Closing the Gap Young people experiencing difficulty in leaving school, leaving home.

Closing the Gap

Young people experiencing difficulty in leaving school, leaving home

Working with young people to discover their future

Skills for work

• 100+ young people every year• Young people who have left or at risk of

leaving school without a plan for the future• A staged range of learning opportunities, from

part-curriculum to apprenticeship, pre-College• Bespoke, designed around the individual• 75%+ achieve sustained progression• Live, learn, work

Independent living


• Every week we provide 348 hours of housing support to more than 80 young people.

• 70 out of 80 young people who use our housing support service are sustaining a tenancy unaided 6 months later.

• To enable young people to live independently, sustaining a home and work and participating positively in the life of their community.

• Backed up with leaving home education


Service options

Skills for work?

Independent living?


Complex needs

• Under 20 years of age• Female - 65%, of whom 68% have one or more

dependent children • Male 35%• History of offending 48%• History of substance misuse 39%• Have or have had mental health issues/learning

difficulties 46%• Have been previously looked after 18%

On the margins


• Last year, we provided support to 330 young people

• 116 in Alness• 214 in Inverness.

• Of the116 young people to whom we are currently providing housing support:

• 47 Alness (9 working/training)• 69 Inverness (19 working/training )


Young person’s experience

• Very young parents, with negative parenting experience• Young people using alcohol, Diazepam• Using anti depressants, feeling no

better• Self-harming• Spiraling debt, payday loans• No one to talk to, except other young

people • Social media


Learning through doing

• Maximise the challenge Set the bar high Train in quality Clear objective/plan Measure Qualification

• Maximise opportunity Individualise - bespoke Offer choice, relevance Back up with support

• Demonstrate capabilityWorking with young people to discover their future


Service provider priorities

• What’s wrong? • Investment in reaction ....• Often, the presenting issue is not the issue• Time to develop understanding• Wants or needs? • Inputs, outputs or outcomes?• Measure, measure, measure• Work with the whole person• Clear rationale in referral practice• Focus always on ‘readiness’


Young person’s perspective

• Things happen to me – limited sense of agency• Don’t believe change is possible, or don’t know

where to start• Even when change is happening, don’t believe• Low self worth, reinforced by previous failure• The ties that bind• What do I need to do? What can I expect of

you?• Learning from challenge – Yes, I can

Closing the Gap Young people experiencing difficulty in leaving school, leaving home.

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