One million pounds from the Big Lottery Fund!
Independent People have been awarded £1m from the Youth in Focus Programme from the Big Lottery Fund.
The money will be used to improve outcomes for young people leaving care and young people leaving custody through a new service called Future 4 Me.
The money is part of a £30m Youth in Focus fund set up by the Big Lottery Fund to target young people leaving care and young people leaving Young Offenders Institutions.
About Future 4 Me
The project is the result of a partnership that brings together a wide range of statutory and independent sector services and offers young people better access to good quality accommodation, sports & arts opportunities, learning support, mentoring and volunteering opportunities.
The project aims to start in November 2011, and will target young people who have complex needs and are currently falling in and out of services, including young people with learning difficulties, mental health needs and young women.
The Future 4 Me team of specialist support workers will offer intensive one to one support to young people
Future 4 Me partnership
The project has been established in partnership the South West Resettlement Consortium (SWRC), a group of statutory and independent sector agencies sponsored by the Youth Justice Board of England and Wales to spearhead improvements in how young people leaving custody are supported.
Jamie Gill, Service Improvement Director at Independent People said:
“We are so excited that the Future 4 Me project has been chosen by the BIG Lottery fund. The message from young people is that they really need a stable place to live, structure in their lives and encouragement from staff that will go the extra mile, standing by them through the big challenges in their lives. There are so many really positive opportunities and services out there, the Future 4 Me team is there to join services up for young people who too often fall through the net.
The organisations in the partnership believe strongly that every child and young person has the potential to achieve positive outcomes, given the right support, opportunities and encouragement. The Future 4 Me team will support young people through the transition from youth to adulthood, linking them in with the very best services and opportunities available”.
Mike Rees, Project Manager for the SWRC "The Consortium welcomes this new initiative which builds on existing partnerships and will achieve better outcomes for young people in the West of England"
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