Articles - Children's Zone

Introduction

Targeted Youth Support (TYS) is a national scheme to help vulnerable young people who are likely to need help from a range of different agencies.

The aim is to make sure their needs are recognised and supported at the earliest possible opportunity.

Blackburn with Darwen’s multi agency Children’s Trust – previously the Children and Young People’s Partnership - has produced a draft plan setting out how TYS will be put into practice and evaluated.

TYS will be delivered through neighbourhood based networks of services, starting in new East Blackburn and then rolled out to other neighbourhood areas in early 2009. It will build on existing examples of good practice for work with nine to 25 year olds, focusing in particular on 13 to 19 year olds.

One element will involve staff from all agencies using the common assessment framework (CAF) - which is already being used widely with younger age groups - to identify needs and ensure prevention or early intervention.

It’s hoped that more co-ordinated work between agencies will lead to better targeted support for young people and help them to achieve the five outcomes of Every Child Matters: to stay safe, be healthy, enjoy and achieve, achieve economic well being and make a positive contribution.

Aims

TYS is about:

• strengthening the influence of vulnerable young people and their families and communities, as well as their ability to bring about positive change
• identifying vulnerable young people early, in the context of their everyday lives
• building a clear picture of individual needs, shared by young people and the agencies working with them, using the CAF
• enabling vulnerable young people to receive early support in universal settings and helping agencies to bring in extra help through better links with others
• giving vulnerable young people a personalised package of support, information, advice and guidance and learning and development opportunities, with support for their parents or carers
• supporting vulnerable young people across transitions such as moving on from school or from one service to another
• making services more accessible, attractive and relevant for young people.

FAQ

Q Who is TYS for?

A The main focus of targeted youth support is on vulnerable teenagers, but ongoing support  may be needed and improving outcomes for this group can also depend on children receiving effective support at an earlier age, so TYS will cover nine to 25 year olds.

Q Which organisations need to be involved?

A TYS will involve improvements to multi agency working at all levels. While the key stakeholders vary depending on local circumstances, there are a range of individuals, agencies and organisations that are essential to the successful reform and delivery of targeted youth support in every area. These include CAMHS, youth work providers, health, connexions, housing/supporting people, voluntary and community organisations, social services, police, youth justice services, post-16 education providers/job centre plus, parenting support, schools, including extended services in and around schools.

Q Haven’t we been here before?

A It’s true that there have been many attempts to give extra support to vulnerable young people in recent years, but often initiatives have targeted the same populations of young people without full co-ordination or links to universal services such as schools or health. TYS aims to bring partners together to plan, commission and deliver co-ordinated services for vulnerable teenagers. This helps increase consistency and understanding across agencies, reduce duplication and identify gaps in services.

Q How will TYS improve outcomes?

A TYS addresses the range of problems young people experience in a more consistent and coordinated way. This results in many more vulnerable young people being identified and supported earlier. It addresses risk factors that may result in poor outcomes and helps build vulnerable young people’s resilience. In particular, it aims to develop young people’s social and emotional skills, raise their aspirations, help them to achieve and feel positive towards learning, and help foster supportive and positive families, communities and peer groups.

By supporting vulnerable young people and reducing negative behaviour, TYS improves school attendance, service efficiency and morale within communities and services.

Q What impact has TYS had so far?

A 14 children’s trusts took part in a pathfinder - Derby City, Derbyshire, Gateshead, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Knowsley, Leicester City, Nottinghamshire, South Tyneside, Southwark, Wandsworth, Worcestershire and York. Early feedback shows benefits including improved multi-agency working, a deeper understanding of local young people’s needs, the improved engagement of young people and the improved delivery of services.

Q What practical support is available?

A The Council and government, in partnership with the training and development agency for schools (TDA), is providing tailored support in reforming targeted youth support and implementing extended services, including holding regional and local events. For further information about TYS, visit www.ecm.gov.uk or www.tda.gov.uk.