Cheshire East Council celebrates Youth Work Week

More young people in Cheshire East are benefiting from dedicated youth support, as part of a drive to combat anti-social behaviour in hotspot areas.

Through a new partnership approach, every Friday night Cheshire East Council’s youth support service has been working with Congleton Beat and Change Grow Live Cheshire East Drug and Alcohol Service. Together, they have been engaging with vulnerable young people on the streets, in communities, green spaces and places of interest in Congleton to ensure they are safe. 

Young people who may be out on the streets are encouraged to use facilities inside a mobile van such as team games, PlayStation, arts and crafts and themed engagement activities on topical issues that affect young people. They are also encouraged to use the support services available if they have any concerns such as criminal and sexual exploitation, substance use or homelessness.    

Councillor Carol Bulman, chair of Cheshire East Council’s children and families committee, said:

“The Friday night project in Congleton is currently working with over 30 young people to engage them in positive activities to keep them safe from harm. This is an excellent example of partnership working with Cheshire Constabulary and Cheshire East Drug and Alcohol Service, to make our towns safer and keep young people off the streets. 

“Moving forward we will continue this collaborative way of working across the borough to engage with our young people.”  

Congleton Beat Sergeant James Bell said:

“Congleton Beat Team have loved having the community bus here for the last few weekends and are keen to see how anti-social behaviour will change with its positive impact. We have already been approached by shop staff, councillors, and parents to say how welcome it has been. 

“It clearly benefits everyone and shows that Congleton residents, the local authority and businesses will work as a cooperative to make our town even safer to live and socialise in.” 

Natalie Mottram, Community prevention and education practitioner for Change Grow Live, Cheshire East Drug and Alcohol service said:

“During our time working in partnership with youth support services we really enjoyed supporting the young people of Congleton and had some engaging conversations around the dangers of drugs and alcohol.  

“The youth support services work hard to support young people and equip them with the skills they need to thrive. We were able to see where young people spend their time, and it was great to chat about how to stay safe and look after each other.  

“We are really grateful to work alongside them as it is a good opportunity to engage with young people who would not always reach out to us for advice or guidance, we look forward to doing more”. 

This comes as this week the council is celebrating Youth Work Week, an annual celebration of all thing’s youth work.  

This year’s theme is a right to youth work for all – delivering positive futures for young people. On Wednesday (November 6), the council’s youth support service hosted an event which brought together over 40 young people with senior managers. 

The event focused on celebrating youth work review services, as well as setting priorities for the Children’s Trust Board and contributing to service planning across the directorate. 

Through arts and crafts, circus skills, and tailored workshops, activities were themed around sexual health, First Aid, substance misuse, mental health and wellbeing, with the voice of a child and their lived experiences captured throughout. 

Councillor Carol Bulman continued:

“At Cheshire East we dedicate the whole month to children’s rights. We value the opinions of young people and want them to celebrate and value their own identity.”