Targeted youth support: redesigning services - tackling bullying

Issue

In East Worcester over 30% of young people responding to a Connexions survey reported bullying as a key concern.

Background

A multi-agency support team is operating as part of extended services in schools. Part of its remit is to look at mental wellbeing, which can involve issues around bullying.

The authority was aware that bullying is a problem in its schools. It has developed an anti-bullying protocol for schools as a response.

Actions prompted by targeted youth support

The anti-bullying work that was going on in Worcestershire before the targeted youth support (TYS) pathfinder was all focused on schools. One of the findings of the early data gathering stages of the TYS change process was that there needs to be a more holistic community response to really impact on bullying.

The process identified important gaps in information sharing about bullying. For example, the domestic violence unit informed school nurses of incidents, but didn't inform educational welfare; also schools were not being informed when pupils received ASBOs out in the community.

A TYS change team was formed to focus on prevention and early intervention, in particular addressing the key transition points, eg. from informal child care to formal education and year 6 to 7 primary to secondary.

The team includes representatives from educational psychology, the police, educational welfare, youth offending, children and families support, teenage pregnancy, substance misuse, Sure Start, the youth service, Connexions, the local government office, healthy schools, local primary and secondary schools, the voluntary sector and schools improvement representatives.

The director of children's services attended the first change team meeting where areas of special focus were chosen. Bullying was one option as the TYS process had made it clear that concerns about bullying were a high priority for young people.

The change team members challenged each other to identify why bullying was relevant to their work areas and discussed why they should see it as their problem and not just as someone else's problem. For example, they discussed the relationship between domestic violence, anti-social behaviour and bullying all formal responsibilities of different agencies.

Among other actions, the team has started to identify a range of providers of diversionary activities to support young people who may become or already are bullies.

Benefits and results

The TYS process has enabled the wider group of staff and agencies involved with young people and families to better understand the issues that foster bullying behaviour. This enables them to share relevant information in a more effective and appropriate way.

The TYS process has also deepened the authority's understanding of existing activities provided by a range of agencies, including the youth inclusion support panel, positive activities for young people, the school behaviour support team, detached youth workers and the community support officers. This is leading to better coordination between these services.

In addition, the TYS process is giving community support officers, schools and other relevant bodies more information on the availability of diversionary activities to support young people who may be bullies.

The TYS process has helped our expert professionals to develop more clarity and in-depth understanding of bullying. This has allowed them to work as a new team to make small changes which will have a real impact on young people, says Gail O'Malley, Connexions and change team leader.

The local authority

Worcestershire is a large county authority. Its TYS pathfinder is focused on a rural area and two deprived urban sites. The authority's statistical neighbours include Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, West Sussex, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, Cheshire, East Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Bedfordshire and Shropshire.

Click to read more case studies on redesigning services to help young people with particular needs.