Everybody deserves a chance
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Sligo Leitrim Home Youth Liaison Service The service is at present working in 26 schools. Each of these schools is visited on a weekly basis to work on to one to one with students and also group work. For a list of schools see the end of this page. The Service is available to help all parents and young people when need arises in other primary and post primary schools in the North West Region. Should the need arise, one of the Home Youth Liaison Officers will also make themselves available for emergency cases in other schools not directly affiliated with the service e.g. the Home Youth Liaison Service has previously acted as a support service to all the post-primary schools in North Leitrim and one school in south Leitrim.
Our Focus• Identify education issues or concerns for young people and their families, and link with the appropriate support services. • Identify welfare issues or concerns for young people and their families and to liaise and refer on to the appropriate support services. • Provide, where necessary and appropriate, a follow up service with the family and supporting service. • Provide, where possible a one-to-one support for young people referred. • Provide peer support for young people in group work situations, within and outside of the school, where appropriate. • Facilitate the transition from primary to post primary school. • Develop programmes, where possible to cater for specific individual or group needs. • Enable and encourage young people to develop for themselves the knowledge, skills and personal qualities to facilitate their own development and future potential. In order for us to achieve our goals and objectives we have divided our work into a number of categories including:
Individual WorkYoung people are referred to the HYLS by variety of people and services; including schools, HSE (Social Work, Psychology and Psychiatric services) Social Services, Probation & Welfare, Education & Welfare, GP's, Gardaí, Training Agencies (VEC, FÁS), other Voluntary and Youth Groups, parents and self-referrals. The Home Youth Liaison Officer meets with the referred young people on an individual basis in schools, home and training centres. The nature of the work is dependant on the individual needs of the young person, examples of which include: Anger-management, self-esteem, relationships and sexuality, friendships, bullying, organisational and study skills, supporting the young person's educational needs, counselling, communication skills, drug and alcohol awareness, bereavement and separation, depression, poor self-image, crime and anti- social behaviour, listening to and advising the young person on some of the emotional needs they may be experiencing. The Home Youth Liaison Officer will then if necessary make referrals to other agencies depending on the issue or need in question. Some of the agencies that the HYLS makes referrals to include: • Social Work • FÁS • Psychology • Education & Welfare Board • Addiction Services • Social Services • GP • Voluntary and Community Groups in the Sligo and Leitrim area (e.g. Foróige, Family Resource Centres, North Connaght Youth Service, other Homework Clubs and Youth Groups in the area). Group WorkOn a regular basis the HYLS involves a limited number of young people in after-school programmes designed and delivered by HYLO. These issue-based after-school programmes are specifically designed to address the needs of many of the young people referred to our service. After- school groups delivered in the past have included: Young Women's Health, Environmental Care and Awareness, Anti-racism and Cultural Awareness, Heath and Fitness, Woodwork, Pottery, Art Workshops, Healthy Eating. Residential WorkWeekend Trips & Summer Residential Programme In collaboration with the HSE Social Work Department the HYLS organises and delivers short-term residential breaks for referred young people. Both of the above breaks are undertaken with a small group of young people, which allows positive relations to develop between the HYLO and the young person. These breaks give the young people an opportunity to enjoy themselves in a supervised safe environment through participation in fun age-appropriate activities. These breaks also provide respite for families in need. One-to-One TuitionA home tuition service is available in the HYLS to young people who are temporarily out of school for various reasons. The Education and Welfare Board refer young people to this service. A maximum of nine hours per week one-to-one tuition is supplied by part-time teachers in the offices of the HYLS. Educational TrainingThe HYLS delivers a wide variety of Educational Training Programmes in the majority of primary and post-primary schools in the Sligo area and surrounds. These programmes include:
Inter-agency NetworkingThe HYLS establishes and maintains links with all relevant agencies involved with the referred young person and their families. The purpose of this inter-agency work is three-fold: Co-ordination of service provision, avoidance of duplication or overlap with other childcare / youth services, onward referral of individuals to appropriate services.
When referrals are made to the Home Youth Liaison Service, the following are normally the presenting problems:
Having cone into contact with the service, the client or their families involved will have:
List of Schools Achonry N.S. Ballinode CollegeBallymote N.S. Banada N.S. Carraroe N.S. Castlerock N.S. Colaiste Muire, Ballymote Coola School Curry N.S. Drimina N.S. Holy Family N.S. Tubbercurry Mary Immaculate Girls School, Collooney Mercy College Moylough N.S. Our Lady of Mercy Primary School Scoil Ursula Scoil Mhuire gan Smàl, Ballymote Sligo School Project St Edwards N.S. St Brendan’s National School St John’s Primary School St Mary’s Ballisodare St Michael’s N.S. Cloonacool St Paul’s N.S. Collooney Summerhill College Ursuline College |
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