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About this poster

Glasgow City Council’s vision for accommodation and support for over 16s is to meet the needs of all young people, and to enable them to thrive.

This poster sets out how the Council has used the Scottish Approach to Service Design to reimagine support, through:

  • moving towards a core and cluster model, where support workers who support young people move on to support them in a supported tenancy,
  • using visual charts and timetables to support young people’s daily organisation, and
  • encouraging relationship building in local communities through participation in local activities.

Download this poster.

Glasgow City's fourth poster from the Stories of Change Conference.

The text of this poster reads:

Our journey so far

We are moving through each of the Discovery (complete), Define (complete), Develop (ongoing) & Deliver (April 2024) stages.

Our service design approach

We know too many of our young people do not feel prepared as they move from childhood to adulthood. Our vision for 16+ accommodation and support in Glasgow is to meet the needs of all our young people and enable them to thrive.

How we will do this

  • Understand the needs of all of our young people.
  • Give young people the right support at the right time.
  • Provide accommodation and support that are based on individual need.
  • Promote nurturing consistent relationships.
  • Embedding trauma responsive practice.
  • Young person’s participation in the review and design of services.
  • Taking the time to understand the problem before we design the solution.

We have adopted the Scottish Approach to Service Design to reimagine support. We used the following methods during our discovery phase to undertake a detailed analysis of our services and stakeholder mapping:

  • Young people surveys.
  • Service reviews & visits.
  • Focus groups w/ residents.
  • Audits of Housing Protocol.

We have established a Practice Redesign Forum with key stakeholders, including young people to reimagine our support.

What young people have said…

What young people want...

  • Supportive, friendly staff.
  • Effective assistance with developing independent living skills and providing emotional support.
  • Staff involve young people in activities.
  • Having own space and privacy.
  • Relaxed atmosphere that is comfortable.
  • Good locality with good transport links.
  • A small unit.
  • Placements kept open for the possibility of young people returning.
  • Good relationships with other residents is encouraged.
  • Good choice of food.

What young people don’t want...

  • Staff resorting to calling the police hastily before trying to de-escalate situations.
  • Disruptive residents.
  • Lack of personal space or privacy.
  • Residing in unsafe neighbourhoods.
  • Staff favouritism.
  • Lack of food choice.
  • Rules and restrictions around visitors and use of utilities.
  • Unhomely environments and uncomfortable beds.
  • Poor maintenance of accommodation.
  • Having to pay for utilities.
  • Young people’s perspectives being overlooked in decision making.

Current outcomes

What young people have said...

No matter what you’re going through, the staff are always there for you. They make it a comfortable environment to live in, and will always watch a movie and do activities with you.
I built up the courage to trust the staff. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here today.
There’s always staff available 24/7, if staff aren’t working there’s always someone to call.

Outcomes

  • Only half of young people exiting the service transition to their own tenancy or positive destinations (55 of 111 placements).
  • Many young people opt to discontinue support and return home to family or partners, which they were removed from initially (49 of 111).
  • Nearly 10% of young people commit offences and end up in custody (10 of 111).
  • Young asylum seekers achieve the most favourable outcomes, with 67% progressing to positive destinations.

Emerging Promising Practice

Examples of promising practice

  • Core and Cluster model can work well for young people. It gives young people consistency in relationships, with the same support workers supporting them in the core service and moving on to support them in a supported tenancy. There is often the option for the young person to move back to the core service when they are in need of more support.
  • Use of visual charts and timetables to support young people’s daily organisation, particularly useful for those with specific learning needs.
  • Encouraging relationship building in local communities through participation in local activities.
  • Understanding and tailoring support for young people who are neurodiverse.
  • Onsite counsellor, and in-house psychological support.
  • We are excited to move into the next stages of Develop & Deliver and look forward to shaping services to ensure better outcomes for our young people.

For further information on the 16+ Accommodation Review, contact: rebecca.cochrane@glasgow.gov.uk