Promising Practices: Holistic Work Inclusion of Young Adults

There is a political concern that young people who do not participate in education or work will also have problems obtaining paid work in the long term and thus be at risk of being socially excluded and marginalized in society. The objective of the project Promising Practices is to develop new knowledge about promising holistic work inclusion practices for young adults under 30 years of age. The project aims to identify practices that can prevent long-term exclusion of young adults from the labor market. We will use a research design where we combine several methods: register data, survey, ethnographic observation and qualitative interviews. With these different methods, we will gain insight into young adults' trajectories in the NAV system and their experiences from work inclusion in NAV, as well as insight into the NAV counsellors' daily work with young service users and their assessments of the needs of young service user groups. In this way, the project will contribute with knowledge about work inclusion skills and how to improve work inclusion services for young adults under the age of 30. Central to the project is a holistic perspective on work inclusion, which recognizes that work inclusion is rarely a linear and step-by-step process which ends in paid employment, and that the work and welfare system is fragmented and difficult to navigate, both for service users and for counsellors. A holistic practice includes an approach that takes into account the individual service user, their complex life challenges and their position in relation to the wider societal structures, including the labor market and the welfare system. Although research on work inclusion increasingly identifies such challenges, there is a lack of research that translates such insight into a holistic and systematic approach to practice. Promising Practices addresses this gap by identifying factors that promote or hinder holistic practices, and by developing clear recommendations based on research created and carried out in collaboration with NAV. Expected results from the project include: • A nuanced and up-to-date description of typical work inclusion paths for young adults • An understanding of frontline workers' allocation of work inclusion measures to different groups of young adults • New knowledge about how the daily work inclusion practice is carried out in NAV's youth team • New insight into service users' experience of work inclusion in NAV • Clear recommendations for future practice based on project findings generated in collaboration with youth teams in NAV The project is carried out in collaboration with three youth teams in local offices of NAV. The employees in the youth teams, together with the researchers, will contribute with data production and interpretation of findings through a series of joint learning workshops. Moreover, the youth team employees will play a key role in the dissemination of findings. Young service users will be invited to participate in a joint learning workshop with researchers and staff in the youth teams. The project is interdisciplinary, and involves researchers with a background in social work, social policy, sociology, psychology and economics

Promising Practices will develop new knowledge about holistic work inclusion practices for young adults. It aims to identify practices that mitigate the complex social problem of long-term work exclusion. We do this in genuine partnership with youth teams in local offices of the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Services (NAV). They will contribute with data production and interpretation of findings through a series of workshops. Moreover, they will play a key role in the dissemination of findings. The project adopts a mixed methods approach, combining register data, a factorial survey, ethnographic observation and qualitative interviews. Central to the project is a holistic perspective on work inclusion, recognising that work inclusion trajectories are rarely linear, that the labour and welfare system is fragmented and that it demands both inter-personal and labour market expertise that frontline workers often lack. Although work inclusion research increasingly identifies such challenges, research translating such insights into a comprehensive and systematic approach to practice is lacking. Promising Practices addresses this gap by identifying factors that promote or hinder holistic practices and by developing clear recommendations based on research created and conducted in collaboration with NAV. Expected outcomes from the project include: • Nuanced and up-to-date description of typical work inclusion trajectories of young adults • Understanding of frontline workers’ allocation of work inclusion measures to different groups of young adults • New knowledge of how day-to-day work inclusion practice is carried out in NAVs youth teams • Novel insights into service users’ experience of the work inclusion in NAV • Clear recommendations for future practice built on project findings generated in collaboration with youth teams in NAV The project is interdisciplinary, involving researchers with backgrounds in social work, social policy, sociology, psychology and economics.