The support packages that we offer vary enormously, reflecting the needs of the Young People that we work with.

Our support packages involve helping children and young people with:

Self awareness

Self regulation (the management of feelings)

Motivation

Empathy

Social Skills

The aims of support sessions are based around engaging young people, developing constructive working relationships with them and then using the positive relationships that we form in order to work with them to identify effective ways to support their needs.

Support staff undertake assessments of need with Young People using emotional literacy assessment tools to help identify difficulties and areas needing focused consideration. Using the Emotional Literacy Assessment & Intervention framework we are able to work with Young People to identify areas of need, plan a progressed route to help resolve those difficulties and then make further recommendations to other who may be directly or indirectly involved in their lives. Such assessments can often prove invaluable in helping others to understand why.

   

Support sessions can range from 2hrs a week to several days per week depending on need and vary in their approach depending on the individual.

Support sessions can be used in a variety of ways, ranging from working with those who are in school and simply need a bit of help or advice in order to improve or continue their current achievements to several days per week, dealing with issues such as Child Protection concerns, serious offending behaviour, inappropriate sexualised behaviour etc.

 

Support sessions do not only have to be there for those in difficulty though. Often we work with Young People to simply help out in areas where there are minor difficulties which can be easily overcome with just a little assistance, such as going along with somebody to an organised activity or providing a listening ear when needed.

Sessions can take place either within our Centre, off-site or within a school setting and can often help to provide a valuable insight into helping to either tackle specific issues affecting them or to provide recommendations to other professionals involved with their cases. Frequently we are asked to meet with Young People in this way in order to help out where conventional processes have failed to identify a way forward. Often by providing a little support we are able to recommend appropriate provisions and help reengage or move things forward in a Young Person’s life. Support may also take place directly within a school setting, where a child or young person may need additional supervision or assistance during a time of difficulty, or whilst an educational statement is being considered.

In conjunction with tuition Support sessions can also help to engage Young People in academic or vocational work and our teaching a support teams work closely together to allow Young People to get as much as possible from their time with us. Sessions may also include carrying out practical tasks needed for accreditation that they may be studying, such as carrying out field trips or researching topics of interest.

Our Support team often undertake a practical role when working with Young People and can help to co-ordinate Young Peoples cases, or undertake tasks such as investigating and supporting college, work experience or youth group activities and help to establish successful long-term alternative packages with such organisations. Over the years we have developed strong relationships with other agencies throughout several counties and are now able to draw upon our relationships and knowledge of such provisions to find effective ways to provide long-lasting support to the Young People that we came into contact with.

Whilst 1:1 support Sessions are a highly effective way of engaging and assisting Young People through times of difficulty we are also conscious that this may also over time potentially de-skill Young Peoples social confidence and peer interaction skills, which may commonly be one of the reasons for our involvement it the first place. Due to this support sessions can also help to reintegrate Young People back in to socialising with peers and provide a stepped approach towards getting back into group situations or activities. In order to provide a measured and safe way to do this we often adopt a stepped progression route back into working within full group settings, whereby we look at ‘buddying’ up Support Workers and their Young People to engage in activity based sessions together, leading then into very small groups, often on a sport or activity based activity, before then assisting them back into a classroom environment. Such progression is also interlaced with individual sessions which can be used to reflect on progress made or difficulties faced and work out strategies to help with full integration with their peers.