"We met SeanO at a time when my daughter was struggling with her mental health. My daughter was very at ease and felt confident enough to engage with SeanO and his services, this was nice to see as she can usually be a bit shy and nervous. As a parent I really appreciated someone else being able to step in and bring calm to an otherwise extremely emotional and difficult situation.”
An Update from SeanO our Hospital Youth Worker
It's been a busy beginning to our Hospital Youth Work (HYW) project, and we are incredibly grateful to all those that have researched, funded, given support and worked tirelessly to help make it a reality.
The last 6+ months have required attentive compassion for young people, understanding of NHS system operations and thresholds, and agility to get what is best for the presenting young person in the form of information, activities, projects and services that can support their wellbeing, address risk factors, and enhance life outcomes.
In our stakeholders meeting in December, we reported that we'd received just under 200 referrals since April 2022, covering a whole spectrum of risk factors, and for young people living all over Sussex. Many of these young people (and their families) are engaged while in CED itself and given a range of information and support at the time. Each referral is assessed according to their individual concerns, needs and wants in the immediate presentation, or through a follow-up. They are then given appropriate information, signposting and referrals through community navigation and/or given bespoke 1:1 support in a way that suits them through our youth work team. Young people are reporting improved outcomes and a reduction in social risk factors as a result of our work.
The project is currently being externally evaluated; results will be shared in our next newsletter!
To sign up for the Hospital Youth Work Project Newsletter please enter your details here.
Did you know? Since the start of the project, we have also:
- Helped with inductions and educational meetings for Consultants, Doctors & Newly Qualified Nurses.
- Co-delivered front-line assessment training (with more in the pipeline).
- Improved data gathering, tightened feedback loops to our referrers.
- Grown links with school nurses, adolescent specialists, safeguarding, exploitation and other hospital and health-based youth work teams.
- Been invited to help engage young people in co-designing the teenage space within CED.
- And are developing care bags for young people that are admitted onto wards.