Through its integrated service approach, resources to support young people and their families are utilised purposefully and appropriately. Through effective partnership working, there is a balanced offer of universal, open access and targeted programmes which are responsive to the changing needs of children, young people and their families. Under the overarching theme of “everyone needs help sometimes”, a wide range of provision, support and access is available to children, young people and families to address vulnerabilities and to engage them in education.
Under the umbrella of the Youth Engagement and Progression Framework, Conwy have continued to develop its collaborative and integrated approach to working. Key services within the Local Authority such as: Housing, Education, Social Care and Police work in collaboration to identify needs, gaps and areas of improvement. Working collaboratively with internal and external services’ allows officers and services to gather intelligence and evidence to ensure that resources are deployed to areas of priority.
The approach to support ensures that children and young people are accessing and engaged in education. The Local Authority has a well-established Family Information Service which provides valuable advice and information for families and professionals. The service is effective in ensuring a streamlined customer focused knowledge hub for parents to navigate when making key decisions about education provision.
Family support services in Conwy are well embedded and form an integral part of the Local Authority’s approach which is underpinned by public service values of delivering services to children and young people and their families. The Family Centre offer provides an inclusive, nurturing environment which enables children and young people to embrace adult life and become responsible, independent, economically active and resilient citizens. Family Centres are situated across five areas, aligning closely with school catchments. The model ensures that schools have direct access to a named family worker who works with families to promote re-engagement in education.
Partnership working across Social Care and Education is a strength and is a key component of the Flying Start Childcare (FSC) programme. The FSC team closely with multi agencies and partners to support the transition into childcare and through to early education. The FSC Team works closely with the Early Years team, Portage Service, Conwy Child Development Centre and Conwy Pre-School Support Scheme to ensure children’s needs are met and relevant information is shared, resulting in a smooth transition to early education. Families are provided with a range of resources and tools to support their child’s educational journey.
Flying Start in Conwy has ensured earlier access to childcare for many families in Conwy enabling children to socialise with their peers and develop their early skills. The Flying Start outreach programme is available (by referral) for families who are not currently eligible for Flying Start childcare funding but who may benefit from the additional support offered. Referrals are submitted by various agencies and professionals where a need is identified.
Conwy Flying Start childcare provides valuable early intervention as a child starts their journey through childcare and education, and by working with local partners and schools, thus ensuring families can access support easily. The impact of the holistic approach can be seen in how schools have gained confidence in using and accessing interventions such as: Community Focused Schools, ELSA and Trauma Informed Schools. There has been an increase in complex and intense cases following lockdown and in response, Local Authority services work closely with schools to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.
The Local Authority’s Youth Service provision is situated within Social Care and Education Services. Conwy Youth Service (CYS) is effective in facilitating and supporting young people's growth through dependence to independence, encouraging their personal and social education and helping young people to take a positive role in the development of their communities and society. The structure of the service incorporates national plans such as Health & Wellbeing, Youth Homelessness, Digital youth work and reducing the number of NEET young people. The multi-service approach ensures youth voice is part of the process and have helped to shape the resources and practice of services supporting young people.
CYS provides young people with 30 open access community youth club provisions across the Local Authority and 5 targeted provisions per week. CYS works closely with schools, Family Centres and Catrefi Conwy housing hubs. The service also provides fortnightly drop in clubs at 4 temporary accommodation facilities for those young people displaying as homeless. Working with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), Social Care and the School Based Counselling team, CYS has created a bespoke youth club offer for young people in need for more wellbeing focused support, creating a pathway back into social settings which build resilience while working at the individuals pace. Targeted intervention ranges from online support, doorstep visits, wellbeing walks and smaller group sessions as part of Conwy’s Seren programme.
The Seren programme evolved from previous iterations where provision of weekly wellbeing support included doorstep visits, wellbeing walks and a wellbeing mobile provision in response to increased need across Conwy. The programme provides vital support for young people who find themselves socially isolated due to mental wellbeing or disability barriers with the aim to build confidence, resilience and skills to improve wellbeing and reintegrate into larger social settings. Referrals for this programme come from a wide range of Local Authority, Health and other services including: youth, CAMHS, school based counselling, schools, family workers, speech and language therapists and parents themselves.
Conwy’s Oak Tree Project is preventative project focusing on raising awareness of homelessness and housing. The programme supports young people to develop resilience, independent living skills and make informed choices about their future. Using youth work methodology, the project has been able to create bespoke resources, which educate young people through interactive, fun and informal educational activities.
The project offers early intervention and also support at the point of crisis. This is achieved by offering support to families and young people experiencing housing difficulties and homelessness. The project currently operates five open access dropin sessions set in temporary accommodation and residential settings. These sessions are tailored to meet the individual needs of the young person and their family circumstances. The Local Authority has developed a tailored person-centred approach, which enables professionals to respond to the specific needs of families whilst also building on established relationships with young people who have accessed community youth provision, youth work in schools and targeted projects.
