National Youth Homelessness Scheme
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- Wider needs
- Young people with multiple needs
- Multi-agency working and the role of lead professionals
National Youth Homelessness Scheme
Multi-agency working and the role of lead professionals
A multi-agency approach is vital to effective work with young people with multiple needs because no single service can address the full range of young peoples' support needs.
All young people make a series of transitions into adult life, but those with multiple needs are more likely to experience difficulties, with transition being a rushed and unplanned process rather than a slower, more gradual one. There is also potential disruption to services and support for young people with multiple needs as they approach the age of 18, because at this point adult services pick up responsibility for some specialist services such as substance misuse, mental health, learning disability and criminal justice.
Organisations are more likely to work well together when they have a shared understanding of the different transition points and journeys young people make to adulthood. A shared approach to the many challenges and risks that young people with multiple needs experience can help to make a positive impact on their outcomes.
A multi agency approach can be used at different ages and points with young people and their families:
- early intervention, planning and support
- prevention at the point of housing need or crisis
- making the transition into supported accommodation or housing
- long term support to live as independently as possible
Integrated delivery of services, through multi agency working, can provide a seamless, customer orientated service to young people with multiple needs.
Where it is not possible to physically co-locate services, for example in rural areas, homeless and housing organisations need to have strong working relationships with key providers and services, underpinned with joint protocols. This may mean being part of multi agency panels which consider how to best support young people with multiple needs.
Targeted Youth Support reforms provide an opportunity for housing organisations to take part in working in a preventative way, through identifying and focussing on individual young people aged 13–19 with multiple needs.
From December 2008, every young person at risk of not achieving the five Every Child Matters outcomes should be able to access the following Targeted Youth Support from their local Children's Trust:
- a single point of contact to support and challenge - a lead professional
- a support package that draws on mainstream and specialist services of
- sufficient quality and quantity
- a single route of referral to extra support from different agencies as soon as risks emerge
- help to access support earlier on
- support to live in a stronger family environment
The role of the lead professional
The lead professional is a key element of Targeted Youth Support. Although still evolving in practice, it is envisaged that the lead professional role is to coordinate provision and act as a single point of contact for a young person and their family when a range of services are involved and an integrated response is required.
Appointing a lead professional is central to the effective frontline delivery of services for children and young people with a range of additional needs. When the role is delivered in the context of multi-agency assessment and planning, underpinned by the Common Assessment Framework or relevant specialist assessments, it ensures that professional involvement is rationalised, coordinated and achieves the intended outcomes.
Many young people aged 16-17 identified as having housing needs are likely to have a lead professional who is already working with them. Establishing contact with the lead professional is a vital part of beginning to work with a young person with multiple needs.
