What we do
We have six, self-contained, single person flats grouped together with 24/7 staff support available on site and we also provide an outreach service to young people across South Ayrshire.
We are in the process of developing a house for two young people to share, with a staff presence at various times through the day and overnight.
Our service works extremely closely with South Ayrshire Council and in particular with the Through-care team. Referrals come through the multi-disciplinary Youth Housing Support Group (YHSG), where decisions are made about the needs of individuals and priorities.
Most of the young people we support are known to the Social Work Department and many will have experience of having been looked after or accommodated. Each young person works with their Key Worker and Through-care Worker to set goals and consider how their placement is going. We work in a person-centred manner and people are encouraged to move on at a pace which is appropriate to them. There is no set length of placement.
Staff are available to provide practical, emotional and social support. Common areas for us to focus on include budgeting, cooking, housekeeping and being a good neighbour. We work with the Skills Towards Employment Project to encourage young people to focus on education, training or employment.
Our team will discuss how each person’s placement is progressing and, when appropriate, will consider options for people moving on. This will often be to temporary furnished accommodation or mainstream tenancies. Staff will usually work with the young person on getting themselves established in their new home and their support will transfer over to our Outreach team.
We are able to support people to organise their benefits and pay their bills, as well as practical tasks such as decorating and furnishing their home. Staff make use of their personal and professional contacts to assist people in getting the items that they need to set up home and this extends to fundraising activity to support people who would otherwise find this very difficult.
Our service has been able to support a number of young mothers and their babies, facilitating an assessment period for the Social Work Department, before mother and baby move into their own home. Our close working relationship with the Through-care team has led to project staff getting involved in the summer activity programme and going on wild camping and other residential trips.
We have a well-established staff team who have gained a great deal of experience of supporting young people, sticking with them through difficult times.