Since January 2017 Young Solutions has been managing the Seek and Reach project. The project is aimed at unemployed young people aged 16 – 25 who for various reasons, are not accessing work, education nor training. These are young people regarded as being furthest from jobs and college. The project works across Worcestershire, but is concentrated in those areas of the county with the highest levels of unemployment.

The project works through a team of nine key workers, who are allocated areas within the county. Each key worker has a case load of about 12 young people at any one time. The aim of the project is to provide mentoring and guidance designed to assist young people enter or move closer to jobs, education or training.

During the 15 months in which the project has operated more than 160 young people have been referred to the project. Around a third of them have progressed into employment, training or education. About ten percent have dropped out and the remainder have been mentored and supported in various ways.

Various agencies have referred young people to the project including Action for Children who identified an unemployed young woman who needed support from the project. She had been forced to leave Birmingham with her partner and young baby due to family circumstances. She was referred by Action for Children to Seek and Reach as she did not know the new area in which she was living, she had no friends nor family close by.  She was experiencing depression and a sense of isolation. The key worker designated to work with her could see she was a bright young woman who had done well at school, but due to family issues had been unable to remain in education. The key worker met her regularly and after a while was able to identify a destination for her. As a young mum she had built up a strong sense of what parenting required, this led her to enrol at HOW College and start a Level 3 Early Years course. She has done well on the course, passing her first year examinations and impressing at her work placement. The project has also helped her partner find employment and both of them have said the project has helped them both enormously.

The young people involved in the project are drawn from various backgrounds, including those who are travellers. One young man who was from a traveller family was referred to the project by the Careers Advisory Team. He had not achieved high grades at school and lacked English and Maths qualifications. He had mental health problems and anger issues. However, he had an interest and talent for floristry and was already volunteering in a florist before he was recruited by the project. The support of the key worker meant he accessed a foundation Maths and English course and has he has now completed and named as one of the students of the year.  He now hopes to continue with his interest in floristry, but in paid employment.

A consistent feature of many of the young people involved in the project is that they are housebound, they rarely leave their homes, or even their bedrooms. They spend enormous amounts of time playing games on their computers and never venturing outside. One young man referred to the project had not been out of his house for more than two years, except for the occasional shopping trip with his mum. He had left school in Year 9 where he had had a negative experience characterised by poor performance and bullying. His mum and dad were divorced and there was little input from his dad. His mum had become very protective and was not encouraging him to leave the house. He had zero self esteem and zero confidence, no social skills and no friendship group. He was scared to leave house alone. The key worker said that his approach to the young man was to believe in him. He encouraged him to take what he describes as ‘baby steps’ such getting him to make his own sandwich lunch and his own drinks. The key worker maintained a level of consistency in meeting with the young man and was seen as a reliable and trusted source of support. The key worker had introduced the idea of going to the Springboard course at Droitwich Spa and Rural Council for Voluntary Service (DCVS). The key worker went along with the young man to meet with staff at DCVS who were very helpful and supportive. Initially the young man sat a sessions with his hood up and spoke to no one. Gradually his confidence increased and he became an active member of the course, he joined a gym and met course members in Droitwich outside course sessions. He gained a foundations Maths and English qualification and a certificate in employability.

The young people involved in Seek and Reach present a wide range of issues, for some young people these are extremely severe and require services from a range of specialist agencies for others all they need is some encouragement and they move quickly into training, education or employment. The project has revealed that mental illness, health problems, homelessness and drug addiction are major barriers for some young people. Seek and Reach has also shown how effective a youth work approach can be to work with these young people as it offers informal yet structured support which most of the young people find positive and enabling.