Two thirds of young offenders are unemployed at the time of their arrest, which goes some way towards explaining how social exclusion gathers a momentum of its own.

But the SEU is on the case, and in its report it says that it is working to help disadvantaged young people off that runaway cycle. The SEU report says that while antisocial behaviour orders are common, little use is made of “individual support orders” intended to address the causes of poor behaviour. It adds that young people should be given the “basic life skills” they need to prepare them for employment.

New Start (Nov 25) also considers excluded youngsters and what the “respect agenda” really means. Hugh Ashman, a youth leader, complains that words like “respect” are frequently used, but that young people are excluded from any debate about their meaning.

But it’s not only young people who face exclusion. People Management (Nov 24) says that staff with progressive conditions such as cancer have not been given the same protection from prejudice as employees with non-progressive disabilities. That will change, however, on December 5, when new legislation will mean that a person with cancer, HIV or multiple sclerosis will be deemed to have a disability regardless of how far their illness has progressed.

The housing sector must also face up to its responsibilities towards socially excluded people, say MPs on the public accounts committee. Community Care (Nov 24) reports that the MPs have criticised some housing associations for being reluctant to accommodate homeless people. The MPs are also critical of local authorities, whose strategies to tackle homelessness contain “fundamental weaknesses”.

But exclusion is not the preserve of the disadvantaged. The Economist (Nov 26) highlights the plight of “gifted” children — those good at maths, say — compared with “talented” kids — the ones who shine at sport, art or dance. It seems that while talented child dancers can choose from four government schemes at the best private colleges, “gifted” children enjoy no such assistance.

See School Choice, page 8

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