Beyond Youth Custody has published a report summarising the lessons learned from 15 voluntary sector projects working with young people leaving custody that had been funded through the Youth in Focus (YIF) programme (see below).
The report, Lessons from Youth in Focus, highlights the unique and important role that the voluntary sector can play in supporting young people with multiple and complex needs. The research finds effective resettlement is a process that supports a young person to come to terms with their past behaviour and develop a more positive outlook.
The report makes recommendations for practice on the key characteristics that enable this process - it should have engagement and participation as a primary focus, and be individually tailored, continuous and co-ordinated.
Here are five key ways the voluntary sector is helping the resettlement of young people.
1. Processes of change
For resettlement to be truly effective, it needs to be seen as a long-term process that promotes desistance, wellbeing and social inclusion. Crucially, this process may involve episodes of relapse as well as progress.
Many young people grow out of crime and workers can assist them in this process of making changes and then reflecting back. Some individuals identify key turning points which lead them to re-examine their life and and make a conscious decision to change.
An important part of this can be the ability to imagine a different future self, whether positive or negative, which can provide the young person with the motivation to move away from offending.
2. Supportive relationships
Having someone believe in them and not giving up can be the catalyst for young people to achieve change in their lives.
Many of the YIF projects have managed to work with young people who have not engaged successfully with other services. Project staff were extremely dedicated to working with young people, and were able to establish trusting relationships and to monitor and manage these. They were also appropriately inducted, trained, supported, and managed as part of a professional, collegiate and reflective team.
A key role for workers is to maintain an individual's motivation to change while they are taking control over their lives - the development of confidence is crucial.
3. Involving young people
Participation approaches can improve young people's outcomes, partly by helping to build trust and respect and developing skills and confidence. Involving young people in the design of a support package is key so that they own their own support and buy into it. Services can also benefit from the greater mutual understanding between participants and staff.
4. Person-centred planning
The young person should be the central focus of a holistic, wraparound package of support provided by a well co-ordinated partnership.
YIF projects were able to tailor highly individualised packages of support through assessing individual needs and circumstances, addressing diversity issues and understanding previous experiences.
Evidence shows that resettlement workers can act as "brokers", helping different agencies to understand each others' roles and responsibilities which in turn improves practice. This can also avoid young people having to "tell the same story" on multiple occasions.
5. Continuity of relationships
The scope for establishing positive relationships is broadened if that process can be started while the young person is still in custody. Beyond Youth Custody's research suggests how vulnerable a young custody leaver can be during the first few weeks after release, and feedback from both practitioners and project participants illustrate how "through-the-gate" support can provide much-needed continuity in the relationship between the young person and a key resettlement worker.
Engagement itself needs to be monitored and assessed over time, and providers need to respond to changes in individual circumstances.
Lessons from YIF also highlight the need for voluntary sector organisations to focus on sustainability at a strategic level - maintaining continuity of staff is possible through continuity of funding.
Pippa Goodfellow is Beyond Youth Custody programme manager at Nacro
ABOUT YOUTH IN FOCUS
- Youth in Focus was a Big Lottery Fund initiative aimed at supporting vulnerable young people through difficult changes in their lives.
- Over five years, the initiative has invested in projects working with young people making the transition to the community after serving a custodial sentence.
- Beyond Youth Custody worked with 15 voluntary sector projects across England that provided enhanced support to young people to build an evidence base and develop understanding.
Further reading
Beyond Youth Custody: Lessons from Youth in Focus, Nacro, March 2017
Beyond Youth Custody: Engaging Young People in Resettlement: A Practitioner's Guide, Nacro, April 2014
Introducing Desistance: A Guide for the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector, Clinks, August 2013
