scholarly journals Young victims of youth violence: using youth workers in the emergency department to facilitate ‘teachable moments’ and to improve access to services

2020 ◽  
pp. edpract-2019-318251
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Wortley ◽  
Ann Hagell
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Young People ◽  
Youth Violence ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Access To Services ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Improve Access

There have been rising concerns in the UK about the levels of serious violence between young people, especially serious physical violence and knife crime. Interactions with young people in the emergency department (ED) at the time of injury provide an opportunity for screening and intervention in order to reduce the risk of repeat attendances. However, paediatricians and other healthcare workers can feel unsure about the best way to intervene. Embedding youth workers in EDs has started in some UK hospitals, making use of a potential ‘teachable moment’ in the immediate aftermath of an event to help change behaviour. Based on a rapid review of the literature, we summarise the evidence for these types of interventions and present two practice examples. Finally, we discuss how EDs could approach the embedding of youth workers within their department and considerations required for this.

Youth work and youth violence in a European context

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Seal ◽  
Pete Harris
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Violence ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Youth Work ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Gang Violence ◽  
Populated Area ◽  
Working Definition ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Uk

In this chapter, the authors present an outline of the philosophical underpinnings of youth work practice and discuss how youth work is conceived, organised and delivered in different member states, and specifically in those the authors encountered in their study (Germany, Austria and the UK). They then introduce their working definition of youth violence. The authors were keen to move beyond the narrow confines of conceptualisation of youth violence as ‘gang’ violence, partly because this is a heavily populated area of enquiry, but also because they recognised that youth workers will be engaging with young people whose experience of violence falls both within and outside of the bounded and contestable phenomenon of the ‘gang’.

Responding at the personal (P) level

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Seal ◽  
Pete Harris
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Young People ◽  
Youth Violence ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Young Person ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Violent Behaviour ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Face ◽  
Generative Phase

This chapter outlines how workers can respond on a personal, individual level to youth violence. The authors illustrate how the unpredictable nature of the physical and social space in which youth workers operate requires them to capitalise on and privilege spontaneous encounters and not be afraid to use them to begin to challenge or constructively confront violent behaviour. The authors show how these behaviours are meeting deep needs and that youth workers need to find ways to get young people to understand and acknowledge that, and identify how they may be able to meet these needs in other, less destructive, ways. Part of this process may involve presenting oneself as a blueprint for change, in the context of a relationship that needs to be characterised by warmth, trust and respect, but which should not collude with neutralisation of violence or abandon the young person in the face of structural forces. The authors argue that supporting young people to move into voluntary and paid roles where they can help and support others creates the opportunity for them to move into a generative phase of their own life cycle.

scholarly journals Pilot mixed-methods evaluation of interpersonal counselling for young people with depressive symptoms in non-specialist services

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 134-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Oliver Wilkinson ◽  
Viktoria Cestaro ◽  
Ian Pinchen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Young People ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Current Treatment ◽  
Reduced Form ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Treatment As Usual ◽  
Receive Treatment ◽  
The Uk

BackgroundThe majority of young people receive treatment for depressive symptoms in the UK from staff with minimal specialist mental health/therapeutic training. There is no evidence to guide them as to what treatments are likely to be effective. Interpersonal counselling (IPC) is a reduced form of interpersonal psychotherapy and may be an appropriate treatment to use in this population.ObjectivesTo test the effectiveness and acceptability of IPC delivered by youth workers to young people with primarily depressive symptoms.MethodsYouth workers received a 2-day training course in IPC, followed by regular supervision. They delivered IPC to 23 young people who they would normally see in their service, with depressive symptoms as their main problem. Symptoms were assessed by the Revised Child Depression and Anxiety Scale (RCADS). Qualitative interviews of youth workers and young people assessed acceptability.FindingsMean (SD) RCADS depression-T scores fell from 78.2 (11.1) to 52.9 (16.8). All young people and youth workers interviewed were positive about it. Participants detailed specific advantages of IPC above standard counselling, including practical help, the use of goals, psychoeducation and integrating a self-rated questionnaire into treatment.Conclusions and clinical implicationsIPC is likely to be an effective and acceptable treatment for young people with primarily depressive symptoms seen in local authority non-specialist mental health services. Further research is needed to determine if it is more effective than current treatment as usual.

scholarly journals Mental health and well-being of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: contrasting guidelines with experiences in practice

BJPsych Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norha Vera San Juan ◽  
David Aceituno ◽  
Nehla Djellouli ◽  
Kirsi Sumray ◽  
Nina Regenold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Contextual Characteristics ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Uk

Background Substantial evidence has highlighted the importance of considering the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and several organisations have issued guidelines with recommendations. However, the definition of well-being and the evidence base behind such guidelines remain unclear. Aims The aims of the study are to assess the applicability of well-being guidelines in practice, identify unaddressed healthcare workers’ needs and provide recommendations for supporting front-line staff during the current and future pandemics. Method This paper discusses the findings of a qualitative study based on interviews with front-line healthcare workers in the UK (n = 33), and examines them in relation to a rapid review of well-being guidelines developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 14). Results The guidelines placed greater emphasis on individual mental health and psychological support, whereas healthcare workers placed greater emphasis on structural conditions at work, responsibilities outside the hospital and the invaluable support of the community. The well-being support interventions proposed in the guidelines did not always respond to the lived experiences of staff, as some reported not being able to participate in these interventions because of understaffing, exhaustion or clashing schedules. Conclusions Healthcare workers expressed well-being needs that aligned with socio-ecological conceptualisations of well-being related to quality of life. This approach to well-being has been highlighted in literature on support of healthcare workers in previous health emergencies, but it has not been monitored during this pandemic. Well-being guidelines should explore the needs of healthcare workers, and contextual characteristics affecting the implementation of recommendations.

Embedding community work

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Seal ◽  
Pete Harris
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Youth Violence ◽  
Young Men ◽  
Youth Work ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Policy Regimes ◽  
Bonding And Bridging ◽  
Bridging Capital ◽  
The Uk

This chapter details a community-based project in Bradford that, through the use of ‘home-grown’ workers, manages to deliver meaningful responses to youth violence with Asian young men, despite prevailing policy regimes in the UK. The authors offer an alternative lens on such work, introducing the idea of ‘near peer’ youth work and international exchanges, where workers and young people are purposely situated in peer relationships and environments close enough to build affinity and rapport, but sufficiently different so as to expand horizons on aspects of their identity. The authors make the argument that the most effective youth work will simultaneously work on building bonding and bridging capital and recognise the dynamics and tensions between these two concepts.

scholarly journals Dentists deployed: an insider’s perspective of life on the NHS front line

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 21-29
Author(s):  
Harriet E. Powell
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Secondary Care ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Major Trauma ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Front Line ◽  
North West ◽  
National Crisis ◽  
The North ◽  
The Uk

The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched and overburdened healthcare services within the UK. This national crisis has led to the widespread redeployment of healthcare workers and reorganization of services throughout the NHS in the UK. The flexible and altruistic nature of healthcare workers has been inspiring, and central in the UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article describes the ‘first-hand’ experience of a secondary care dentist, highlighting the redeployment journey to the emergency department (ED) of a major trauma hospital in the North-West of England during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Healthcare Workers′ Mental Health and Wellbeing During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK: Contrasting Guidelines with Experiences in Practice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norha Vera San Juan ◽  
David Aceituno ◽  
Nehla Djellouli ◽  
Kirsi Sumray ◽  
Nina Regenold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Frontline Staff ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Uk

Background Substantial evidence has highlighted the importance of considering healthcare workers′ (HCW) mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and several organisations have issued guidelines with recommendations. However, the definition of wellbeing and the evidence-base behind such guidelines remains unclear. Objectives Assessing the applicability of wellbeing guidelines in practice; identify unaddressed HCWs′ needs; and provide recommendations for supporting frontline staff during the current and future pandemics. Methods and Design This paper discusses the findings of a qualitative study based on interviews with frontline healthcare staff in the UK and examines them in relation to a rapid review of wellbeing guidelines developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results 14 guidelines were included in the rapid review and 33 interviews with HCWs were conducted in the qualitative study. As a whole, the guidelines placed greater emphasis on wellbeing at an individual level, while HCWs placed greater emphasis on structural conditions at work, such as understaffing and the invaluable support of the community. This in turn had implications for the focus of wellbeing intervention strategies; staff reported an increased availability of formal mental health support, however, understaffing or clashing schedules prevented them from participating in these activities. Conclusion HCWs expressed wellbeing needs which align with social-ecological conceptualisations of wellbeing related to quality of life. This approach to wellbeing has been highlighted in literature about HCWs support in previous health emergencies, yet it has not been monitored during this pandemic. Wellbeing guidelines should explore staff′s needs and contextual characteristics affecting the implementation of recommendations.

The Circulation of Youth Policies and Adaptation of Youth Work Practices Organised by Young People at Local Level in France

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-108
Author(s):  
Fransez Poisson
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Youth Services ◽  
Community Organisation ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk

Abstract This article is focused on two local participation initiatives in North America and Europe. The Youth Services Cooperatives, summer organizations created by teenagers in Quebec, have been adopted in France since 2013, with the support of local institutions responsible for organising youth policies in the Brittany region (France). The other initiative, youth dialogue exchanges organised by young people, was established in Italy, the United Kingdom, and France. This European scheme aimed to create new ways of thinking about cultural policies for young people at local level. Conceptually, this work is based on actor-network theory (Akrich, Callon, and Latour, 2006) and the transnationalisation of public policies (Hassenteufel, 2005) applied to youth policies (Loncle, 2011), with a view to understanding how organisations working across different countries adapt certain international initiatives between different local contexts. The research is based on fieldwork. Interviews were conducted with young people, youth workers, and decision makers in France and Quebec. In Italy and in the UK, informal discussions and interviews with decision makers were carried out, and observations were made during activities led by young people. The analysis demonstrates that the circulation of participation initiatives is strongly dependent on the original context, especially with regard to the organisation of youth policies. Some characteristics of the initiative, for example the model of community organisation, are difficult to transfer to a country where public policies are centred around public institutions. Because of the absence of international actors who would be able to facilitate links between the organizations involved in these projects, local youth workers have taken on the role of international mediators between the original project and the new initiative in the destination context. These experiences are of interest for understanding how young people can have a fundamental role in implementing new participation initiatives, and have an impact on the definition and implementation of youth policies.

Hospital youth workers for violence reduction

2020 ◽  
pp. archdischild-2020-318917
Author(s):  
Hannah Jacob ◽  
Charles Travers ◽  
Gayle Hann
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Young People ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Emotional Disturbance ◽  
District Hospital ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Urban District ◽  
Violence Reduction

IntroductionYouth workers (YWs) can engage young people following hospital attendances with violence-related injuries. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of YWs in an urban district hospital and to explore the views of the young people engaged.MethodsEveryone referred to the hospital YWs during the 31-month study period was included and demographic data were collected. Those who engaged completed emotional disturbance, risk of criminality and feedback questionnaires.ResultsThere were 496 young people referred during the study period with a mean age of 14. 9 years (range 7–26). Of these, 85 (17%) engaged with YWs and 15/85 (18%) completed the programme. Most (14/15, 93%) showed reduced or no change in their criminality and emotional disturbance scores. Young people liked having credible, accessible mentors and learning effective coping strategies.DiscussionYWs based in a district hospital’s emergency department can work effectively with vulnerable young people, and this is well received by young people.

Responding to Youth Violence Through Youth Work

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Seal ◽  
Pete Harris
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Violence ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Youth Work ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Existential Approach ◽  
Street Violence ◽  
The Moment

The ‘problem’ of violence involving young people and how to respond meaningfully to it continues to occupy the minds of policy-makers and other stakeholders across Europe. Based on a two-year multi-national research project examining youth work responses to youth violence, this book develops a unique analytical frame that presents a model for meaningful responses to youth violence at 4 levels – the personal/psychological, the community/cultural, the structural/symbolic and the existential. The authors develop a number of original themes, namely that for street based youth work to have an impact on street violence it needs to be challenging and avoid collusion with violence, and that interventions need to be aimed at individuals, their communities and the state. Additionally, the authors discuss the transformative potential of an existential approach to youth violence, i.e. one that focuses on meaning making, interpersonal encounter and the privileging of improvised ‘in the moment’ interventions. They also examine how the disciplinary split between sociology and psychology can hinder understanding of youth violence. The authors argue for a psychosocial theoretical approach such as the need to re-think the character of worker-young people relationships, emphasising the complexity of the inner and outer worlds of young people involved in violence. Creating public policy for good practice involves contesting social policy narratives that demonise young people by simplistically identifying them as a threat to others; The need for street based youth workers to meaningfully inform policy responses by seeing themselves as simultaneously practitioners and as ethnographic researchers – an activity we call ethnopraxis.

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