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

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 Working with young people to discover their future

Independent living Working with young people to discover their future 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? Working with young people to discover their future

Complex needs Working with young people to discover their future Under 20 years of age Female - 65%, of whom 68% have one or more dependent children Male 35% History of offending48% History of substance misuse39% Have or have had mental health issues/learning difficulties46% Have been previously looked after18%

On the margins Working with young people to discover their future 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 Working with young people to discover their future

Learning through doing Working with young people to discover their future

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 capability Working 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’ Working with young people to discover their future

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 Working with young people to discover their future