The Transformation of Services for Young People in Surrey County Council

Objectives

There were a number of key drivers of the transformation of Surrey SYP.  Firstly, it was about responding to need.  Between 2003 and 2012, at any one time, around 1,000 young people were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in Surrey.  Despite considerable investment and much excellent work by practitioners, Surrey County Council (SCC) had not achieved lasting social change.  Secondly, there was a political focus on improving outcomes for young people.  The Leader of SCC had publicly announced he wanted ‘no young person to be NEET in Surrey’.  And thirdly, the service needed to reduce its budget by 25% over three years.

It was not possible for SYP to reconcile these seemingly conflicting challenges by continuing to deliver services in the same way – instead it needed to transform so that it could achieve significantly more with significantly less.