation in education, training or work-based learning, enrolment in budgeting and parenting activities, and achievement of NCEA qualifications
• the impact of Youth Service on the main benefit receipt of Youth Payment participants. This is assessed using a comparison group drawn from young people who started a main benefit before the introduction of Youth Service.

In brief the findings show:

Four out of five young people enrolled in Youth Service are now in education or training.

Many of these young people were previously disengaged from school and had no NCEA qualifications.

Youth Service is helping young people gain NCEA Level 2, so they have a better chance at getting a decent job

During their first year in Youth Service, young people are more likely to gain NCEA credits and meet the requirements of NCEA Level 2 than under the old welfare system:

• 63 per cent of 16 and 17 year olds receiving YP achieved NCEA credits in their first year, compared to 24 per cent of similar young people who received the old Independent Youth Benefit (IYB).
• 14 per cent of Youth Payment participants met the requirements for NCEA Level 2, compared to 5 per cent of the young people who received IYB.
• 43 per cent of teen parents achieved NCEA credits in their first year, compared to 20 per cent of similar teen parents who received Emergency Maintenance Allowance (EMA) or the Domestic Purposes Benefit (DPB).
• 7 per cent of Young Parent Payment participants met the requirements for NCEA Level 2, compared to 5 per cent of the comparison group.

Young people who are at risk of not being in education, employment or training (NEET) can also access Youth Service, even if they are not on benefit. Youth providers are targeting these young people and helping them to work toward an NCEA qualification: 

• Half of these at risk young people have increased their number of NCEA credits within their first year in Youth Service.
• 15 per cent met the requirements for NCEA Level 2 in their first year.

• After one year in the service fewer 16 and 17 years olds receiving Youth Payment remain on benefit, compared to similar young people who received IYB under the old welfare system.

More young people aged 16 and 17 are moving off benefit as a result of Youth Service

Young people are now gaining the education, qualifications and skills needed to move off benefit and into employment or full-time tertiary study.

• After one year in the service fewer 16 and 17 years olds receiving Youth Payment remain on benefit, compared to similar young people who received IYB under the old welfare system.
• We expect to see the same trend for teen parents as their children become closer to school age and they have increased ability to move into full-time work or study.

A statement from Minister Bennett regarding the evaluation can be read here: