2.2.1 Outreach and Mentoring |
Contents
1. Aims
Outreach is aimed at providing direct work with children outside of their homes to:
- Develop skills, interests and links in the community.
- Provide a supportive and safe adult on a regular one to one basis.
- Build confidence and self-esteem.
Resources are limited so there is a need to prioritise. Therefore only referrals where the child has agreed to engage in the work are accepted. Hence a good assessment of the child and working knowledge of the case are essential.
Outreach work cannot be open-ended so there need to be clear targets and objectives. Generally a maximum of 6 to 8 sessions, of between 2 to 4 hours, are offered before the work is reviewed and either extended or ended. Options to be considered for long-term support could include referrals to the mentoring or Independent Visitors Scheme.
The social worker is responsible for introducing the outreach worker to the child and their carers, and for liasing with the outreach worker and Project Co-ordinators concerning issues specific to the case. This includes informing them and the foster carer’s supervising social worker if a child changes address, makes a disclosure, is allocated a different social worker etc. It is particularly helpful if the social worker can let the outreach organisers know how the introductory session has gone.
On conclusion of the outreach work a short evaluation form needs to be completed by the child, the social worker, the carer and the outreach worker.
2. Route One
Oxfordshire provides its own outreach service, Route One, which facilitates direct work with children who either live in foster placements that are under pressure or at home with their families, but at risk of entering the Looked After Service. Outreach workers attempt to engage with children to provide positive experiences and develop skills, interests and links in the community, which can then be maintained after the outreach work has ended.
The work could be based around:
- Specific activities such as swimming, horse-riding, fishing etc.
- Attending events in sports, music, the arts etc.
- Identifying and linking with the child to local resources e.g. youth clubs or projects
- Taking on a mentoring or befriending role
- Developing social or life skills
- Less structured tasks like shopping, eating out or visiting a library etc.
The nature of the work is determined in discussion between the child, carer(s) and outreach worker and a plan drawn up with clear objectives and timescales. Following discussion with the child and their carer(s), social workers or Family Placement staff wishing to make a referral should complete a referral form counter-signed by a Team Manager and send it to the Project Co-ordinators.
The Project is geared towards planned interventions rather than responding to crises and it can only consider cases that remain open to a social worker. After an appropriate outreach worker is allocated, an informal meeting is arranged to discuss the referral, assess any risks or special needs, draw up a plan of work and agree on suitable timescales. A date will also be set for a review and evaluation of the work, when completed.
Other Sources
Placement Support is offered by a variety of other organisations in a variety of forms, all of which have slightly different referral criteria, e.g. the Youth Offending Service offer outreach work to young people at risk of offending and at risk of drug taking, and the Youth Service runs a mentoring service for young people needing longer term mentoring.
Some services are targeted at various groups, e.g. ethnic minorities, children at risk, offending children and looked after children; Spurgeon’s run a mentoring service for children in and leaving care who have little or no contact with their family. The Reach Up Team run a limited service specifically designed to help young people with their Education.
In addition to outreach services, the Reach UP Team, set up to improve educational outcomes for looked after children, run a variety of groups and literacy programmes accessible via Learning & Culture – see The Reach Up Team Procedure. The Leaving Care Source workers also run a number of consultation groups for young people in care.
Route One
Flow Chart – Process for Referring for Outreach Support
- Social Worker assesses need for outreach. (Must be realistic about what will be helpful and what can be achieved. Will the child be willing to engage?)
- Team Manager agrees that outreach support is required.
- Referral Form completed specifying tasks, objectives and risks and countersigned by Team Manager.
- Discussion with manager of Route One and allocation of outreach worker.
- Meeting Route One manager, outreach worker and referrer and completion of Work Plan.
- Introductory meeting to set up plan with social worker, outreach worker and family.
- Outreach work starts
- Meeting for supervision and /or training Route One manager and outreach worker.
- Telephone contact and feedback between social worker and outreach worker as needed.
- Review of work – meeting or discussion between all parties.
- Evaluation of work by all parties.
| ROUTE ONE PROJECT | OXON INDEPENDENT VISITORS and ADVOCATES (SPURGEONS CHILD CARE) | OXON YOUTH MENTORING SCHEME | |
| Geographic area covered by the Scheme | Countywide | Countywide | Countywide |
| Age range | 9 - 16 | 6 - 18 | 10 - 17 |
| Referrals | From social workers, Family Placement Team or foster carer. Child must have an allocated social worker. | From social workers, Children’s Homes, Self-referrals, foster Carers. Any referral source. | Any referral source. |
| Level of Need And Limitations | Those referred must be willing to engage with the outreach worker. | Those referred must be willing to be befriended and engage with support worker in an appropriate manner. | Voluntary choice of child to enter on to the scheme and engage with a mentor in an appropriate manner. |
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