Community Catalyst: Youth Transitions research report - From gaps to priorities: Examining the evidence landscape
Categories: Research using linked data, Reports, ADR England, Children & young people
11 December 2024
This research report provides an overview of the aims of the ADR England Research Community Catalyst: Youth Transitions, and summarises the research approach used to address these objectives.
Executive summary
The Youth Transitions Catalyst Project commenced on 29 January 2024 with the main objective to develop a cross-sector research community that shares a prioritised research agenda informed by the assessment of gaps in existing data and research in the field of youth transitions. The first phase of this project was aimed at understanding the evidence landscape and identifying gaps. In particular,
- Using published literature, the research team identified and mapped out recent evidence (primarily from the last five years) that focussed on young people’s transitions within education and the labour market.
- The project’s focus has been on research that explored transitions for specific groups of young people (aged 14-24 years) with one or more of the following characteristics or experiences - socio-economically disadvantaged, ethnic minority, physical or mental health conditions, special educational needs and disabilities, history of youth offending and experience of social care. As an exception and in light of the funders’ priorities, mature learners were also in scope of this investigation.
- Using the above, researchers were able to identify an initial set of emerging research gaps.
- Several key stakeholders were consulted to further refine the list of gaps to produce a set of youth transitions research priorities.
- Simultaneously, the team also identified a list of relevant administrative datasets that capture young people’s journeys across various aspects of our social life. Where publicly available, metadata for each dataset has been recorded, such as list of variables, data access arrangements and quality statements. The resulting information has been compiled in the form of a user-friendly online tool to access information about datasets related to youth transitions.
Explore the evidence gap map
Relevant studies from recent years have been mapped onto an evidence gap map to observe the distribution of recent evidence in the current landscape. The gaps identified in this map should not be seen as a definitive list, but rather an attempt to map the territory sufficiently to prompt discussion, debate and challenge. This is a ‘living’ document that will be updated throughout the lifetime of this project.
