What is it?
The Child and Youth Service is a supportive space for children and young people to come, where we hope to give them space, time, and attention to express their needs and their experiences.
How does it work?
The Child/Young Persons Worker will work with you to figure out what your child needs, and then will also listen to your child to hear what they want and need. The work with your child will be completed either in the Children’s room in the service, or as an outreach to their school or another suitable venue. We use toys, play, and creativity to speak your child’s language and to give children the tools to communicate without words. With older children and adolescents, we might simply talk and allow them to figure out their own words for what they have been through. We will regularly check-in with you and will act in the best interest of your child.
Who is it for?
The Child and Youth Service is available to any child or young person under the age of 18 who has a mother who is, or has been, subjected to domestic abuse. The service provides both child support work and child psychotherapy, depending on the needs of the child or young person. Additionally, before your child attends the service, parenting support work with the Child/Young Persons worker, may be available to you. This particular piece of work is short-term, focused on helping you to manage the difficult situations you may face with your children because of ongoing or past domestic abuse.
What will my child get out of attending?
Every child/young person has different needs, so they will all get different things out of working with us. With that said, the service works to provide children and young people with an understanding of healthy and unhealthy relationships; safety planning; self-esteem; establishing and keeping safe boundaries; resilience-building and what domestic abuse is and how it might affect them.
How do I refer my child to the service?
Talk to your support worker about submitting a referral and registering your child with the Child and Youth Service. We maintain a waiting list for the Child and Youth Service, the Child/Young Persons Worker will contact you as soon as possible to discuss your child’s needs and confirm your child’s place on the waiting list.
Any questions?
If you have any questions before you make a referral for your child, please ask that the Child/Young Persons Worker to contact you to discuss. You can do this through your support worker, or by calling the office and requesting a call back from the Child/Young Persons Worker.
