Youth workers may feel they no longer have room in their brains for another acronym, but it may be worth squeezing one more in. Building on the work of the YOTs, the CAF, the YIPs and the YISPs, the recently formed TYSPs, or targeted youth support pathfinders, have been working hard in 14 local authorities for the past 12 months. Their brief was to come up with ways of delivering targeted support to young people in their areas that can be replicated elsewhere. They will present proposals for change to their children's trust boards in the next few weeks.
Youth workers outside the 14 participating local authority areas may not have heard of targeted youth support pathfinders, as much of their work has been behind the scenes.
The change process, supported by the National Remodelling Team, now the Training and Development Agency for Schools, began with project managers and project champions known as "sponsors" appointed late last year. A detailed analysis followed in each authority, which included multi-agency groups and young people scrutinising services, leading to a set of "critical issues" to be tackled.
Change teams
This led to the formation in June and July this year of multi-agency "change teams" in each pathfinder authority. Each team generally has one critical issue to address by proposing solutions, such as redesigning services. These proposals will be put before children's trusts, or the equivalent body, in October and November.
Among the most common issues teams are developing solutions for are the need for stronger family and parenting support and earlier intervention.
The pathfinders were initially intended to cover the 13-19 age group, but six of the 14 authorities have decided to extend their remit to pre-teens and families.
In Leicester, the TYSP has become known as LIST (Leicester Integrated Services Trial), to reflect the fact that it covers services for 0-to 19-year-olds. This extends up to 25-year-olds for looked-after young people.
Rita Chohan, project manager of LIST, says: "With the emergence of Sure Start and children's centres, it didn't make sense ignoring the work we'd developed for 0-to 19-year-olds."
This has resulted in the pathfinder dividing services for young people into two age bands: children up to 12; and 13-to 19-year-olds. Services for young people up to the age of 12 will be co-ordinated by children's centres, which will extend their upper age limit from five-to 12-year-olds.
Like many of the other pathfinders, Leicester is initially concentrating on one small area to make it easier to achieve "quick wins". In Leicester, this is New Parks, a neighbourhood that has attracted little funding in the past, with high levels of teenage pregnancies and an under-performing secondary school.
A new model of working is being devised for the area, based on the social services model of a co-located multi-agency team using a common assessment framework. Two of these teams are planned in New Parks; one for each of the age groups. The team for children up to 12 is expected to be set up early next year and the team for teenagers by April.
Chohan says: "A lot of the issues young people have are due to malfunctions in agencies that don't have a common referral system."
Knowsley is another pathfinder focusing on a specific geographical area.
The change team's remit is the whole family and it is examining issues including the impact of environmental factors such as housing on young people and the theme of "risk and resilience".
In Hertfordshire, which is focusing on 13- to 19-year-olds, critical issues include keeping young people in learning and employment and finding better forms of parenting support.
Options being developed include multi-agency school-based forums, to enable young people with signs of difficulties to access preventive support.
This would involve forum members identifying young people below the usual threshold for referral and providing solutions tailored to a young person's needs.
Another option is a campaign to encourage parents to seek help. Chris Garcia, project manager for Hertfordshire, says: "Parents are afraid, because they have to give their name and they're worried that could stigmatise them."
Alienating protocol
The Hertfordshire team is investigating the possibility of changing call centre protocol to enable parents to access advice and information anonymously.
It is also seeking ways of integrating parenting support into mainstream services it delivers and perhaps finding a different name for it, to reduce stigma.
In South Tyneside, one of the change teams is focusing on ways of making targeted and universal services more sustainable and effective at working together.
One possibility being explored is adapting a screening tool developed by an alcohol and drug advice and information team, so that it can be absorbed into everyday youth work.
Vince High, project manager at South Tyneside, says: "We're trying to improve our universal services so there will be less reliance on targeted services. If you've got a well-developed set of universal services, there'll be less need for them. Universal and targeted work can't be separated from each other."
INSIDE THE TOOLKIT
The first version of a toolkit was produced in June, enabling other local authorities to replicate the pathfinders' change management process.
A second version will be produced at the end of this month, based on their emerging solutions.
- www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/delivering services/targetedyouthsupport.
