The Targeted Youth Support Service is for young people aged 11 to 19. It also supports those up to 25 who have SEND. Young people are referred to the service because they need help with specific issues in their lives. These issues might include:
- facing difficulties at home
- struggling with mental health
- risk of dropping out of school
The service tailors support to meet individual needs. It offers a more focused and personalised approach to help the young person overcome their challenges and stay on track.
Support lasts for 12 weeks. Interventions are usually time-limited but in some instances, support may be extended. The service team manager regularly reviews each case to track progress. If support is extended, it will be for a short time to address unmet needs.
Contact with the young person can take place at school, home, in the community or at the Braccan Walk Youth Hub where the support team are based.
Some of the areas the service can focus on are:
- managing feelings and emotions
- building positive family relationships
- healthy relationships
- self-esteem and confidence
- support to build resilience
- peer influence and decision making
- understanding identity and diversity
- support for emerging mental health needs such as anxiety, low mood and self-harm
- support with attending education or training
- substance use and misuse education
- exploitation awareness and prevention
- online safety
- preventing criminal and anti-social behaviours
Accessing the support requires a referral.
The service also runs groups. For more information, visit the Braccan Walk Youth Hub page.
Eligibility
To be eligible for targeted youth support, a young person's needs must meet the Level 2 criteria or above of the Young People's Threshold Guidance 2023 (PDF 605 KB).
Young people and their parents need to give their consent for a referral to be made to the service. The service will not accept referrals where consent has not been given.
The service helps young people who need a coordinated approach to services. Referrals must clearly state the young person's support needs.
Requests for lower-level support, or joining universal youth groups, do not qualify for targeted support. These services are available through The Wayz.
How to make a referral
Only professionals working with young people can make a referral.
Before you submit a referral, get consent from the young person and their family. Then, give clear details about the support needed. Focus on their presenting needs to develop an effective and tailored support plan.
Referrals from external agencies should be made through the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).
Internal Bracknell Forest Council teams should submit referrals through the Mosaic Case Management System.
If you need more guidance, contact MASH by:
- email: mash@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
- phone: 01344 352005
Parents and carers
If you are a parent with a concern, go to the report child abuse or concern about a child page. Here you will find:
- how to report a concern about a child
- signposting for support services
After referral
Youth Star Assessment and action plan
Following referral, one of the team will meet with the young person, their parents and speak to other professionals involved. They will complete a Youth Star Assessment to identify the young person's needs and develop an action plan.
If there is another lead professional, such as an early help professional or a social worker, the early help youth professional will contribute to the review process.
Team Around the Young Person
The early help youth professional will work with other services to support the young person. They will organise a ‘Team Around the Young Person’.
This multi-agency team will meet every 6 weeks to review the young person’s progress against their plan. If the young person is already part of another multi-agency process, those processes will take priority. These might be:
- early help family work
- child in need
- child protection
- looked after children planning
We will review our plans alongside these processes. This way, we can make sure alignment and support continue smoothly.
It is important to note that the service does not work with the young person in isolation.
We take a multi-agency approach. This means any work delivered by other professionals working with the family is aligned with the goals and actions of the service.
This coordinated approach makes sure that all services work together to meet the young person’s needs effectively.
We also recognise the crucial role of parents and carers in supporting the work of the service. Their involvement is essential to the long-term success of the interventions we deliver. By engaging the family in the process, we make sure that the support is sustainable and integrated into the young person’s home life.
This approach tackles the broader factors affecting a young person's wellbeing. It also strengthens their support network, improving the likelihood of positive and lasting changes.