Partnership Working(last update: Spring 2010)
We have continue to work closely with the West Lothian Council’s Locality planning officers during the Year and have been involved in some exciting partnership work, I will briefly report on some of the ventures.
The Polbeth and Crofthead (Dedridge) Initiatives have proved very successful, if not at times challenging. The project’s operated on a Thursday and Sunday evenings. The evening drop-in sessions were operated as 2 pilot schemes to assess if a drop-in facility with activities could also act as a venue for employability skills and substance misuse advice. The projects involving, Community Learning and Development, Access to Employment, West Lothian Drug and Alcohol Service and ourselves have proved effective in building up relationships between agencies and young people and will hopefully breakdown barriers enabling them to access services at other times and venues in the future. WE hope these projects will continue post summer 2008.
Boghall
We continue to work with the staff and management Committee based at the Boghall Drop-In and Resource Centre, this facility is going from strength to strength and it is hoped that youth provision will be expanded in this area in the coming months.
Craigshill
The project plays an active role in the Craigshill Youth providers group and continues to support the drop-in held on Monday evenings in Riverside Youth wing and contributes to many other activities and events in the Craigshill area.
Mayfield/Armadale
We continue to play a role in the youth Issues group and multi-agency partnership group based in Mayfield and Armadale. The Thursday evening drop-in at the Mayfield Community House has almost outgrown the size of the facility now, which of course explains its popularity. And the positive relationship that we enjoy with Armadale Academy and the work of our Alternative Curriculum group continues to flourish.
Addiewell
Our joint working with the Pit Stop in Addiewell continues and I hope they succeed in their bid to secure funding to provide more youth work based activities in the area. It is a changing time for the community of Addiewell with the development of the new prison, it is therefore time to maximise the opportunities for the area and encourage the local young people to take an active role in their community.
Blackburn
The development of the youth drop-in in Blackburn is nearly complete, this has been the longest piece of joint working in our history, it has taken 7 years since the initial idea and requests from young people were put forward, the story of it’s development would take longer than this booklet to describe, however, we are delighted to state that the facility will be open during 2008.
Floorsweep (Latterly referred to as Floorwalk)
 This is a joint initiative with Lothian and Borders Police, West Lothian Drug and Alcohol Service and ourselves; to address the issue of under-age drinking on the streets particularly on Friday evenings. Police patrols intensively survey targeted areas of West Lothian, identify young people that have been drinking alcohol and take any young person under the age of 16 to the police station, parents are called to the station, and the young people are interviewed and warned by police in the presence of their parents to ensure they understand the risks and consequences of alcohol use. Workers from WLDAS and our project offer counselling and additional intervention and ongoing support to the young people and families if required. This initiative is carried out alongside test purchasing as a method to combat underage consumption of alcohol and the association this has with anti-social behaviour. It is also intended to develop groupwork sessions as another method to reduce the issue of problem alcohol use amongst certain young people in the coming months
Cooldown Crew
This joint initiative between Lothian and Borders Fire Service and Community Learning and development continues to be a very successful one week course encouraging young participants to understand the dangers associated with fires and it develops their teamwork skills and ability to receive and carry out instructions. I wish to thank the Fire Service for their commitment to this programme and the support they provide to the organisation at other events.
Youth Crime Co-ordination Group
This year has seen the organisation develop stronger links with the Children’s reporters, Police Juvenile Liaison Officer, Social Work Children and Families and Youth Justice Teams and the Children and Young People’s team. We have regular meetings and share referrals ensuring that young people receive appropriate support and guidance. We feel that the voluntary sector can continue to act as a valuable resource within this network to reduce youth offending and anti-social behaviour.
Girls group
A group of young women with special needs were supported in a joint initiative operated by the Chill Out Zone, the Children’s Disability Service and Youth Action project. This was a pilot scheme that evaluated positively and is something all agencies hope can be replicated in the future. The participants gained confidence, made new friends and enjoyed themselves.
Domestic Abuse Service
Many of my colleagues have taken part in training on the issue of Domestic Abuse this year and have assisted in the delivery of awareness sessions in high schools throughout West Lothian. We very much hope to assist in the development of this work in the coming months.
Our list of partners continues to grow every year and I always worry about missing people out, on a practical level I would like to acknowledge our links to the W.L.C External Environment team, we have enjoyed working with Colin Bell, Stephen Knox and Becky Plunkett in developing new teen areas for young people in parks and particularly enjoyed the involvement in the development of the new Letham park, Craigshill.
 I would also like to acknowledge support from the staff of NETS they have always assisted us with our community projects, as have the Environmental wardens and Safer Neighbourhood Teams within the council.
Finally I can’t end without mentioning the development of the VSSG (Voluntary Sector Strategy Group), this is a collective group of voluntary sector agencies who have formed to ensure that the issues and value of the voluntary sector are represented and recognised within the Council and wider partners. We are currently developing a Compact with West Lothian Council and Health partners. As the representative for youth issues on the VSSG I hope to ensure that young people are not forgotten and that they are fairly represented in all arenas, but I need your help to do that, so please don’t hesitate to contact me to give me information or to ask for issues to be raised.
Helen Davis helen@wlyap.org.uk
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