Building care leavers’ trust in their workers

Oldham has used managed caseloads, trained their leaving care workers (personal advisers) in suicide prevention, as well as developed group activities with workers to enable them to develop trusting relationships with their care leavers.

In this video, Tracey Taylor-Waite, After Care Team Manager discusses this case study and highlights its impact on care leavers in Oldham.

Why?

To ensure their care leavers feel supported Oldham have given leaving care workers the skills and opportunities to develop relationships with young people.

What?

+ Increasing support for leaving care workers.

+ Leaving care workers support 22 young people allowing them to provide time and attention to their young people to ensure their needs are met.

+ Following a recent tragic incident specific training was provided on suicide intervention strategies. This has meant that staff are more confident in their work with young people.

+ Leaving care workers have presented their work on establishing permanency and emotional well being to children service social work forum. This has helped colleagues recognize the work and impact the leaving care team has.

+ Increasing support for young people.

+ Tea time chat have been set up where young people where young people can ‘drop into’ an online group for a catch up and chat.

+ A worker has set up a Thai boxing group which 19 young people have attended.

+ A joint venture with the Youth Involvement Project and Personal Advisors has worked with some harder to engage young people with 19 young people attend a Thai boxing group, 12 young women going on a spa day and a group walking up Snowdon, raising over £1,300 to support other activities.

+ These sessions have given young people a real sense of achievement and helped workers to build stronger relationships with their young people.

Impact

90% of Oldham care leavers trust their workers all or most of the time. This is higher than the 78% reported by care leavers nationally.