An Innovative Social Investment Programme

CYPOP 17: understanding the needs of children and young people who are vulnerable and experiencing poverty and disadvantage;

Social work is a career that I have always been interested in, especially working with children and families. Helping people overcome obstacles and making the most of themselves is a very rewarding and yet a challenging career. I’ll have the chance to meet a variety of different people with different problems from cases of abuse and neglect as well as supporting those in the care system. I am particularly interested in working with children and families who often form the most vulnerable service users, developing a professional and trusting relationship with them, hopefully enabling them to participate fully in society.

Making a positive contribution - development of self-confidence, to ensure understanding of rights and responsibilities, the extent to which young people are consulted about key decisions. Opportunity to develop by including community activities. Also a focus on enabling young people to develop appropriate independent behaviour and to avoid engaging in antisocial behaviour. Achieving economic well-being - arrangements for developing self-confidence, enterprise and teamwork, the provision of good careers advice and training for financial competence, and the accessibility of opportunities for work experience and work-based learning.

A common misconception of homeless youth is that even if they do become homeless they are not homeless for long. The National Alliance to End

Social work continues to be a necessary and important profession because there are such a wide variety and abundance of social issues that exist in the world today. Among these issues, one of great prevalence is homelessness. Homelessness is an important problem that needs to be directly addressed because it can lead to many other problems as well. Problems such as poor academic performance and malnutrition can arise as a result of homelessness. If the issue of homelessness is improved, many other issues can be improved as well. Two articles that contribute to addressing this issue are Examining Perceived Barriers and

Councils helping making it easier for new people to adapted in to new local areas opening communities’ centres we can learn and be more productive in our daily lives

Youth who live on the streets are there for two main reasons either they chose to leave the home because of the living situation or they will leave home because they are kicked out or drugs and alcohol have led them onto the streets. 20% of the homeless population is youth and it is increasing every year because of the changes that our generation is going through and being affected by. The rates of suicide in homeless youth are 10.3 times larger then an average Canadian youth. (McKay, E. (2009). Independent Living Accounts: Leaving Homelessness in the Past.).

Immense government expenditures are used in the assistance of these individuals, but often fail to translate to success and independence following emancipation. The iFoster jobs program aims to fill this gap and connect educated and trained former foster youth with respectable employers in need of qualified individuals. The iFoster organization has laid out a roadmap that illustrates its process of connecting these individuals with employers and has shown success with 250 youths thus far. First, iFoster networks with employers and assesses their needs and what they look for in employees. Then, they set a youth training program tailored to those needs. The individuals are then trained and provided with resources including courses, professional clothes for interviews, transportation, etc. These individuals are then assessed and analyzed for the job that best fits their qualifications and preferences. The individuals receive support through the interviewing and hiring process and receive ongoing support following beginning work. Regular check-ins and communication with the employers ensure that these youths are excelling at work and that their needs are being

Youth homelessness in Australia has become a massive issue. Every over 105,00 people are homeless, which is shocking to me as I thought it would be becoming less as there should be more help out there. (Homelessness Australia, 2012 ). In 2001, there were a total of 9% homeless. According to the 2011 census, 42% of

Gerry Oliver is a 17-year-old high school student who attends Satec Wa porter in Peterborough, Ontario. Gerry is an orphan who immigrated from Nigeria and worked at McDonald's to pay for his daily expenses. Unfortunately, he lost the job and was left homeless. He wrote an open letter to contact the mayor Daryl Bennet and requested to get a job as a football coach at one of the city parks. Gerry Oliver story became a viral sensation and Daryl Bennet personally reached out to Gerry. There was no job position available at city parks but he recommended Gerry apply for the social assistance program. Additionally, he informed Gerry about The L.O.F.T program in which student ages 13-17 can come to open space designed for recreation and fun for teen

by Barbara Haworth-Attard, readers have a chance at seeing just how hard life on the streets can be for teenagers. We should study

Shelter’s approach to anti-social behaviour in young people if to primarly identify the needs of the individual and solve the root of the problem, rather than it resulting in a scenario where young people are evicted and moved into a different accommodation only to reoffend (Cullen, 2006). By helping young people re-engage with their community, they hope to tackle anti-social behaviour and and social exclusion for the long term.

FACS may wish to explore issuing Social Impact Bonds, contracts containing a commitment to pay for improved homelessness outcomes and public sector savings. This approach is currently being piloted in the UK, the Social Impact Bond programme is targeting a named, fixed cohort of 831 entrenched rough sleepers, using a personalised, flexible approach delivered by keyworkers to assist clients to access existing provision and achieve sustained, long-term positive outcomes .

As I am relatively new to this area of work it is also important to reflect as a youth worker in order for me to be effective and capable within my job. It is necessary for me to reflect on my experiences so far from the year and a half I have spent in college and it’s important for me to continually highlight areas for development while I am on placement. First I must identify the strengths and skills I have acquired and then to plan my development needs. My role requires me develop plans to suit the service users; I feel my current qualifications and experience will develop after my placement. I also feel it is essential to enhance my current knowledge of youth and community work and monitor my progress. I think the important thing to remember is that I am reflecting for my own development.

Homelessness Youth Services in Barwon Youth Southwest Region – specifically the Youth Entry Point workers and management, who are primarily involved in undertaking specialist assessments to gain a greater understanding of the young person’s current housing situation, who explore barriers such as Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD), Mental Health or Family Violence concerns etc.