Listen Up - Social Welfare Portal

listenup!Chapter 7 | 55The whole process of supporting the young personthrough the service and then preparing them formoving on was essential to all the partner sites.“A client’s contact with IceBreak is divided intothree stages: the engagement, middle andending… Leaving the project is carefully managedto support young people in both letting go ofthe service and their particular care co-ordinator,whilst also ensuring that they are well linked withagencies and individuals who can support themafter leaving the project.”Project worker, IceBreak, The Zone, Plymouth“All young people chose their own level ofparticipation with the project, this includes whenthey might stop engaging… measures are in placeto take account of young people’s needs and provideeffective support through transitions.”Project worker, Experience in Mind, Mind in Brightonand Hove, and Hove YMCA, Brighton and HoveTo assist with this, they set up a programme called‘Move On’, which was run by student social workerson placements and was aimed largely at those youngpeople who had emerging mental health problems.One organisation was able to take a highlypersonalised approach to the leaving process:“Leaving is made into as positive and happyexperience as possible. Young people are taken outfor an activity special to them, and are also givengifts and mementos… such as photographs, cardsor poems. It is made clear to the young people thatstaff are still interested to hear from them.”Project worker, Caterpillar Service,Barnardo’s Marlborough Road Partnership, CardiffSignposting and helping the young person toestablish links and support networks outside theorganisations was an important part of the workundertaken. This work could happen at whatevertime the young person wished to move on from theorganisation and was not just limited to when theyreached the age limit.Providing this was not without its difficulties for thesmallest of the organisations involved in the project,due to resource issues:“It is rare for a young person to leave the projectwithout either wanting to or having something elseto go on to, but more staff are needed to ensure thishappens consistently.”Project worker, Support @ The Junction,The Junction, Colchester