A day in the life of...a Young People's Service Project Worker

Gemma Crockett is part of YHN’s Young People’s Service Floating Support team which provides practical and emotional support to young people in Newcastle who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless or who have been homeless in the past.  She told us:

“I’ve worked in the Young People’s Service for two years now, and I can honestly say no two days have ever been the same. 

“Here’s my diary from a day in December…”

9am – 9.30am

Arrive in the office, check my emails and calendar for the day.  It’s a busy day ahead so fit in a cup of coffee now.

9.30 - 11.00am Visit to the Young People’s Service hostel

The hostel provides emergency supported accommodation for homeless young people in Newcastle.  I take a young person who is struggling to find somewhere to live to have a look around.  She has high support needs so she isn’t ready to live on her own – the hostel can help her build up the skills she needs to move onto her own tenancy.

11.30 – 12.30 Prep session with a young person

The young people I work with receive prep sessions which help to develop the life skills you need to live successfully.  Today’s session with this young person is about sexual health.  It’s also a chance for us to catch up and see how he’s getting on.

12.30 – 1pm Lunch

1pm – 2pm – Budgeting session

This young person has a full time job so we meet up in a café during her lunch break.  She’s about to move into an independent tenancy but is worried about managing financially so we do a budgeting exercise to help her plan her finances.

2pm - 3pm Care team meeting

We work with lots of other agencies to make sure young people get the full range of support they need.  Today’s meeting involves all of the different professionals who are supporting this young person, including a health visitor, social worker and Barnardos pregnancy worker.  We meet regularly to talk about how the young person is getting on and make sure she doesn’t need any extra help, especially since her baby is due soon.

3pm – 4pm

Back to the office for a cup of tea and to catch up with my paperwork. 
I respond to emails and complete a furniture grant application for a young person.  I also record what has happened in today’s sessions in a daily recording sheet.

4pm – 5pm Closure meeting for a young person leaving our service

I’ve worked with this young person for the last year and she’s now ready to manage on her own. She’s adapted to her own tenancy really well - we meet up for one last time to review her progress and wish her well.

5pm - 6pm

I take a break because I’m working late tonight.

6pm onwards - It’s panto time!

We organise social events throughout the year so that the young people have the opportunity to get involved in positive activities.  Tonight we’re off to the pantomime…

YHN’s Young People’s Service

YHN’s Young People’s Service provides support to vulnerable young people in Newcastle between the ages of 16 and 25 who have experienced homelessness. 

A roof is not enough – the young people and families we work with need support to create change in many areas of their lives so they can go on to live independently.  To find out more about the service, click here or call 0191 277 1190.