#Chances4Children: Council leaders praise ‘commitment’ of Northumberland youth workers
Derren Hayes
Tuesday, August 4, 2020
Council leaders in Northumberland have hailed the efforts of youth workers for maintaining support for young people in the county during the pandemic.
Despite youth centres being closed since mid-March, the Northumberland youth service has had contact with more than 370 young people over the past 18 weeks and made 2,500 phone calls.
Upon lockdown, the national guidance was for all centre based sessions to cease, meaning that those young people who attended one of Northumberland’s 50 youth club sessions lost the opportunity to come together with their peers and talk to youth workers.
In response, the service has maintained contact with young people through regular phone calls, group chats and virtual support via digital platforms. A detached youth work programme has made face-to-face contact with young people more than 570 times.
In addition, the service has delivered 400 sports packs provided Northumberland Sport to encourage physical activity, and offered activities and developed contact with young carers..
Councillor Wayne Daley, cabinet member for children services at Northumberland Council, said: “This package of support by the team has helped many young people stay focussed, helped them to feel part of something and kept them in contact with others during this time.
“I commend the team for their commitment, they’ve worked extremely hard to ensure that this reached all those who needed it, and continue to connect with young people as we move into a further easing of lockdown.”
A referral system developed in the early stages of lockdown ensured referrals for specialist support came through to the youth service from professionals across a range of children’s services.
This process has allowed for young people to access help during a time when some services had closed down or limited their engagement and offer. Areas include support to access housing and accommodation, and information and guidance on mental health issues.
Cath McEvoy-Carr, executive member for adult and children’s services at Northumberland Council, said: “Mental health and the wellbeing of young people has been notably affected by the pandemic. It was important that our youth services continued, and thanks to the team and partner support it has been, and continues to be a great success, reaching many of our young residents.”
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