Our open door is a self-referral service for young people living in Central Bedfordshire who need low level support or require help accessing specialist services.

 

What support is available?

Our Open Door service provides support for young people with low to medium needs who face various personal and social issues, this includes but is not limited to:

  • Social, emotional and personal well-being.
  • Peer and family relationship support
  • Attainment, attendance and behaviour at school

How does it work?

Young people can self-refer to our open door programme  or fill out the form under ‘get support’.  After a referral is made, the young person will have the opportunity to meet online or via phone with a youth worker to discuss what support they require. Using this information, the youth worker will then create a package of support based around the provision available in the local area. Each package of support will include one or more of the following suggestions.

Signposting or engaging with specialist services: A youth worker may help a young person to access another agency. This may include helping them to make contact, arranging appointments and even visiting with them.

Youth Clubs: A young person may be introduced to the local youth club (Groundwork or other led). This may include helping them to make contact, arranging appointments and even visiting with them.

Targeted Groups: As above for any group including Groundwork led programs, uniformed groups or sports clubs.

Targeted Workshops: As issues arise, Groundwork will help support by offering short term workshops, detached projects or drop in sessions in an area to help address an issue.

121 support: 121 support can be offered in the evenings at some of our youth clubs for young people. Sessions last 45 minutes and are weekly or biweekly depending on the young person’s personal plan. Our 121 support nights are very popular and there can be a waiting list in certain areas. 121 support cannot be offered in the home.

The service does not provide counselling or trauma support.


Get support


Become a volunteer

Volunteer to help a young person near you

You do not need to have experience. Volunteers receive full training to give them the skills they need to carry out one-to-one mentoring sessions and manage their own caseload of young people.

Becoming a volunteer is a great way to gain experience of youth work, or to compliment youth work studies. It is also a rewarding role for those currently supporting young people professionally, such as support workers or teachers.


Mentoring