CQC report praises the council’s youth provision
A REPORT has praised Halton Borough Council’s youth provision.
The youth service gives specialist substance misuse support and early intervention and prevention services within schools, colleges and the rest of the borough.
It was inspected by the Care Quality Commission – the Government’s quality watchdog – in October 2016 and led to a report with no recommendations for improvement.
The report was positive about initiatives to engage hard-to-reach young people and the courses and initiatives it offers, all of which were ‘outstanding’.
This includes an inreach service to schools and colleges, and a joint outreach programme with police and housing to areas where young people were attracting complaints for anti-social behaviour.
Young Addaction Halton’s Duke Of Edinburgh Award scheme, involvement in a Halton Youth Cabinet and post initiative award ceremonies were all recognised as ‘outstanding’ also.
A Halton Borough Council spokesman said: “It is a credit to the staff involved that the service is doing so well. But we are aiming to continue to improve so giving young people an even better chance to fulfil their potential here in Halton.”
The report also identified the following areas of good best practice: ● Environments and systems that enable young people to be seen safely and effectively. ● Clarity around capacity and confidentiality, which were well understood by young people. ● Evidence-based interventions around drug and alcohol misuse. ● Effective engagement with young people who may be vulnerable to future substance misuse, addressing self-esteem, self-confidence and resilience to prevent problems occurring. ● Close working and good communication with other young people’s services and agencies. ● Young people’s views and contributions were clearly valued and contributed to how the service develops. ● Use of information and data to develop services and target areas of greatest need.
The area’s youth service is provided by Young Addaction on behalf of Halton’s Children’s Trust and Halton Borough Council as part of an ongoing commitment to improve opportunities for all children and young people living in Runcorn and Widnes.