Integrated Youth Support

Integrated Youth Support (IYS) is one of six partnerships under the Medway Children’s Trust Board. IYS involves a range of organisations working in partnership to support young people through their teenage years and into adult hood through a comprehensive youth offer. Sometimes children and young people need or would like extra information and support. IYS aims to provide that support through a range of services covering issues such as:

• Education, employment and training (Connexions)
• Coping in vulnerable situations (Young carers)
• Extended services in secondary schools
• Housing (Housing Solutions)
• Money management
• Places to go and things to do (Youth Services)
• Relationships and teenage pregnancy (Contraceptive and Sexual Health Services)
• Staying out of trouble (Youth Offending Team)
• Volunteering opportunities
• Your rights

We want to create a society in which all young people develop and progress, fulfilling their potential and making a positive contribution to their communities.

Our priorities are to:

• Develop the resilience of young people and reduce the incidence of substance misuse, including alcohol, and so lessen the related personal harm and public disorder;
• Reduce anti social behaviour
• Prevent youth offending and reduce re offending to reduce the number of young people within the youth justice system
• Keep Medway’s most vulnerable young people safe by embedding safeguarding improvements and minimising incidents of child abuse and neglect
• Increase participation and performance of students from age 14 – 19 years with improved choices and support particularly for vulnerable young people
• Accelerate a reduction in the under-18 conception rate, and ensure that young people are able to make positive choices about their sexual health and wellbeing
• Ensure that children with disabilities are supported through an increase in availability of short breaks closer to home and other opportunities which also provide support to their families
• Reduce youth homelessness, tackle the circumstances that lead to young people leaving family home, and maximise the supply of safe, suitable and affordable housing to meet the needs of young people in Medway
• Reduce obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption, through promotion of healthy lifestyles among children and young people and their families.

Chair: Juliet Sevior, Assisstant Director Inclusions, Medway Council

For more information about Integrated Youth Support please contact:
David Dowie 01634 334408 david.dowie@medway.gov.uk