Listen Up - Social Welfare Portal

listenup!Chapter 6 | 45Groups are run in the evenings – theservice mostly operates out-of-hours, allowingyoung people at attend after school or work.Staff are used to working unsocial hours.Project worker, Support @ The Junction, The Junction, ColchesterCase StudyCommunity Links in Canning Town foundthat some young people went throughseveral stages before actually using theservice. This could involve carrying thetelephone helpline number around withthem for a while, then deciding to call butfeeling unable to speak or just asking asimple question.They set up a text messaging service, whichmakes it easier for young people to makethe first contact quickly, because theyknow they can do so without having tospeak to anyone. They can ask a questionto which they’ll get a text reply. This can bethe stepping stone for the young person tothen access the service, and means they getsupport more quickly.Fitting in with young people’s livesThe organisations aimed to be as accommodatingas possible, and recognised that young peoplehad other commitments such as school, collegeand work. They also recognised that young peoplemay feel initially intimidated by a service and thatthere was therefore a risk of the young person notengaging with the service.The participants in Youth Crisis I stressed the need forservices that provided out-of-hours help (see wish listfor services at Appendix 1). The interviews with staffCase Study“Staff are flexible in where they agreeto meet young people and recogniseit is crucial that the young person iscomfortable. Sessions may be held, forexample, at a young person’s home, atschool or in a café. Outreach drug work isconducted on local estates and round thecentre of town in conjunction withthe YMCA.”The service also needs to be flexiblewhen young people begin to want to liveindependently:“Once this happens, young people oftenbegin to disengage and are less willing tojoin groups or visit a mental health worker.Support @ The Junction is pro-activein outreach work to attempt to engageindividuals who still need support but arereluctant to attend the service.”Project worker, Support @ The Junction,The Junction, Colchesterduring the Listen Up phase of the research revealedthat the amount of out-of-hours help available wasoften restricted by resources. Some services alsofound that there was insufficient local need for theseservices; for example, Streetwise in Newcastle foundthere was little uptake in the counselling serviceoffered on Saturdays.