Involving Young People in Parenting Programmes
SECTION 3
3.4 Referrals
As can be seen from the table below the agencies referring young people and their families to the project sites for the IYPP interventions were the agencies most likely to come into contact with young people involved in anti-social or offending behaviour or truancy. However, self- referrals were the second highest referral route which could suggest a group of these families were actively seeking help.
| Referral Agency | Number (n) |
|---|---|
| Social Services | 34 |
| Self-referral | 24 |
| Youth Offending Team | 19 |
| Education | 11 |
| Health | 2 |
| Other | 10 |
| Missing data | 4 |
Base=104 young people
In the individual interviews with 10 parents and 8 young people the reasons for referral to the IYPP project were explored further by the PRB:
Both parents and young people were asked why they had been referred to the IYPP.
The 10 parents stated that their child had been referred due to one of the following risk factors:
- Behaviour and truancy issues
- Miscellaneous issues (e.g. absence of a father figure; learning difficulties; and health and psychological problems)
- Offending and antisocial behaviour
Behaviour and truancy issues was the most common reason provided by parents as to why their child had been referred to the IYPP, with offending and antisocial behaviour being the least common reason.
The 8 young people cited multiple reasons as to why they were attending the IYPP including:
- Truancy and other school related issues
- Behavioural problems (e.g. anger management, violent aggression)
- Offending and antisocial behaviour
Most of the 8 young people interviewed stated that truancy and other school related issues may have triggered their referral to the IYPP project, with some reporting that they were being bullied at school at the start of the IYPP intervention. The desire to return to mainstream schooling had led a couple of young people to become involved in the IYPP project.
In addition to truancy and school related issues, four of the young people also stated that behavioural problems were one of the main reasons for participating with the IYPP. Only a couple of these young people stated that offending or antisocial behaviour were the reasons for attending the IYPP project.
Nearly all of the young people interviewed stated that they had previously been involved in similar types of services/programmes to the IYPP intervention they had received. Previous services had included counselling, family therapy, anger management courses, as well as specific government funded initiatives, such as On Track.