Comprehensive support to tackle complex needs

Addressing learners’ complex needs requires professional support, as one-size-fits-all approaches have limited efficiency. In cases where socioeconomic, ethnic, gender, age, language, and health barriers affect learners’ capacity to fully benefit from their VET programmes, adopting a case management approach is a highly relevant choice.

Case management involves addressing, in parallel, the full range of challenges faced by the individual. The young person is typically in contact with a single professional (a ‘key worker’, e.g. counsellor, coach or mentor) or a small multidisciplinary team operating within the same setting. These case managers act as intermediaries, liaising with other services on behalf of the young person. They coordinate responses to deliver tailored, multifaceted support.

Case management and multifaceted support are often key features of second-chance measures, i.e. comprehensive interventions targeting young people who are highly disengaged from education and training. They can also be implemented by mainstream education and training providers, as well as by support services for early leavers.

One-to-one contact and the development of a trusting relationship between the young person and the key worker are at the core of effective case management. Building such a relationship requires time and regular contact with the young person. The nature, frequency and duration of these interactions should be tailored to the individual’s needs.

Support should be sustained until the young person’s personal situation has stabilised. It can be provided alongside formal learning and may continue after the completion of education and training.

Managing complex cases that require holistic and multidimensional support is a demanding task. For this reason, appropriate training is essential for key workers prior to engaging with young people in need of such support.

Key workers should possess relevant experience, professional competences, and transversal skills to address complex situations and provide support tailored to individual needs within a case management approach. Ensuring these capacities is crucial for delivering high-quality services and achieving sustainable outcomes.

This is particularly important in the case of volunteer mentors (e.g. students or community volunteers), who may not regularly provide such support and therefore require additional preparation and guidance.

The key worker plays a central role in coordinating the range of services required to address the young person’s individual needs. This involves close cooperation with health services, social services, legal and debt advisers, youth services, public employment services, and education and training providers, among others.

Establishing formal cooperation arrangements, including clear referral protocols, can help ensure continuity of support and reduce the risk of young people ‘slipping through the net’.

Referrals made by the key worker - who has an established relationship with the young person - are more likely to result in effective engagement with the referred service than referrals made by professionals with limited contact.

Digital tools and AI can significantly enhance the delivery of support and social services to young people with complex needs. When used strategically, these technologies can help reach marginalised learners who might otherwise remain “invisible” to the system and face difficulties in accessing services. They can also support more personalised, responsive, and efficient provision of support.

To be effective, such measures should:

• Use digital tools (e.g. social media, digital platforms, outreach campaigns, instant messaging, and mobile-friendly applications) to engage with young people in accessible and cost-free ways;
• Enhance service quality through AI-supported  personalisation, for example by analysing individual needs and suggesting tailored resources. AI can also help simplify complex administrative language or provide real-time translation of support materials into a learner's native language;
• Support the development of digital skills enabling young people to use online platforms for essential tasks (e.g. managing health information, applying for housing, or handling legal documentation securely); Strengthen coordination through integrated digital systems, facilitating effective communication and information-sharing between relevant services (e.g. health, social, education, and justice sectors).

Effective case management requires ongoing monitoring of each young person’s progress across different areas of their life. Key workers should:

• Track individual outcomes regularly, including personal well-being, engagement in learning, and access to services;
• Adjust support plans based on progress, emerging needs, or changes in circumstances;
• Collect feedback from the young person to ensure support remains relevant and responsive;
• Use data for service improvement, informing both institutional practices and broader policy development.

Continuous monitoring helps ensure that interventions remain tailored, effective, and sustainable, reducing the risk of disengagement or “slipping through the net”. It also provides valuable evidence for improving future case management practices. For more information on monitoring and evaluation see here.