Quality Enhancement in the Follow-Up Service in Oslo

The project aims to provide insight into the volume, composition, and needs of the target groups, as well as knowledge about how municipal services function in their encounters with these young people.

The principal goal is to contribute to a more targeted and coordinated effort for youth at risk of long-term social exclusion due to dropping out of education and employment. This includes improving the overview of target groups, reducing variation in the organization and use of resources in the Follow-Up Service (OT) across city districts, and enhancing governance and coordination.

The project will employ a broad methodological approach combining register data analysis, document studies, individual interviews and workshops with service providers, as well as in-depth interviews with young people.

In the project, we will aim to answer the following key research questions: - How many young people are in the target group and adjacent groups, and who are they?

• What barriers to participation and risk factors for long-term exclusion are present in various subgroups, according to both the young people themselves and the service system?
• What do the young people themselves say they need, for example regarding guidance, information-sharing, motivation, and facilitation?
• What could be the economic consequences for the municipality of successfully enabling more young people in the target and adjacent groups to enter employment, education, or other activities?
• How can services be further developed and adapted to improve interagency collaboration and quality, in order to better reach the various subgroups and promote increased participation in education, training, and work among youth with diverse needs?