Dedicated social space open every weekday afternoon will provide young people with advice and information
A new, dedicated space for care-experienced young people has opened in the centre of Gateshead. The Outpost is easily accessible via public transport and open on weekday afternoons. Young people can use the Outpost for socialising with one another, and to access information and advice on a range of topics.
The Mayor of Gateshead, Cllr Kath McCartney, officially opens the Outpost in Gateshead, photo courtesy of Gateshead Council
It has been designed in line with responses to a consultation last year, where the council worked with focus groups of young people to determine what they felt would be beneficial to them in such a space.
The Outpost was officially opened last week at a special event. This was attended by leading figures from the local council, including Cllr Kath McCartney (the Mayor of Gateshead), Cllr Gary Haley (Cabinet Members for Children and Young People) and Cllr John Adams (Cabinet Member of Adult Social Care).
The launch saw sessions on home energy efficiency provided by Groundwork to support independent living. There was also smoothie making and a graffiti street art session with NHS adult peer support.
Over coming months, the Outpost is expected to host a range of social events as well as clinics and sessions on welfare rights, health, employment and training, housing and accommodation. There will be support from the Job Centre and Learning for Skills, as well as focus on such subjects as sexual health, careers advice and guidance, adult peer mental health support and talking therapies.
The Outpost is just one of a number of initiatives the council has taken forward. In December las year, again in response to input from young people in Gateshead, councillors unanimously passed a motion to make care experience a protected characteristic, on the same standing as such factors as disability and race that the council must consider in all decisions, to meet its commitments to the Equality Act 2010.
The aim is to ensure that no one is penalised or discriminated against because of their experience of care. Gateshead is more of about 100 councils across the country to make the change.
This is all part of the council’s wider efforts to ensure that young people have a voice and are heard in any decisions that affect them. The same month as this motion was passed, regulator Ofsted praised this work and the support offered in Gateshead to young people leaving care – including on such matters as housing, emotional well-being and access to education, employment and training opportunities.
Cllr Gary Haley, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Gateshead Council, says: ‘The Outpost is a space in which care experienced young people feel safe and can engage with a range of both internal and external services to support them across the breadth of the needs of young people with experience of being in care. It is important that we as corporate parents ensure that we give our young people access to this valuable support to help them thrive into adulthood.’
Helen Fergusson, Strategic Director for Children’s Social Care and Lifelong Learning, adds: ‘We are delighted to open The Outpost as a place for our young people get advice to support them with improved outcomes in a range of areas such as employment and housing but also well-being. We really value our young people and want to give them the best possible opportunities to help them make the transition into adulthood.’
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