Referrals are closed for all areas, except Slough
Due to unprecedented and increasing demand for our mentoring service, we are unfortunately having to close referrals into all areas except Slough for the time being, to avoid long waiting times for support to those newly referred.
We don’t want young people on long waiting lists, where their circumstances may change and they’re not receiving the support they need.
We have teams across all areas working on their current waiting lists to ensure all young people currently referred receive ongoing support.
We will continue to review resource and advise when this situation changes. If you would like to help, connecting, liking and sharing our social media posts for mentor recruitment, fundraisers and donations would be gratefully appreciated.
Thank you for your understanding, if you have any further questions, please do contact us at referrals@caudwellyouth.org / 07419 185923
Locations
Luton
Slough
Milton Keynes
Hertfordshire
Buckinghamshire
Needs
We support young people with a wide range of needs, primarily in the categories of mental health, care experience, offending behaviour and exploitation.
All our young people are experiencing at least one of these, however most experience multiple needs which compound the level of risk they face.
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There has been a significant rise in mental health challenges for young people in recent years. Almost two in three children and young people with a diagnosable mental health condition do NOT get access to NHS care and treatment.
We are there to provide community support for those needing our services where NHS care and treatment is inaccessible due to long waiting times or not meeting required thresholds.
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Care experienced young people have some of the worst outcomes. For example, 41% of care leavers aged 19-21 years are not in education, employment, or training (NEET), compared to 12% of all 19-21-year-olds.
We work with care experienced young people to build confidence and resilience, widen opportunities and support them when they move away from the care system.
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Some of our young people will have had involvement with the criminal justice system and be looking to move away from the revolving door of crime.
We offer non-judgemental support and opportunities to engage in positive activities away from potentially detrimental or negative influences.
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Young people are at particular risk of criminal, sexual, emotional and financial exploitation. The most common presenting need we support relates to county lines.
By showing positive alternatives such as routes into work and education, positive social networks and building resilience and confidence, we empower our young people with the tools to thrive as they move into adulthood.
Mentoring
Mentors and beneficiaries typically meet weekly, but talk or message more regularly, especially when they are anxious or need additional support.
Staff and mentors organise and connect young people to a range of activities and resources. We have built strong partnerships, offering opportunities to the young people we support. This allows them to learn to cope with and manage everyday life, build their confidence and develop the skills to re-engage with education, obtain work experience, employment and greater independence, thereby moving them away from risks associated with negative relationships or behaviour.
Support is person-centred using a range of tools dependent on their needs.
Youth worker, Hertfordshire
We recognise that young people’s needs are changing, to complement our current mentoring program, we have launched short term, targeted support for those in need.
We are working with local services in Dacorum, Hertfordshire and Hertsmere to offer support for 8 – 12 weeks for those in need of immediate or higher intensity support.
This is a pilot project to see how we can continue to meet our mission and support young people at-risk with alternative service to mentoring. If the pilot goes well, we hope to expand this project into our current footprint and beyond.
We offer a wide variety of inputs to our young people; these will vary based on individual circumstances.
Here are some examples of how we support our young people.