Talking Therapy for Disadvantaged Young People

The Pitch

Problem statement

Youth Work on Townsend takes place amongst destitution and deep poverty with many families failing to meet basic human needs. We run the only youth club on the estate, with the next nearest youth club being 2-miles away. Many young people do not feel equipped to leave the estate. Townsend is one of the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in the UK (LSOA; 2019). 82.4% of families are deprived. 68.5% are not in employment. 27.9% have never worked. 73% live in social housing. (Census 2021). We are seeking financial support to provide talking therapy sessions over 12 weeks to 5 young people that attend the Townsend Youth Club or seek our support independently.

Solution

Research shows that issues related to school attendance; anti-social behaviour and youth offending are often inter-related and can be symptoms of a more complex range of problems. Interventions that seek to tackle each of these issues in isolation may not be as effective as a more comprehensive package of support for families that seeks to address the cause of their problems as well as the symptoms. We want to enable greater social impact and address social challenges facing communities, especially underfunded and marginalised communities. This project enables this by improving access to health and wellbeing services to improve wellbeing and quality of life for young people.

Why are we best placed to deliver?

We foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork, enabling effective coordination among stakeholders throughout. We have excellent relationships with; Townsend Together Team; Neighbourhood Officers; Tregonwell Academy (Pupil Referral Unit); Jewell Academy; local residents; social housing teams; BCP council; Townsend Children’s Centre; and Lansdowne Community Church amongst others. Estimates suggest there were almost 54,000 people living with a mental health condition aged 16+ in the BCP area in 2020. Locally the NHS is failing. We can offer a self-referral route to help and support that isn't otherwise available . In doing so we will save lives.

Focus Areas

Delivery plan

Budget breakdown

Beneficiaries

5 people

Who will benefit

Expected impact

Talking therapy will impact 5 young people directly, but its impact will be far wider, positively affecting direct family members, friends and the wider community. Mental health is an area of both national and local concern. Several indicators relating to mental health are significantly worse than the national average in BCP, including emergency hospital admissions for self-harm (all ages), substance misuse and alcohol specific conditions and suicide rates. Depression and anxiety prevalence across Dorset has been increasing with the pandemic having impacted further. (BCP, JSNA Nov 23). • “I arrived at my first session unable to articulate what I wanted to achieve as I was overwhelmed with pain, shame and blame. Counselling helped me unpick everything and the understanding I gained about myself mentally, behaviourally and in some senses physically. It has helped me, and my immediate family more than I can say.” (former Counselling client).

Track record

We measure the social impact of our Counselling service year on year. In 2023, in summary, we delivered 2799 sessions to 239 individuals. We delivered 1686 free sessions, worth £84,300 (calculated at £50 per/hour fee). Between 2021 and 2023 we have increased the number of people we have seen each year by 104%; seeing 117 people in 2021, 175 in 2022 and 239 in 2023. This significant increase would not be possible without the generosity of funders, enabling us to increase our provision to help meet exceptionally high demand which sadly continues. Direct feedback reflects our positive impact; • “My Counsellor made me feel comfortable, like talking to my sister or my Mum.” • “It made me aware of my thoughts and feelings and gave me the power to change it.” • “I needed counselling in order to survive. It was life saving." • “Counselling made me look at things differently.” https://www.ymcabournemouth.org.uk/about/full-circle-counselling/

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