Youth Work

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Understand the rationale and nature of outreach and detached youth work
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1.1 Differentiate between outreach and detached youth work As a Youth worker I have delivered both Detached & Outreach Youth work. to young people in various locations in the Trafford area of Manchester, I personally found both sent out the same message of equal participation, but as Detached youth worker I was encouraged to spread the word further and into marginalize pockets, parks, hot spots and favourite haunts and where young people are hard to engage with, detached workers go through a lot of physical leg work in order to establish and sustain ongoing relationships with the young people they encounter, making contact with young people who cannot, or choose not to, use youth centres for various reasons, which are not always that obvious

Detached youth workers meet young people in their own spaces, for instance parks, bus shelters, shopping centres or on the street. Through developing non-judgmental relationships they work with individuals and groups to help them address the needs they identify and engage with other relevant agencies.

Detached youth work targets those young people who either choose not to use other youth work provision such as youth clubs and projects, or do not have easy access to such provision perhaps due to transport difficulties, unaware of available services, and lack of provision in their locality, or for some reason have been excluded from existing provision.

When i am delivering Outreach Youth work as a youth work to Young People it is usually to a captive audience, Schools, Park events, Youth clubs, staged events where it seems that there are always a willingness to engage with the Youth Service, ie, relaxed welcoming atmosphere, non-threatening environment
Detached Youth Work/Diversionary projects which will engage with young people on Fridays and Saturdays.
Outreach work is always encouraging young people to make more use of existing provision or to develop new provision. Of their chose or liking
Mobiles – converted buses or other vehicles taken to particular localities, offering young people opportunities to meet together take part in structured programmes and gain access to resources, information and advice as a group or on a 0ne tone basis . A valued asset to any Detached/Outreach worker project, a bit of hybrid in its delivery, horses for courses I believe.

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1.2 Describe the aims and objectives of outreach and detached/youth work
The Trafford Youth service promotes the following aims of good youth work as intrinsic to detached youth work;
Good detached/outrach youth work should aim to; * Be an agent of social change and social action, rather than social control; * Respect the voluntary nature of the relationship between the worker and young person; * Through negotiation and dialogue, challenge young people’s attitudes and behavior where they impact negatively on themselves and others; * Support meaningful participation of young people in political decision making processes and ensure their voices are heard; * Model such participatory values in all its interactions with young people; * Support the progressive personal development of all young people towards self advocacy through learning.

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1.3 Explain the values and principles of outreach and detached/youth work Why do it? – The Value of Street-based Youth Work 1. Increasing profile and contact Very often Street Based Youth Workers are the ‘public face’ of the Youth Service, both generally within the wider community and more specifically with those who do not use ’youth hubs’ and/or other Youth Service provision. 2. Assessing Need Street-based youth workers can assess, analyse and prioritise the needs to different groups in the Community. To be clear about who they are going to work with and why. They may also undertake a Common Assessment Framework or CAF when young people have complex needs that are not being addressed. Street-based youth workers need to make sure their work does not duplicate what other people are already doing. They will need to involve their line manager in any final decisions who will have an overview of the service plan and good relationships with other departments/agencies. 3. Targeting Street-based youth workers can target individuals and groups especially those hardest to reach within an area who may be more ‘in need’ and/or at risk. 4. Flexibility Street-based youth workers can provide programmes of activities linked to learning and support that may not be seen to be associated with formal bodies and other institutional providers. They can move around the area providing a more flexible approach to meet young people’s needs. 5. Improving Inclusion Street-based youth workers can provide an invaluable link to Youth Hubs and other Youth Service projects by promoting their services. They can work with young people who may have been excluded from local provision, or choose not to attend for a variety of reasons. 6. Providing on the spot information and support Street-based youth work all carry a variety of resources to enhance the educative content of their work. This information enables them to be proactive to needs and reactive to concerns and issues raised by the young people, delivering on the spot information, advice and support. 7. Signposting Although Street-based youth workers will be able to provide quick and accurate information, it is crucial that they also signpost young people on to the services they require, not only informing them of what’s available but by acting as a stepping stone to help bridge any perceived gap. This may require a street-based youth worker going with young people to attend a first session or acting as a lead professional in the CAF process. 8. Active Participants As street-based youth workers spend a good deal of time getting to know the young people and the community they may take on a role to support young people’s active participation with important issues. This may be to help them fund raise and/or to work with other local people and organisations to develop items for all e.g. new park equipment/skate park areas.

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1.4 Relate outreach and detached youth work to the youth work curriculum