COVID19 - Supporting Care Leavers (360G-Walcot-0061E00001GcgHvQAJ)

Young Futures provides supported accommodation to young people (including young parents) who have experienced the trauma of abuse, neglect and exploitation. Many of the young people experience mental health challenges and Young Futures believe that the COVID19 crisis is exacerbating their difficulties. The residents have experienced a reduction in the face to face support they were until recently receiving from professionals such as Social Services and health visitors. The organisation want to provide data packs and laptops (where a need is identified) to enable young people to get online to receive therapy and take advantage of online learning opportunities. They also want to provide young people with therapy services. There is no statutory responsibility for Young Futures to provide direct therapeutic services to care leavers, only a responsibility to provide access to wider community support; as such these young people primarily receive learning and independent living support from key workers with a limited amount of therapy (key worker staff are advised and guided by therapists to support young people). During the current crisis, Young Futures has identified the need for therapy staff to provide therapy direct to residents to overcome anxiety, loneliness, isolation and boredom. They also want to extend their provision of therapeutic support to key worker staff who work most closely with the young people on a day to day basis, enabling staff to maintain their own wellbeing and provide improved therapeutic support to residents.