Knowsley Council has recommissioned its Integrated Youth Service which supports young people aged 11 to 19 (25 with SEND) with Merseyside Youth Association (MYA), a charity dedicated to providing support and opportunities for young people.
Integrated Youth Service provides comprehensive early intervention, and prevention services to improve mental health, employability, and wellbeing for youths across Knowsley.
What The Integrated Youth Service offers:
Detached Youth work
Youth workers from the team engage with young people in public spaces, often forming positive relationships and engaging them with the activities and experiences that make up the wider Integrated Youth Service offer.
Intensive Trauma Informed Mentoring Programme
Specialised support is available for those who face challenges and barriers impacting their health and wellbeing, seek support with education and employment, experience problems with isolation or peer relationships, and risk becoming involved in crime or anti-social behaviour.
The Intensive Trauma Informed Mentoring Programme offers both 1:1 and small group work sessions to deliver bespoke, trauma informed interventions, which are developed with the young person and designed with their own individual barriers and goals.
Participation and Engagement
Young people are inspired to get involved in local activities and have their voices heard through a range of opportunities.
This includes the Knowsley Youth Cabinet (KYC) where young people can be part of the formally recognised youth voice platform in Knowsley, with access to exclusive opportunities including attending strategic meetings and conferences as well as representing Knowsley nationally at the Youth Parliament in the House of Commons.
THinK – Knowsley’s IYS Health Offer
Merseyside Youth Association’s health team delivers needs-led health education sessions and programmes in settings such as schools and community centres as well as in public settings.
Outdoor Education Centre
The Outdoor Education Centre at Lord Derby’s estate in Prescot allows young people to experience new things, be adventurous, and just be young. Activities include canoeing, kayaking, raft building, archery, and more.
‘Our Place’
Our Place in Huyton serves as ‘Youth Hub’ for children and young people, with multiple services accessible under one roof.
The MYA Food Hub provides people in need under 30 with food, clothes, and health products which are all accessible on a walk-in basis.
Carer Connect supports young people aged 16 to 18 (25 with an EHCP) with training and employment skills including support with building a CV, job application tips, and interview techniques. As well as this, through the DWP Jobcentre Plus Hub, young people in Knowsley can meet with dedicated staff at Our Place to receive more targeted support for their age group, rather than accessing services from a standard Jobcentre site.
There is also Thrive Knowsley CIC, a young person’s day centre that provides an activity-based service for those who have additional or complex needs, and may require more tailored support.
For care experienced people in the borough, the Care Experienced Hub at Our Place provides a single point of contact.
Merseyside Youth Commission has been commissioned to deliver the Integrated Youth Service until 2030.