Youth transitions and multi-agency responsibility in early school leaving: An ecological analysis from Norway

Despite the widespread recognition of the multidimensional nature of ESL risk factors, multi-agency systems frequently fail to translate this recognition into integrated service provision. Previous research identifies a persistent gap between the identification of youth vulnerabilities and the delivery of coordinated, multi-agency responses during educational transitions (Artaraz, 2008; Tukundane et al., 2015; Vidal et al., 2019). Design/methods: This study addresses that gap by drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological and PPCT (i.e. Person, Process, Context, Time) frameworks and combining insight from a five-year follow-up research project on interdepartmental policy development (30 meetings observed; 20 interviews with stakeholders) with a youth peer-to-peer co-research project (145 interviews; 87 survey responses). Youth emphasise relational trust, stigma-free access to support, and clear guidance during transitions, though they report limited awareness of services and a lack of trust towards child protection services. Professionals foreground systemic measures and parental engagement. Small-scale mentoring pilots have fostered relationships but have had limited reach. Thematic convergence and divergence across micro–macro levels highlight misalignments between institutional categories of ‘at-risk’ and young people’s lived vulnerabilities. Implications: Findings suggest that ESL prevention can be strengthened by synchronising supports with key transitions, broadening population-level measures, and co-designing youth-visible, low-stigma pathways to more coherent and developmentally attuned service provision. We discuss how insights apply to international contexts facing similar policy challenges.