Our core services consist of Intensive Support Work, Groupwork and Tuition. However, we also offer the following services:

Primary, Secondary & Post16 Support

Through the development of the experience, training and backgrounds of our diverse team we are able to offer services to a wide variety of Children and Young People, including those with varying needs of all ages.

Although our approach is clearly different depending on the age of the child or young person that we work with often the difficulties that they face can be similar in nature. As we work on an individual basis with all of our young people the way that we respond to that need is always tailored towards the individual and their requirements. Through the expertise within our team we are able to offer comprehensive support to those of all ages that need it, be that early years, those who are experiencing transition from primary to secondary, those facing their last years at school or those leaving compulsory education and stepping into adult life.

For our Primary aged children the emphasis lies on developing and maintaining as much as a normal routine as possible in line with their peers, whilst at the same time help those working with them or their families the time and guidance to learn how to support them best.

Those in Secondary education have often developed a strong sense of failure in their lives, hold negative self-images and views on their abilities or have developed destructive patterns of behaviour in order to help themselves cope with the difficulties that that face. Due to this we place strong value on helping Young People overcome these difficulties and negative cycles through improving self-esteem, confidence and making positive choices.

For those who have left, or are soon to be leaving compulsory education we have those within the team who specialise in helping young people make those first steps into adult life. This is often a time of great uncertainty and anxiety for many Young People and more so for those that may have been outside of the mainstream educational environment for extended periods of time and may not hold the experiences and qualifications of their peers. Through our involvement we are able to help Young People at this time to develop the confidence and skills that they need at this time in their lives and help prevent future offending behaviour or social exclusion by falling into the category of NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training).

 

For Young People who have been referred to us throughout any stage in their life we have developed a completely free advice service for Young People up to the age of 25, where they can access advice, guidance and support through a drop-in service throughout the working week. Advice can be given on employment or training matters, sexual health, substance misuse, relationships or housing Mon-Fri 9am-5pm. We also work in conjunction with other specialist existing services in these areas to ensure that those who come to us receive the best support and advice available during times of difficulty. 

Short-Term Intervention

Although some Young People need a considerable level of input and support from both ourselves and other agencies there are of course those who simply need help for a short space of time.

All of the areas of our provision are tailored to the individual need and so we are able respond quickly and appropriately to what is needed at any particular time. Involvement with our service does not mean that a Young Person will be with us for a long time; indeed we hold a strong focus on helping to move a Young Persons case forward quickly, effectively and honestly and always hold the needs of the child paramount in what we do.

Short-term intervention can come in many guises and may range from helping out during transitions, while a new school or care placement is sought, helping with short-term assessments and recommendations or helping during a time of crisis.

We do not have strict timescales for the work that we undertake and we are always happy to help out in any way that we can for any length of time, as long as our involvement holds purpose and meaning. Often a short piece of work or by helping out in a relatively small way can make a huge difference in the long-run and could make all the difference. If we are with a Young Person for short and targeted intervention then we can provide advice and recommendations to those involved with their case on what may be a suitable way to continue support in the future, or help to find alternatives to strategies that may already have been tried.

Long-Term Specialist Provision

For many years we have provided short-term provisions for Children and Young People and have successfully managed to reengage and reintegrate many Young People back into long term provisions, such as back to their School, into Colleges, PRU’s, Residential Schools or other alternative providers.

Over time we have come to realise that for a number of Young People we have been the most stable and positive educational placement that they have had, often for a number of years and that in effect we have been the most suitable provision for them at this time in their lives. For some we have worked with them to help them get to a point where they have moved on to another placement, only to return to us a few months later after things have not worked out for them in their new placement and then continue to achieve well when back with us.

Due to this we have decided to use our expertise in providing positive learning experiences to Young People to construct effective, well rounded and targeted long term provisions for those for whom moving on to another provision, or moving a considerable distance from their home to learn would prove counterproductive at best. Through developing long term provisions for Young People we feel that we have a strong obligation to provide multifaceted, individualised, relevant and productive programmes for those in our care, in order for them to gain the most from their time with us.

For those on long term placements with us we offer a mixture of Academic and Social Emotional Assessments, 1:1 Support Sessions, 1:1 Tuition, Small Groupwork programmes and vocational courses, such as practical Design & Technology, Music and Video Production, Healthy Living, Independent Life Skills, Sport etc. as well as providing personalised time with a Keyworker to establish goals, track progression and develop long-term ambitions and how to achieve them. Through working closely with parents/carers and other professionals we also provide regular feedback sessions on a weekly basis in order to encourage participation in learning and understanding of needs so that the Young People who come to us are equally supported at home.

By offering the opportunity for Young People to be able to experience stability in their lives in this way it may also help for many to have the opportunity to remain within their local environment, with family networks and friends, whilst still receiving the education and support that they require. Often to receive such provisions Young People will be required to move to an ‘Out of County’ school placement, away from their established social and emotional networks, which typically can be an unsettling, and not to mention highly expensive experience for all involved.

At present long-term packages are run through our Teaching Centre based in Bristol though there are plans to develop these in areas in need of such a provision. Although based in Bristol we are however located very close to the main train station, Bristol Temple Meads, and so can be easily accessed by those in neighbouring authorities through the supply of a train pass. Alternatively we recognise that for some Young People public transport may not be appropriate and so we are also happy to transport them or a group if desired. We are also happy to help develop confidence in using public transport and if required to do so will gladly accompany Young People until they gain the confidence to travel on their own. If Young People do come to us by train we will always meet them at the access gates of the station and ensure that they are on the correct train when they leave us at the end of the day.

Assessment, Recommendations & CAF Input

A large part of how we work with Young People is through getting to know them well and developing a safe and trusting environment with them in which they can thrive. Due to this we are often in a privileged position to be able to provide reports and assessments, based on a practical and personal working knowledge of their needs. The Young People whom we work with often hold a history of non-engagement with other professionals and often those that attempt to assess their needs. Through using the relationships that we are able to develop with Young People through direct work with them we find that we are able to either support the completion of assessments by other professionals or complete formal assessments ourselves. The Young People that we carry out assessments with understand that we do so in order to better support them as individuals and to encourage this we involve them closely in the assessment process and empower them through trust and confidence to help look at aspects of their lives that may need additional support.

As well as being able to complete assessments on academic levels, social/emotional needs, learning styles and mapping progression, using tools such as Neale’s Analysis Reading Ability Test,  we can also complete formal assessments on specific learning difficulties, such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Cognitive Ability Testing (CAT). We are now using The Conners Comprehensive Behaviour Ratings Scales which provides a complete overview of Child and Adolescent concerns and disorders. The development of our assessment tools is something that we are always striving to develop and so if you have a need for a specific assessment please feel free to discuss this with us.

Through our work with Children & Young People we also recognise the importance of the values and recommendations outlined in reforms to children’s services such as ‘Every Child Matters’ and hold its principles at the core of everything that we do. We also recognise that implementations such as the Central Assessment Framework (CAF) provide those working with Young People the guidance and tools to help effectively meet the needs of those that they serve. We also recognise however that such frameworks can at times be a lengthy and involved process, often lying on those with the biggest caseloads to complete. As such we are keen for any assessments that we can undertake to be readily available to those who need them in order to complete the CAF. SO often it is the case though that the most relevant person to complete a CAF are those who have the most direct contact with a Young Person or their families and so if required we are happy to complete a CAF for you in co-ordination with others involved in a Young Persons case. 

Parental Support Packages

By working directly with Young People we have been able to help them move on in their lives and gain real confidence and success in what they can achieve. We recognise though that for many this is only one aspect of their lives and that in order to provide well rounded, effective and consistent support it is also important to engage, enthuse and support those around them.

With this in mind we have developed a Support Package for parents and carers of Young People to help assist in a bespoke manner in different aspects of family life.

Support for Parents/Carers can take many forms but will always start out by establishing expectations and goals, both with the Young Person and their primary carer(s), and then work in conjunction with any work undertaken individually with a Young Person to establish clear routes of support than can be practically adopted.

Areas that are offered include:

·         Advice and Guidance

·         Behaviour Management Techniques

·         Assisting in Learning

·         Understanding Needs

·         Identifying patterns of behaviour (both for the Y/P and other family members)

·         Mediation and Consolidation

·         Emotional Support and gaining access to other services

·         Developing Confidence and Skills

·         Recommendations and Forward Planning

By helping parents/carers to identify and understand difficulties that either they or their children face it is then possible to track a path to help resolve the problems that they face and therefore fully support their child in an effective manner in many aspects of their lives.