About the Project
Our service is based at Neath Abbey Business Park. It is a young person friendly building, where there are opportunities for activities as well as rooms for undertaking assessments and therapeutic/brief interventions. The aim of our service is to reduce offending and re-offending by children and young people. We are aware that the needs of children and young people vulnerable to drug and alcohol related harm are different to those of adults, and therefore our interventions, which are tailored to individual need, are extremely important. This involves working on social and emotional capabilities, often referred to as ‘soft skills’. They include: self-awareness, social awareness, understanding our own and others’ emotions, managing feelings and self-discipline. They relate to the ‘internal balance’ of a person: a change in attitude, confidence or self-control.
Who do we support?
We support young people between 10 and 18 years old living in Neath Port Talbot. We can support from our office, from clients’ homes, residential homes, schools and wherever clients feel the most comfortable.
How do we do it?
All young people receive an in-depth assessment of their substance use-related needs, and education and awareness are always provided in line with identified needs. Care is taken to ensure that young people’s learning, speech and language needs are taken in to account, and this is the benefit of working in and being based within a multi-disciplinary team where there are specialist workers sharing crucial information in order to get the best outcomes for the children. Importantly, we also support children in families where there are drug-using parents, gaining trust with parents who are using substances to support and maintain family life and ensure maximum safety for the children. We also support young people in attending health-related appointments (GP/dentist/sexual health clinics) that they would not have accessed otherwise, and work step by step towards them becoming confident to do this alone.