The Streetwork Service

The consistency of streetwork staff is critical in our work. It is important that the young people on the streets have a rapport with the team members and this consistency allows us to build relationships.

Our work is financially supported by West Lothian Council, the Community Safety Partnership and Lloyds TSB we are thankful to them.

The above media shows the work of Streetwork in 2007/08

The Big Challenge

However, the biggest challenge comes from the various national agendas, the local authority and other agency’s expectations. The challenge is this: to respond to all youth issue’s within the county and to spend the time in the identified areas so that we can have a positive effect and be able to evidence the impact in each of these areas.

The Streetwork Team engages with young people in their communities to assess the level of behaviour, alcohol and drug use amongst young people, and the impact these behaviours have on their lives and their communities.

The organisation works with Lothian and Border’s Police, the Drug Action Team, West Lothian Drug and Alcohol Service, West Lothian Drug and Alcohol Concern group. The Environmental Wardens, Community Education and the Neighbourhood Response Team.

The organisation enjoys a presence on various community planning meetings, working locally with resident Committees, Locality Planning Groups and young people’s groups in order to join together to help solve local community issues.

We are able to provide details of the numbers of young people on the streets, their general whereabouts, attitudes, wishes, needs and, where possible, we have organised meetings for them to express their views to the local authorities and create appropriate forums.

Streetwork staff are trained to observe and discuss the use of drugs, alcohol, health issues and the impact of anti-social behaviour involving young people, with training provided by Strada, Fast Forward, Police, W.L. Drug and Alcohol Service & internally within West Lothian Youth Action Project...

All instances of the visible use of alcohol, drugs and behaviours are recorded, we may also record the use of alcohol if a young person talks freely to workers about their consumption and it is apparent by their behaviour and the smell off their breath that they have been drinking alcohol. For this reason many organisations request information from us regarding the young people’s patterns of substance use.

We make referrals to the counselling service provided by West Lothian Drug and Alcohol Service, and other projects if young people recognise that their drug and alcohol consumption is creating difficulties for them and their families. Most young people don’t recognise that it is a problem, therefore we generally find that we will refer them into other areas of our project’s work or other community projects first, then intensive relationships are developed with young people and once this trust is developed with our support workers the issue of addressing their drug and alcohol use becomes easier. It is a fine balance for the streetwork team to support and advise young people in their own territories building up positive relationships with them, as opposed to their other role to provide information to other agencies and challenging young peoples negative behaviours. Workers must be able to gain the trust of the young people.

The service works hard to meet the big challenges that face us. In the next year it is expected to have three or four of our six sessions per week working directly with youth groups on projects determined by them. We will still however, respond to the issues raised by the authorities, particularly as the Safer Neighbourhood Team Initiative develops.

If you want to know more about the Streetwork Service you can contact Gil Gillies at gil@wlyap.org.uk or telephone 01506 461 588 or leave a message on: 07833667575 (24hr answer service)