WALKWAYS
BASIC INFORMATION
Date of case study May 2003
Local authority Walsall
Date started 1984 (became company limited by guarantee in 1996)
Type of organisation Voluntary youth organisation
Brief description, including aims and objectives
Walkways aims to provide a relevant, vibrant, free and confidential support service that will contribute to the well being of all young people, aged 11-25 years old in the borough of Walsall through detached youth work, drug & alcohol work and youth counselling.
WALKWAYS' objectives:
- To build relationships with young people
- To work from and with the young persons agenda
- To provide information, support and counselling
- To respond to needs and demands by means of direct provision or referral
- To enable young people to take more control over their lives
- To promote, model and encourage equal opportunity throughout WALKWAYS.
Project offers a range of provision, including a free confidential counselling, information and support service to young people aged 11-25, and detached work with a particular focus on drug and alcohol issues. Other areas of work include teenage pregnancy, anti-bullying, peer support training, self-esteem raising and confidence building, relationships. issue based training/workshops to professionals, advocacy, 1-1 and group work.
Funding - amounts, sources and time scales
Walsall MBC, SRB 5, J.P. Morgan Fleming, Lankelly Trust, Community Fund, Henry Smith Trust, Lloyds TSB, Tudor Trust, Walsall Primary Care Trust, New Deal, Eveson Charity, Connexions.
Staffing details
9 full-time staff, 2 volunteer staff.
NATURE OF PROVISION
Which groups of young people does the project work with and why?
Working with 11-25 year olds within Walsall borough. Project had 12691 contacts in 2001-02 - approximately 2/3 aged 11 to 16, 1/3 aged 17-25, with 60:40 female: male split. In 2001-02, 7782 contacts were female, 4904 male. Just under 20% were Asian, and nearly 10% were African-Caribbean.
How was the need for the project identified, and by whom?
Initially set up to work with groups of young people, who were gathering around the new town centre precinct. Detached youth workers made and maintained good working relationships with the groups and the work expanded from there.
How do young people become involved? And what, if any, commitment do you ask for?
Ideally, young people will self refer to access counselling, information or support. We will accept referrals from other parties on their behalf. (e.g. parents/carers, friends, social services, YOT, EWO's, teachers, key workers, CMHT, etc). Commitment depends on the service young people access, e.g. counselling service - individuals determine the duration of their commitment to the process, which can be extended by negotiation if required.
What are the main approaches used and activities offered?
The counselling service is predominantly humanistic in orientation, the service is offered at WALKWAYS centre and at satellite venues where a service level agreement is in place.
Project uses a research-based approach to detached work, with interventions and street level initiatives planned in advance, based on observation and reading, and discussions with users and partner agencies. Other activities include youth support, teenage pregnancy work, anti-bullying, drugs education, drama workshops, group work, youth club work, and short-term initiatives, (i.e. young mens' sexual health).
How are young people involved in shaping the project/programme?
- counselling clients are offered the opportunity to return an anonymous questionnaire relating to the service they received.
- Consultation from a variety of settings, (streets, youth clubs, schools, colleges), regarding new and existing projects/initiatives.
How does the project respond to the needs of different young people, particularly the most marginalised?
- Increasing access and services offered e.g.
- SRB5 Funding for Time2Talk Project working with BME communities, to offer more relevant services to meet identified need.
- Increasing satellite counselling service provision to enable easier local access
- Undertaking detached youth work to meet young people in less formal settings.
- Offering a signing counsellor (BSL, level 3), at times identified by deaf & hearing-impaired young people, to enable them to access a confidential counselling service (without an interpreter present).
- Disabled access.
- Extended evening service and additional Christmas/New Year availability.
OUTCOMES OF WORK
How does involvement in the project contributed to young people's overall personal and social development, including skills development and raising their level of achievement?
- Involvement in counselling includes setting own goals and outcomes for personal achievement.
- Peer support trainees gain enhanced communication and problem solving skills.
- Issue based group work may include working with self-esteem, confidence, anger management etc.
- Being offered the opportunity to give feed back regarding services reflects we value their opinions and experiences of us. Young people are important.
How does the project help young people influence services and contribute to decision-making processes in their local area?
- By positive modelling and information regarding their rights to comment and complain about ourselves and other services, and, how to go about it.
- Information sharing regarding Connexions and local authority Youth Consultation Programmes.
What has changed as a result of the project?
- Developing successful work with excluded young people. E.g. in 1997, developed trusting relationship with local punk community, resulting in invitations to run stall at punk and indie music events;
- Supporting individual change - ex-drug user undertaking training and voluntary work to become a drugs counsellor;
- Facilitating counselling clients' to achieve realise change - moving into employment, moving out of damaging relationships, addressing abuse with appropriate support, behavioural changes, staying alive, etc.
- Working for change in groups - intensive work programme with disaffected youth on a local estate, resulting in a more positive relationship between young and older people, and the re-opening of local youth provision.
- Young people work as group to support each other - peer education and peer support.
How are young people's progress and achievements measured and recorded?
- Verbal feedback from workers
- Written feedback
- Counselling clients identify and measure own outcomes - self-satisfaction at achieving goals
- Anecdotal recording
- Scaled 0-10 (Self determined).
Is accreditation offered? If so, what kinds?
Group work training - certificate of attendance and participation
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS
How is the project evaluated and by whom? Please include both internal and external processes
Project has developed three measures of success: young people's views; internal monitoring systems and external monitoring.
What are the findings of evaluation (including Ofsted inspections) to date?
Key evaluation aspects include:
On two occasions in last 7 years Walkways has been part of a project which has undergone an Ofsted inspection, and was acknowledged in terms of quality and good practice. Walkways acchieved Investors In People status in 2000. Specific evaluation findings were:
&oltagWhat changes/developments have occurred - or are planned - as a result of evaluation?
&oltagWhat specific management practices and structures help the work?
- Development of senior staff members and regular meetings
- Links/good relationship with Youth Access to inform on good practice
- Regular and ongoing team meetings
- External and internal clinical supervision (for counsellors)
- Writing, implementation and revision of policies (e.g. risk policy, confidentiality)
- Health and safety policy implementation and management
- Manager's regular and ongoing meeting with management committee.
What specific factors hinder the work?
- Limited resources
- Time limited funding
- Difficulties accessing funding from some statutory sources when addressing needs they are unable to meet.
- Existing base not suitable for purpose, therefore offering more satellite counselling provision.
PARTNERSHIP/MULTI-DISCIPLINARY WORKING
What other agencies do you work with (if not specified in section 1)?
Involved in a range of strategic partnerships relating to children and young people, drugs, health, prostitution, teenage pregnancy, Connexions, domestic violence, crime and homelessness. Partners include Walsall MBC, Community Fund, Henry Smith Trust, Lloyds TSB, Tudor Trust, Walsall Primary Care Trust, Blakenall Health Start, Eveson Charity, Police, HAZ's, Gladstone House, Addaction, WALCAT, CAB, YOT, Connexions, Electric Palace, DEAL, Street Teams, Walsall Youth Arts, Community Arts, Social Services, Alternative Education Provision, Walsall Deaf Club, Walk-In Centre, Walsall Manor Hospital, Community groups, schools and youth clubs…
When working in partnership, what is the distinctive contribution of your organisation/project?
- Sharing skills, knowledge and experience of working with young people.
- Sharing skills, knowledge and experience of working with specific issues, including, drug use, self-harm, bereavement, abuse, peer support, relationships, transitions etc.
- Policy writing and implementation
- Safe working practices (risk policy, boundary setting and maintenance etc)
- Willingness to learn form others knowledge, skills and experiences.
- Willingness to work to shared outcomes.
- Willingness to learn and build on past partnerships.
Has this partnership resulted in greater collaboration or increased understanding between partners? If so, how?
- Greater understanding of others' role and limitations in the lives of young people
- Greater understanding of funding and resources limitations
- Providing a greater understanding of a counsellor's role in making and maintaining relationships with young people and a counsellor's professional limitations (boundaries)
STRATEGIC IMPACT
Do you consider this project to be innovative? If so, how?
- First locally to employ drug and alcohol youth workers
- First locally to employ youth counsellors
- First to offer youth counselling services in statutory services (satellite provision)
- First to offer youth e-counselling
- First to offer deaf & hearing impaired signing counselling (not using interpreter services)
- First to offer pub/club detached alcohol and drug work
- First to offer peer support training
How do you disseminate the learning from the project?
All funding is subject to regular monitoring and reviewing along with comprehensive reports relating to outcomes. Information is shared in team meetings, where practices/policies need to change to address issues, this is undertaken by consulting teams and relevant parties before implementation and review.
Has the learning from this work influenced wider organisational/service strategies? If so, how?
Some counselling services are part funded by the local authority to other agencies who are now offering youth counselling services.
What plans do you have to sustain/develop this work?
Continue to securing funding (and employ more qualified staff as appropriate, to carry out the work).
CONTACT DETAILS
Gwyneth Phelps or Jo Ames, Walsall Youth Projects, 44 Littleton St. West, Walsall WS2 8EN. Tel: 01922 615393. Fax: 01922 721805. E-mail: walkways@globalnet.co.uk
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