Analysis: Practice - Ethnic minorities. Connexions widens itscultural understanding

High on the list of New Year resolutions for the National Association of Connexions Partnerships is improving the support Connexions provides for Black and minority ethnic (BME) young people. With exclusion rates among African and African-Caribbean pupils up to 15 times higher than for other groups and BME young people twice as likely to be in care as their peers, it is clear that BME young people need extra help.

Help from the community

But the cultural understanding needed to tackle the barriers faced by these young people can take years for a young and already overstretched service such as Connexions to build up. According to Making Connexions with Race Equality, a recent report by the Black Training and Enterprise Group, Connexions needs to find ways of building lasting relationships with community organisations.