Young People at Risk strategy

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Young People at Risk (YPAR) initiativeStrategic plan

The vision of YPAR is to promote a principled and integrated approach to working with young people that serves their needs and realises their dreams

May 2006

Young People at Risk Initiativec/o 22 Mountjoy Square,Dublin 1

E-mail: [email protected]

The YPAR Initiative proposes the following. An acknowledgementof the need for change in ways of working together for children andyoung people at risk in the North East Inner City. This involvescommitment to a structure, such as YPAR to achieve this. This willbe evidenced by written formal agreements between stakeholders.Involvement will shown by a commitment to change by all parties,changes that include:� pooling of existing resources� avoiding the duplication of efforts� ensuring facilities are available at evenings and weekends� maximising community input into future development and use of

resources in community

Contents

YPAR Strategic Plan Forward 2

Mission 4

Goals of YPAR 5

Goal 1 6

Goal 2 6

Goal 3 7

Goal 4 8

Goal 5 8

Goal 6 9

Goal 7 9

Appendices 10� Policy context 10

� Steering and Working Group 12

� YPAR Steering Group 12

� Working Groups 12

� Key actions in the development of the YPAR Strategy 13

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YPAR Strategic Plan ForwardDublin’s North East Inner City (NEIC) has experienced some of the worst effects ofdeprivation and marginalisation over the past 30 years in the State. During that time, localpeople have organised themselves and responded with the support of service providers toaddress these issues positively. This has led to significant developments in housing,provision of a secondary school, development of social services but the problems associatedwith inner city decline continue to persist. Two new dimensions that have come to theNEIC are the arrival of immigrant communities and the increase in private home ownershipin the area. These migrants add a rich and welcomed international tapestry to the areahowever their arrival adds yet further demands on scarce resources.

Ireland’s economic success in recent years has brought benefits to many. In fact we aretold that this is a time when every boat appears to be rising. Yet the high levels ofdeprivation and exclusion experienced in the NEIC continue unabated. As new public andprivate redevelopments in the area take place there is a risk is that this will not benefit localpeople or new migrant communities. Particularly as these communities have little power orinfluence over such developments.

One of the areas where this exclusion and lack of benefit comes into sharpest focus is inrelation to services for young people. For the past 13 years the work to alleviate this hasbeen led by Inner City Organisations Network (ICON) which represents some 65 local andvoluntary organisations. It perceives the need to integrate services generally, and inparticular, for children at risk in the North East Inner City.

Since the early 90’s through various initiatives including Integrated Services Initiative(ISI) ICON has driven the integration agenda. This work was further developed throughthe government pilot programme, the Integrated Services Process (ISP).

ICON responded additionally to the issue of children at risk in 2000 which was theeffective start of the Young People At Risk (YPAR) process. It brought together a groupwhich comprised members of voluntary, statutory and community organisations workingdirectly or indirectly with children and young people at risk. The aim of the group was topromote high quality, effective and coordinated services to children at risk, through theintegration of services.

It was recognised that the process could not operate effectively without the activeinvolvement of relevant statutory agencies. In June 2003, it was agreed to operate theYPAR project through the structures of the Local Child Protection Committee (LCPC)under the local Health Service Executive. Other partners in YPAR included the Probation& Welfare, the Northern Area Health Board, the Local Drug Task Force, City of DublinYouth Services Board (CDYSB), and the Education Welfare Board. A steering committeewas established to manage YPAR with ICON as the lead agency and with funding from theIrish Youth Foundation and the Mott Foundation.

A further and parallel development happened in 2004, when the North East Inner Citywas selected as one of the local sites for the Youth Empowerment Partnership Programme(YEPP). This is an innovative European and trans-Atlantic partnership of the independent,public and private sectors targeted at disadvantaged children and youth and thecommunities in which they live. It was initiated by a number of foundations and isexternally evaluated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD).

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Young People at Risk Initiative

YPAR is an important example of ‘joined up thinking’ a theme which have come topredominate debate in public policy during the past decade both at home and abroad. Alogical next step was to produce a plan of action on which to move forward through 2004.To inform that plan research was commissioned by YPAR to map needs and resources foryoung people at risk in the NEIC. There was also engagement with local and nationalpartners to refine the plan. The culmination of this work is the YPAR Strategy which is thisdocument.

For young people in Dublin’s North East Inner City, YPAR is a forum where governmentand non-government can meet to pool resources. This initiative while still in its infancy,offers a way forward to empower young people to take charge of their lives and maximisetheir opportunities for fuller participation in community life. This will give them hope in aplace they call home.

The YPAR Initiative proposes the following. An acknowledgement of the need forchange in ways of working together for children and young people at risk in the North EastInner City. This involves commitment to a structure, such as YPAR to achieve this. Thiswill be evidenced by written formal agreements between stakeholders. Involvement willshown by a commitment to change by all parties, changes that will include:� pooling of existing resources� avoiding the duplication of efforts� ensuring facilities are available at evenings and weekends as appropriate� maximising community input into future development and use of resources in

community.

Signature of authors here

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MissionThe Mission of YPAR is to work with children and young people at risk to:� Establish an integrated, interagency structure.� Improve the quality and delivery of services.� Establish appropriate mechanisms to co-ordinate and integrate services.� Support them in accessing services, education, training and employment� Ensure anti-discriminatory and accessible policies and practices in services.� Provide support to develop the skills and capacities needed to become active members of

the community� Ensure that the voices and views of young people at risk are heard� Evaluate the intervention from the very beginning, in order to monitor progress and to

learn what works and what doesn’t work.

Definition of at RiskYPAR defines a child at-risk as being “ aged 0 to18 years, experiencing severe personal,family, educational and/or social problems (which could benefit from outside support).”

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The Goals of YPAR are:

1. To map existing services for young people at riskin the NEIC and identify gaps in service provision

2. To develop, promote, advocate and evaluate theYPAR plan

3. To develop responses to the identified andemerging needs of young people at risk

4. To facilitate the participation of young people andtheir families in the development of services in thecommunity

5. To develop common protocols to facilitate theintegration of service provision

6. To document and disseminate examples of bestpractice of interagency service delivery for youngpeople at risk

7. To participate in trans-national initiatives focusedon promoting youth empowerment

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Goal 2To develop, promote, advocate and evaluate the YPAR plan

Actions1. Establish Steering Group to manage the project representative of key statutory and

voluntary organizations

2. Engage an external consultant to work with the Steering Group to develop a strategicplan

3. Launch and disseminate the Strategic Plan

4. Evaluate the implementation of the plan on an ongoing basis

5. Print and circulate by post and email a regular newsletter updating members on YPAR work

6. Seek funding to update a local database

7. Regularly update key stakeholders on progress of plan

8. Engage with relevant policy makers in order to promote the integration of serviceprovision

Goal 1To map existing services for young people at risk in the NEIC and identify gaps in serviceprovision

Actions1. Commission and carry out baseline research on existing service provision and gaps in

services

2. Finalise and publish the research

3. Disseminate the research to all relevant stakeholder in NEIC and nationally

4. Use the findings to inform YPAR and update on an ongoing basis

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Goal 3To develop responses to the identified and emerging needs of young people at risk

Actions1. Establish Working Groups in each of the following identified areas, which have been

initially identified.� Needs of Foreign National Young People� Service provision for Young People at Risk after hours/weekends, including

Outreach services (12–18)� After-school social and education supports for Children at Risk� Respite care to children and families� Early Year services for children and families (0–5)

2. Support each working group in developing and delivering an action plan focused on itsown thematic area

3. Provide resources to support the development of protocols and case studies in each ofthe thematic areas

4. Co-ordinate each of the Working Groups actions through the Steering Group

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Goal 5To develop common protocols to facilitate the integration of service provision

Actions1. Seek examples of interagency collaboration from different Working Groups

2. Resource Working Groups to record and document examples of interagencycollaboration

3. Appoint facilitators to document these examples

4. Formulate and publish YPAR common protocol approach to interagency serviceprovision

Goal 4To facilitate the participation of young people and their families in the development ofservices in the community

Actions1. Establish a Working Group on youth participation

2. Support young people to establish a Youth Forum

3. Build the leadership capacity of young people in the community through supportingthe development of the Youth Forum

4. The Steering Group will regularly consult with Youth Forum to ensure the views ofyoung people are incorporated in all aspects the work of YPAR

5. Consult with families to ensure their voices are heard in relation to how services aredelivered for their children

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Goal 7To participate in trans-national initiatives focused on promoting youth empowerment

Actions1. Participate in the Youth Empowerment Partnership Programme (YEPP) involving

eight projects in 7 countries coordinated by the International Akadamie, Berlin

2. Participate in YEPP trans national exchanges for staff and young people involved inYPAR programmes

3. Recruit and retain a local YEPP coordinator and a local YEPP researcher to supportthe work of YPAR

4. Contribute to the OECD's (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development)external evaluation of YEPP

Goal 6To document and disseminate examples of best practice of interagency service delivery foryoung people at risk

Actions1. Invite Working Groups to nominate examples of best practice in interagency

collaboration

2. Appoint facilitators to document these examples as case studies

3. Publish and disseminate case studies

4. Identify and record the learning from examples of interagency collaboration that didnot achieve their full potential

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Appendices

Policy Context

The conclusion to the ISI report clearly set out the need for collaborative approaches inrelation to children at risk.

‘Despite the considerable public resources which are currently devoted to a widerange of social services in the North East Inner City, it is clear that the area issuffering intense social and economic decline. The poverty of the area gives rise toan intensity of needs and to consequently high levels of service provision required tomeet these needs. Many of the issues involve several different agencies and are bestaddressed through collaborative approaches. We recommend a fully integrated,multidimensional model, requiring the establishment of joint planning, goals,activities and policy development. Local people must have a key role in servicedesign and delivery and their participation is central to this process….’

(ISI: Common Goals and Unmet Needs, 1997:64–65).

This is echoed by Public Policy Documents.

YPAR Strategy is very much in line with the National Children’s Strategy theobjectives of which … ‘will … guide children’s policy over the next ten years.’ (Taoiseach’sForward). Specifically the Strategy notes a need for integration:

‘measures should be taken in partnership, within and between relevant players be itthe State, the voluntary/community sector and families; services for children shouldbe delivered in a co-ordinated, coherent and effective manner through integratedneeds analysis, policy planning and service delivery.’

The promotion of the welfare of children is the paramount principle underpinning theAct. Section 3, of the Child Care Act, 1991. It outlines the functions of health boards asfollows: "3.-(1) It shall be a function of every health board to promote the welfare of children in itsarea who are not receiving adequate care and protection.” To date the YPAR process has andwill continue to aid the HSE fulfil its key role of identifying those children who are notreceiving adequate care and protection and co-ordinate information from all relevantsources relating to children in its area 1.5.2 (a).

The primacy of the voice of the child in service planning and delivery, a key aim ofYPAR, is stated clearly Children First national Guidelines (1999):

‘ Children have a right to be heard, listened to and to be taken seriously. Takingaccount of their age and understanding, they should be consulted and involved inall matters and decisions which may affect their lives.’ (p 22–23)

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Moreover this key policy document endorses the raison d’être of YPAR:

‘Effective prevention, detection and treatment of child abuse or neglect requires acoordinated multi-disciplinary approach to child care work and effective inter-agency management of individual cases. All agencies and disciplines concerned withthe protection and welfare of children must work co-operatively in the best interestsof children and their families.’

This key theme is taken up in the local Child Protection Guidance HSE Local HealthOffice 7 (2005), drawn up under the auspices of the Local Child Protection Committee, a multi-agency body tasked with promoting cooperation among local agencies and services inthe field of child protection. It endorses the need for Interagency collaboration in ‘ … [the HSEand the Gardaí] separately or together are obliged to work in partnership together and with the widercommunity and most particularly with professional agencies or organisations working with children andfamilies. No one has all the answers, no one can safely act alone in safeguarding children.’

At the Launch of the Office of the Minister for Children on 13th December 2005, theMinister of State with responsibility for Children, Mr. Brian Lenihan talked of ‘the need fora joined-up government approach to the delivery of services for children’. He also statedthat ‘if supports and services are to have an optimum impact on children’s lives, servicesmust become proactive and better ways to link services must be found.’

We believe that YPAR in its approach both promotes joined-up thinking at local leveland represents an attempt to ‘optimise the impact on children’s lives’ in the immediatecommunity.

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Steering and Working group

Steering Group Members Agency/Project� Colman Duggan Child Care manager

(Joint Co-Chair) HSE Dublin North East LHO 7� Joe Lucey ICON and Crinan Youth Project

(Co-Chair)� Stephen Falvey Assist Principal Officer,

Department of Education and Science � John Lahert NYP 1� Liam O Dwyer Irish Youth Foundation� Fergus McCabe Neighbourhood Youth Project 2

(also formerly Drug Strategy Team)� Pauline Kane Wexford Centre Project� Tony Rock SVP Ozanam House Resource Centre� Séanie Lambe Chairperson ICON� Celine Keogh Hill Street Family Resource Centre� Margaret Hayes City of Dublin Youth Service Board� Emer Farrell National Education Welfare Board� John Houlihan Dublin City Council� Sarah Kelleher Lourdes Youth and Community service� Replacement to be named An Garda Síochána� David Little Co-ordinator

Working Groups Contact� Youth Participation Group Pauline Kane/Leanne Hyland� Foreign national Group Fergus McCabe� Respite Group John Lahert/ Pat Carthy (Cavan Centre)� 0 to 5 Age Group Celine Keogh/Sarah Kelleher� 5 to 12 Age Group Consultation Tony Rock/John Lahert� After-Hours Working Group Joe Lucey/Margaret Hayes

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Key actions in the development of the YPAR Strategy

2002 ICON meeting with National Children’s Office

2003 Agreement with key Stat Agencies ( Footnote – Northern Area Health Board,Dept.of Education and Science and Probation and Welfare Service for Dep. OfJustice) to operate YPAR under the auspices of the Local Child ProtectionCommittee which included representatives from these government agenciesand to which ICON was invited to join. [Footnote ???? The Local ChildProtection Committee is an instrument of Children First, the NationalGuidelines on Child Protection and Welfare].

2004 With sponsorship from Irish Youth foundation and Mott Foundation, YPARwas selected among other European metropolitan sites for participation in apan European Youth Empowerment Partnership Programme (YEPP), initiatedby a number of foundations in association with Organisation for EconomicDevelopment (OECD).

2004 Research was commissioned by YPAR to map needs and resources for youngpeople at risk in Dublin North East Inner City.

2005 Research completed.

Work continued on refining strategy and engaging local and national partners

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Notes

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Notes

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Notes

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Young People at Risk Initiativec/o 22 Mountjoy Square,Dublin 1

E-mail: [email protected]

The YPAR Initiative proposes the following. An acknowledgementof the need for change in ways of working together for children andyoung people at risk in the North East Inner City. This involvescommitment to a structure, such as YPAR to achieve this. This willbe evidenced by written formal agreements between stakeholders.Involvement will shown by a commitment to change by all parties,changes that include:� pooling of existing resources� avoiding the duplication of efforts� ensuring facilities are available at evenings and weekends� maximising community input into future development and use of

resources in community