Youth NEET Support Grants
South Ribble Borough Council is proud to launch the Youth NEET Support Grants scheme, designed to remove barriers to employment, education, and training for young people, through partnerships with trusted youth organisations.
Before applying, please ensure you have read all the introductory information, including eligibility criteria.
Expected Outcomes
Through this scheme, we aim to deliver practical, targeted support enabling vulnerable young people to engage with education and work opportunities
Project Duration: 6–8 months (up to the end of March 2027)
Age range: Supporting young people up to the age of 18 (or up to the age of 24 for young people with additional needs or disabilities).
Projects of Particular Interest
We are especially keen to support projects that address identified gaps in local services, such as:
1.Discretionary Financial Support Fund
Projects enabling established youth organisations to administer small, fast‑access discretionary payments to young people who are struggling to engage in employment, education, or training due to practical financial barriers.
This may involve;
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Financial support for essential costs (such as travel, workwear, interview clothing, course materials, digital access, and data/Wi‑Fi).
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Support workers providing guidance alongside payments to ensure young people can sustain engagement.
2. Confidence, Assertiveness & Soft‑Skills Development Programme
Projects designed to help young people build the personal, social, and emotional skills they need to take their next steps into education, training, or employment. This may include;
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Confidence‑building workshops and 1:1 coaching
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Assertiveness training, including how to communicate needs, set boundaries, and self‑advocate
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Practical soft‑skills for work and learning (e.g., communication, time‑management, handling feedback, teamwork, problem‑solving, and decision‑making activities
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Supported opportunities to practice skills in real‑world settings (e.g. through community projects or volunteering)
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Intergenerational projects
3. Youth Job Club & Employability Skills Support Programme
Projects offering a welcoming, youth‑friendly job club providing a supportive space to search for vacancies, explore career options, and receive guidance from trained staff. This may include:
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Regular drop‑in job club sessions where young people can build the practical skills and confidence needed to move into work, apprenticeships, or training.
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1:1 and small‑group support with CV writing, application forms, personal statements, and online job portals
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Interview preparation, including mock interviews, confidence‑building techniques, and understanding employer expectations
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Support to create digital profiles (e.g. email accounts, online portfolios, LinkedIn) and improve digital literacy
4. Community‑Based Skills Tasters & Work Experience Pathways
Projects that partners with local employers to deliver short, low‑pressure tasters in sectors like hospitality, digital, construction, or green skills.
Providing hands‑on introductory sessions, supported work experience placements or travel training and practical barriers support.
5. Targeted Re‑Engagement for Young People with SEND or Hidden Disabilities
Programmes designed for young people with learning needs, autism, ADHD, or undiagnosed additional needs who struggle to access mainstream provision. This could include small‑group skills sessions, supported transitions into training or apprenticeships and parent/carer liaison.
Compliance, Monitoring and Evaluation
To ensure high‑quality, safe and effective delivery of mental health and emotional wellbeing activities, all funded groups will be required to meet the following standards.
Safeguarding, Risk Management and Duty of Care
Applicants must demonstrate that they have robust safeguarding policies and procedures in place, including:
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Clear processes for identifying, assessing and responding to risk and safeguarding concerns.
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Evidence that staff and volunteers understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding, confidentiality, and information sharing.
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Procedures for recording and reporting incidents, including how concerns are communicated internally and, where appropriate, to external agencies.
Where relevant, organisations should also outline how they maintain safe environments (physical or digital), manage lone working, and ensure appropriate supervision for staff and volunteers.
Training and Competency
It is beneficial for organisations to demonstrate that staff or volunteers have relevant training in supporting young people. This may include, but is not limited to:
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Safeguarding Adults/Children
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Youth Mental Health First Aid
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Youth work
Please include details of any relevant training, qualifications or lived‑experience expertise within your application.
Monitoring Requirements
Funded groups will be required to submit quarterly monitoring returns. These will include:
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Financial information relating to the project, including all receipts and invoices.
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Case studies demonstrating the impact of your work on individuals or communities
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Basic project data such as attendance, demographics, outputs delivered, and any challenges or learning
We expect organisations to collect data consistently and ethically, ensuring participants understand how their information will be used.
Apply for the Youth NEET Support Grant
Applications are completed using an online Youth NEET Support Grant form, please allow approximately 40 minutes to complete.
The application needs to be completed in one sitting as there is no facility to save your progress. To help you prepare your answers there is a PDF copy of the application form available.
The application form will ask you to describe your project in detail.
You will also be asked to upload compliance information documents which will be listed before you begin the application.
If you need any support with the application form, please contact our grants team on communitygrants@southribble.gov.uk