Merseyside TCP

Who’s it for

Young people aged 11-25 with learning disabilities or autism living in all Youth Fed Delivery areas

What is it?

Youth Fed are looking to build on the success of our Positive Psychology Sessions and build a full programme for young people with autism and other learning difficulties to help them to ‘live their best lives’.

We will offer group support that is age, ability and sometimes geographically specific. Once a referral is received each individual will be assessed virtually, as to which group would best suit their needs. All sessions will run with a maximum of 8 young people.

Groups will meet weekly for 2 hours either virtually or face to face. Many autistic young people do not like virtual platforms and some don’t like face to face interaction in groups so the type of delivery will be guided by the young people.

Support will be available for young people from age 11 up to age 25. Many SEND young people leave school at 16 and unless they attend college they find it difficult to make new friendships. They are also less likely to be in training or employment as many employers are reluctant to take them on and do not adjust their recruitment processes to take account of their needs.

Group sessions will be a mixture of fun activities to build confidence and friendships and structured mental health support. Typical topics would be:
• Make a Friend not Foe of anxiety – Young People would learn strategies to reduce anxiety
• Anxiety Management Diary – Creative session
• Laughter is the best medicine! – Participants become aware of the link between laughter and mental health and how it stops distressing emotions. Laughter draws you closer to others, which can have a profound effect on all aspects of mental and emotional health.
• Sleep Hygiene – There are activities individuals can do during the day that will help them sleep better at night. Waking up and getting out of bed about the same time each day is as important as going to bed about the same time each night. Other daytime activities can also help sleep by making a big difference between night-time and daytime.
• Why Worry? – Encourages them to recognise and talk about their feelings. Our How to Manage your Mood Quiz offers them a visual way of communicating their feelings.
• Mindfulness, meditation and well-being Mindfulness – is a mind-body approach to life that helps us to relate differently to experiences. It involves paying attention to our thoughts and feelings in a way that increases our ability to manage difficult situations and make wise choices
• Stay Well Plan – The plan draws from experiences exploring what works for each person and building support around that, including the things they can do alone and those needing others support.

We can also offer specific employability support such as CV writing & interview techniques along with sessions on money management and other life skills.

We also have a range of cyber-security workshops to introduce young people to careers in cyber-security which many neurodiverse people excel in. We will also work with The Cheshire and Warrington Pledge to secure work experience opportunities for the young people.

Youth Fed are also a Kickstart Gateway organisation and are working with employers to offer young people Kickstart roles and specific work skills training, whilst they are on the programme.

Fun activities would include quizzes, scavenger hunts, virtual escape rooms and face to face activities such as bowling, crazy golf, laser quest, escape room, yoga & walking.

We will work with the local college, university and young people with autism who have successfully completed further and higher education to offer insights into the support available should young people want to attend college or university.

Any young people who require more intensive support can be referred to our targeted employability programmes such as Talent Match or can receive one-to-one mental health support from our clinically-trained Emotional Health Support worker who is also a Mental Health First Aid Instructor via MHFA England. We can also link young people with volunteering opportunities to increase their confidence and gain employability skills.