Specialist Youth Workers (SYW) programme - East Lothian Council: How you knew it worked
This section details the progress and impact of the project, including reviewing evidence against measures of success and consideration of next steps. It also reviews the broader impact of the project, in addition to its original aims, and any unintended consequences.
Improvements in attendance were largely based on observations and feedback from a range of practitioners, parents and young people. Quantitative attendance data was supplemented where available.
Information from wellbeing webs evidence the progress and journey of change made by the young people. The wellbeing web bolsters observational impact and positively supports other aspects of data gathered. A summary of progress is represented below, analysed from information gathered from wellbeing webs at the beginning and end of academic session 2023-2024. It is reported that all young people involved in SYW programmes had on average:
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a 42% increase feeling they were achieving
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a 30% increase in being healthy
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a 30% increase in feeling respected
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a 31% increase in being more active
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a 26% increase in feeling safe
An excerpt of feedback from a headteacher and young person is detailed below to illustrate the value of the SYW programme:
'The High School is obviously a very caring school, but the SYWs have come in and provided visible care and support for our children to support the transition to high school. I genuinely hope we can continue to work together for years to come' - Head Teacher
'I have been meeting my youth worker every Tuesday for a year for our wellbeing walks. She has gradually helped me out of a very low and isolated place. School wasn’t working for me and having a really bad impact on my mental health. She has given me opportunities to grow in confidence, to like myself for who I am and make friendships. Without her, I dread to think where I would still be - at home isolated and lonely'- Young Person
The project aimed to tackle a broad range of barriers and circumstances that were preventing young people from achieving their potential. As a result, a number of observations were made on improvements beyond the young person being in school. For example, SYWs were informed of improvements in family circumstances and situations at home.
One unexpected opportunity arose through the relationship with the local authority’s employability service, East Lothian Works. This has supported a Third Sector organisation, that provide a SYW, to access funding to provide employability programmes. This will play a key role in helping individuals develop the skills, confidence, and knowledge needed to secure and sustain meaningful employment.
The project uses a combination of measures to triangulate impact. This includes quantitative attendance data, observations from SYWs, school staff and partners and feedback from young people. Information was also synthesised from wellbeing webs.
Future plans include improving methods for data collection to provide clarity and expectations on agreed measures with partners and to strengthen the content of reporting to robustly demonstrate impact. The project’s reports could be further strengthened by linking to the School Improvement Planning cycle to align with shared priorities.
