Young People's Service


YPSWhat do the Young People's Service do?

The Young People's Service supports young people and families in Newcastle by helping them manage accommodation and providing them with the advice and support needed to live independently. We do this through the following housing and support services:

  • Family Intervention Project (FIP)
  • Floating Support Service
  • Homelessness Prevention Service
  • Counselling Service
  • Supported Accommodation Service

What can I expect from the service?

Family Intervention Project (FIP)

The main goal of the FIP team is to:

  • work with families in a way that encourages them to believe in themselves and their futures
  • establish a relationship with the family and get to grips with their own individual perceptions of their circumstances

  • understand whether or not the family (or individuals within the family) are ready, willing and/or capable of making changes in their lives then help them to do so

  • YHN FIP: Our Way of Working (pdf)

Floating Support Service

  • We will provide the support you need to manage your home successfully. This could include helping you:
  1. Get a grant to buy furniture for your home
  2. Understand your tenancy agreement
  3. Budget and look after yourself and your home
  4. With anything else that would allow you to make a success of your tenancy
  • We will encourage you to take part in gaining qualifications through Open College Network, which is a partnership of education and training providers that provides courses and qualifications.
  • We will encourage you to tell us how we can improve our service for young people and how we can help improve other services you use.
  • We will provide opportunities to volunteer in positive activities.
  • We will tell you about other services we offer if you are a parent.
  • We will provide you with help in your tenancy until you agree that it is no longer required.

Homelessness Prevention Service

  • We will help to assess your needs and reunite you with your family if required. This may involve talking to your parents or carers about why you cannot live at home.
  • We will help you to move into accommodation if a reunion is not possible. This could be a home with staff on site, or an independent tenancy.
  •  We will talk to you about what it is like to live in your own home, and making sure you have support if you need it.
  • We will write a plan with you to set out the help you need and working with you to receive this help every week.

Supported Accommodation

  • We will offer you advice and counselling to help you with very upsetting and difficult circumstances.
  • We will provide support in our block of 16 semi-independent tenancies with on site support during office hours.
  • We will help you move towards a more settled way of life that meets your needs and ambitions.
  • We will help you apply for more independent housing and in planning a future in the community.
  • We will help you with the following:
  1. Applying for benefits
  2. Budgeting
  3. Healthy living
  4. Finding training and employment
  5. Education
  6. Reading, writing and numbers
  7. Drugs and alcohol problems
  8. Talking to agencies like the police
  9. Solving problems and making choices
  10. Managing your behaviour and needs if you have committed offences
  • We will help you stay positive and support you if you have mental health problems.
  • We will help you get access to local facilities such as the gym, swimming pool or library.
  • We will help you register with a GP and giving you general advice about health.
  • We will support you if you are a young parent or if you are pregnant.
  • We will give you support that you ask us for, including joint work with other support agencies if this is necessary.
  • We will give you a key worker who will:
  1. welcome you to the service
  2. assess your needs
  3. talk to you about what you can expect from us and wat we expect from you
  4. plan the support you need
  5. have regular sessions with you
  • We will involve you in house meetings each week, or tenants' meetings each month.

Our service standards

  • We will make sure that everyone supported in a tenancy is fully involved in the decision that affect their life. We aim to do this for at least 99% of customers.
  • We will provide advise and information to all young people and families using our service to make sure they know their rights. We aim to do this for at least 99% of customers.
  • We will encourage all young people engaging with our service to take part in their community and participate with Youth Voice. We aim to do this for at least 99% of customers.
  • We will assess the needs of all 16 and 17 year olds in Newcastle who are in need of accommodation. We will aim to do this for at least 99% of customers.
  • We will assist all vulnerable young people who are supported by our floating support service to maintain a successful tenancy for 12 months. We aim to do this for at least 95% of customers.
  • We will offer an accreditation service to all young people supported by our service to all young people supported by our service so they can gain recognition and qualifications for the skills and abilities they have. We aim to do this for 99% of all customers.
  • We will begin to develop a support plan for all young people and families within 10 working days of engaging with the service. We aim to do this for 99% of all customers.
  • We will review all support plans within the following timescales:
  1. Monthly for all FIP clients
  2. Every six weeks for all customers living in the hostel
  3. Every three months for Floating Support service customers or those living in our supported accommodation

We aim to do this for at least 99% of customers.

Download the Young People's Service Service Standards leaflet here