16+ Pathway Service

The 16+ Service works with young people in care and care leavers enabling them to improve their life chances as they make the transition to adulthood. The Service aims to improve the assessment, preparation and planning for young people leaving care with a view to young people not leaving care until they are ready to do so.

The Service works to ensure that young people are provided with financial assistance in line with their assessed needs and better personal support after they leave care. The 16+ Service offers early intervention services that brings focus to preparing young people appropriately, adequately and gradually during their care careers, promoting the concept of through care planning as a seamless process which seeks to prepare young people for adulthood from early adolescence, ensuring that young people who leave care have had in-care opportunities to develop their life, social and interpersonal skills and knowledge that will better prepare them for adulthood.

The Service aims to provide additional complementary support to young people’s primary carers, thereby strengthening and harnessing collaborative efforts with them and other relevant agencies to improve outcomes for young people leaving care. The service recognises the importance of young people’s participation and consults with young people, ensuring that their views, wishes and experiences are incorporated into the service planning process.

Health Web App

The 16+ Service has worked with young people to co-produce a Health Web App www.younghealthhelp.com and NOYO, a new instant messaging app, which allows young people to communicate directly with their Social Workers, Personal Advisers and Tenancy Support Workers. This app also allows for young people to be kept informed about new service developments and events.

Tenancy Support Service

The 16+ Service supports young people to live in safety with stability. The 16+ Service has its own in-house Tenancy Support Service. This service is dedicated to supporting young people in care and care leavers to find and maintain their own accommodation. Each young person open to Tenancy Support has a named worker and once accommodation has been secured the Tenancy Support Worker supports young people to set up home and provides practical support and guidance to young people on how to maintain their home. The Tenancy Support Worker can assist young people apply for benefits and accompany them to appointments. The Tenancy Support Service works in a young person centred manner and takes great pride in the relationships staff build with young people.

Employability Service

The 16+ Service works in partnership with Include Youth to deliver an Employability Service which aims to equip young people with the skills and experience needed to progress into the world of education, training and employment. The Employability Service offers a range of Trust based work experience positions across a variety of departments such as administration, nursing and estates. It also manages an initiative of ‘ring fencing’ Trust posts for young people. This enables young people to enter the Trust recruitment process while having support for the interview and if successful enter their post through supported employment from both the Employability Service and a work place mentor. The Employability Service is currently working with the Trust to develop Trust Traineeships which will provide further employment opportunities for young people.

ETE Hub

The 16+ Service also has an ETE Hub and Drop-in. Young people can avail of a variety of educational programmes at the ETE Hub which can often be a stepping stone for young people with young people who participate in such programmes often progressing on to further education or employment. The drop-in is currently open one evening a week. This service offers young people an opportunity to spend time with staff and other young people in the evening. Young people make a meal together and enjoy the company of other young people and staff. It is hoped that this Service will extend its opening hours in the coming months.

Locations where this service is delivered

• Altnagelvin Area Hospital
• South West Acute Hospital

Contacts