Hospital-based youth work
Supporting youth work in London
Total Investment: £7.8m over three years
The VRU’s hospital-based youth work programme sees clinically embedded youth workers engage with young people aged 11-25-years-old who have been impacted by violence or exploitation and present at Major Trauma Centres (MTCs) and Accident and Emergency Departments (A&E). The youth workers engage with the young person in the hospital immediately after the incident, which research has shown to be a unique ‘teachable moment’, when young people are more likely to consider making significant lifestyle changes.
London’s VRU is leading hospital-based youth work, with new funding ensuring youth workers are embedded in eight A&E locations and four Major Trauma Centres.
These locations have been determined based upon high levels of young victims of violence, and is delivered by Redthread, St Giles Trust and Oasis.
The investment will also enable specialist youth workers to support girls and young women who have been victims of domestic abuse and domestic violence.
A&E locations:
• Newham General Hospital in Plaistow
• The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich
• Croydon University Hospital
• University Hospital Lewisham
• Whittington Hospital, covering Islington and Haringey
• North Middlesex Hospital
• St Thomas’ Hospital
• Homerton University Hospital
Major Trauma Centres:
• Kings College
• St George’s
• St Marys
• The Royal London hospital
Initial data shows that between April 2020 and March 2022, support from youth workers:
- Helped nearly 800 young people with mental health support, access to education and housing, as well as training and employment opportunities.
- Helped young people to feel safe because they have a trusted adult relationship that they can rely on
- Showed that for those that engaged with youth workers, exposure and involvement in violence reduced.
Hospital based youth work evaluation report
The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime Evidence and Insight team carried a mid-line performance and process evaluation on the hospital based youth work programme.
The evaluation report includes:
- emerging best practice
- recommendations
- next steps