About Us
Our Mission
Our mission is to work together to empower, support and safeguard children and young people in Luton.
Our priorities are to ensure Luton is a safe place to grow up, live and work in and to enable children and young people to make a positive contribution to their communities and achieve positive outcomes for themselves.
The aims of the Youth Partnership Service are to reduce the risk of child criminal exploitation, first-time offending, re-offending, and anti-social behaviour, reduce harm to children and young people and protect the public from harm.
Through our statutory and early intervention, we aim to significantly improve the outcomes and opportunities for the children and young people in Luton. In addition, we work with high-risk families where children are at risk of entering the local authority care system or where children in care are at risk of placement breakdown.
Young people have said:
YPS can “hopefully change you for the better” and stated that staff were helpful when they “don’t be harsh” and “talk like a friend.”
Through YPS, I learned to take ownership, to prioritise my mental health and that “just because something bad happens, doesn’t mean it’s the end”.
My case manager“understood I just made a mistake” and reps helped me “develop more people skills before I started my apprenticeship”.
“I am being supported to move forward”.
YPS gives me “a chance to talk about real-life things”.
“When I get in the building I feel safe“.
Our Values
Collaborative
We work together to empower, support and safeguard children and young people in Luton. We recognise that working in partnership is key to providing effective and comprehensive support to children.
Ambitious
We're determined to improve lives every day. We believe that every child has the potential to achieve great things and that personal growth and development are key to success. By fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth, we can support children to build resilience, confidence, and skills that will help them be safe, navigate challenges and achieve their goals.
Respectful
We are open, honest and embrace differences. We believe in treating all children and their families with respect, dignity, and compassion, creating a safe and non-judgmental space, we can help young people feel valued and supported as they work towards making positive changes in their lives.
Empowering
We trust our own decisions and those of others. We believe in the importance of understanding and relating to the experiences and challenges faced by young people in our community. By approaching our work with empathy, we can build strong relationships and create a supportive environment that helps children feel heard and understood.
Supportive
We help each other to reach our full potential. By working together, we can support each other and create a network of support that meets the diverse needs of the children we serve.
Our Respect Charter
The Youth Partnership Service is a safe space:
- Where we will create an environment that allows open and honest discussion if issues arise
- We are able to address uncomfortable things, comfortably
- That allows me to say “I feel overwhelmed” without judgement
- Where I can seek support from my peers.
We will respect each other by:
- Recognising and valuing each other’s ideas, differences, opinions and expertise
- Encouraging and supporting one another
- Celebrating cultural differences
- Operating as one service
Meet Our Team
Job Roles
We provide the team with mentoring and support that helps them as they work with you, making sure they are provided the right training and skills. We make sure that they are doing the best things for you as young people, and check you are getting all that you need while you work with us.
We work with you on a diversion, prevention or referral order, depending on what has happened so far. All interventions we offer are tailored to you, to ensure we are able to support you in the best way so that when your intervention ends, you have learnt skills that can better equip you going forward. This may involve work around consequences of offending, weapons awareness and boundaries.
We support you as you first come into contact with youth justice, finding out about you and how we can help. We make sure all professionals are doing their part in supporting you. Our role also involves carrying out essential checks to make sure timetables are followed, and assist those who are engaging in community service.
Speech and Language needs are very common for young people. My role is to assess your communication needs and help those around you to give you the support you need. I may talk to you about how you listen and speak to others. I can create tasks that help you communicate your thoughts and worries if this is difficult for you.
We work with young people at home, at school and in the community in many forms. We support you while you face negative and positive challenges, listening to your worries and concerns. We work with young people individually and within groups to create positive change, and enhance wellbeing and future skills.
We work with young people under the age of 18 who are on the edge of going into the care system. We use a whole family approach and take into consideration the dynamics at home. We look at the strengths and build on these, whilst trying to reduce risks and harms. We also consider the factors outside the home, such as community and school, and how this impacts you.
I work with young people from across the service to make sure your voice is being heard, and that everyone is working together to support you. I might ask you about new ideas that we have at the service, and any important changes that might happen, so that we make sure we work in collaboration with young people at all times. I also co-ordinate the local Youth Council, to ensure the voice of young people in Luton is heard on a local, regional and national level.
We are the people you see when you come into the Youth Partnership Service building. We welcome you into reception and sign you in and out safely. We make sure any paperwork is completed and sent to the right person, and that the right information is shared.
My role is to make sure we meet any emotional wellbeing need that you may have. This could involve having sessions around your thoughts and feelings. It may also include working with you while we explore methods to reduce harm. I may also refer you to counselling or group support if needed.
We work with individuals who have caused harm to others, and who have agreed to work with us to restore the relationship between the perpetrator and those they may have harmed. This could involve face to face work or through letters of explanation. The aim is to try and explore an offence in a restorative way, where a positive way forward can be found.
We also work with any victims, and their families, to ensure they get the support that they need.
We work with individuals who have caused harm to others, and who have agreed to work with us to restore the relationship between the perpetrator and those they may have harmed. This could involve face to face work or through letters of explanation. The aim is to try and explore an offence in a restorative way, where a positive way forward can be found.
We also work with any victims, and their families, to ensure they get the support that they need.
I work to support you while you work with the youth partnership service to ensure your health needs are being met. This may involve ensuring you get any appointments you need or the right medications. I aim to ensure you have the health care you need, and reduce health inequalities.
I work with young people who may be misusing substances such as alcohol and drugs. I aim to support you reduce any harm from substances. This may involve exploring how to change your use of substances, or gain knowledge around any misuse. I also help you gain understanding around the issues with substances within the community.
We focus on your education, training and employment needs. We support those who may have undiagnosed special educational needs, and help you to overcome any barriers to learning. We support you to find and maintain education, training or employment in a safe environment, that best suits your needs and aims for your future.