TYS works with young people aged 10 to 21 years old (12 – 21 for Youth Counselling), who require additional support to help them to make informed choices and maintain positive pathways. The team includes specialist Substance Misuse Workers, a Youth Counselling Service and Targeted Youth Support Workers who provide 1:1 support and group work programmes in community settings and complete Return Home Interviews for young people reported missing.
Targeted youth support is specific, tailored interventions aimed at young people and their families who need extra provision on top of universally provided services. They work with each young person from their own starting point, drawing in partners, peer and parents as appropriate, challenging and enabling them to understand the consequences of their actions. The aim is to support them into successful pathways and to make positive choices.
TYS work alongside other services including Children’s Social Care, Early Help Family Support provide additional support for young people and their families. This also includes step downs from Children’s Social Care and Youth Offending Service. TYS deliver programmes for young people who have been arrested for a low gravity offence to divert them from the Criminal Justice System. This includes a health screening by the Liaison and Diversion nurse to identify further support needs.
TYS teams also deliver work in local primary and secondary schools covering issues such as substance misuse, positive and healthy relationships, keeping safe, gangs, weapons awareness and joint enterprise.
TYS retain a strong emphasis on community-based delivery providing support within local community settings and working with local neighbourhood services to help community cohesion and prevent escalation of anti-social behaviour (ASB). TYS deploy youth trucks and detached teams across Islington based on intelligence and ASB reports, working with young people where they meet and congregate, encouraging them to participate in group work and connecting them into their local areas.
To enquire about making a referral to this service; please email tys@islington.gov.uk.