We bring potential to life

Most of us can count on our families for love, support and guidance when we need it most. But young people in care have to grow up without this safety net. And at age 18, the limited support they do receive drops substantially at a really critical time. This lack of support can leave them feeling abandoned and vulnerable and facing a future of further disadvantage.

We're here to fill that gap and to support young care-leavers on their journey into adulthood. We help them move towards practical, financial, social and emotional independence and a happier and more fulfilling future.

A unique holistic approach

Our vision is to create a blueprint for best practice nationally, setting a standard for supporting young people who are in and leaving care.

Our approach is based on research that shows that developing social and emotional capabilities is key to transforming the way young people deal with challenges in life and can transform the way they see their future.

It’s why we place mental health and wellbeing at the heart of everything we do and it’s why therapeutic support is built into every aspect of our organisation.

Our diverse, highly experienced team are trained in dealing with young people with complex trauma and mental health diagnoses who have had multiple placement breakdowns.

Taking a strengths-based approach that prioritises young peoples’ skills, abilities and interests we work closely with young people to build the kind of warm and nurturing relationships that provide a stable base for long-term behaviour change.

Research shows that just as episodes of trauma can shift the direction of life, positive experiences can have a transformational impact on young people.

We don’t have a one size fits all approach, we create bespoke support programmes tailored to the needs of our young people drawing from our three key services:

one to one support for care leavers

1-to-1 coaching, support and advocacy

Through one-to-one support, we help young people leaving care with the kind of everyday tasks most of us take for granted; managing finances, accessing health services – even grocery shopping.

This personal support also helps young people understand how to keep themselves safe in a new and sometimes daunting adult world.

Our key workers also encourage young people to aspire to a positive future by helping them access education or employment opportunities or volunteer. They help them create CVs and offer assistance throughout the application and recruitment processes.

We know attending college or starting a new job can be overwhelming for some young people. So our key workers will support them to stay in education or at a job if they’re finding it difficult to cope.

We encourage young people to broaden their horizons through taking part in sports, cultural and arts activities. This gives them the confidence to try new things and develops hobbies and interests whilst building positive relationships with staff and peers.

Therapy

The integration of therapy with keywork and accommodation significantly improves mental well-being and the possibilities of meaningful, positive life change. We offer both one-to-one counselling and group therapy tailored to each young person’s needs. Our arts-based therapies, including dance movement psychotherapy and dramatherapy, have been proven to bring significant improvements in self-esteem, communication skills and social interaction.

For young parents, we offer Theraplay, a child and family therapy that helps builds attachment, self esteem and trust.

Click here to read about our interactive dramatherapy exhibition funded by the national Lottery

young adult support charity in Lambeth and London

Our holistic approach allows vulnerable young people to express their thoughts and feelings in a safe space, enabling them to develop an emotional language, make sense of their experiences, and begin to believe in the possibility of a brighter future.

We found that for many young people attending external appointments can create additional anxiety, so we offer our therapies at the young person’s home or preferred public space.

As part of our therapeutic approach we also give young people a platform to have their voices heard and to tell their stories.

Our Portraits of the Mind project with professional artist Doma Dovgialo helps young people express their emotions in a creative way.

Click here to read about her previous work.

A safe place to live

For young people leaving care, a safe place to live provides a much needed sense of security that’s fundamental to their growth and development. Our accommodation is aspirational with high quality fixtures and fittings. High quality aspirational accommodation makes our young people feel valued and means they are more likely to take pride in their living space and maintain it to a higher standard.

We offer both 24 hour residential supported accommodation and semi-independent flats in the community.

24 hour residential accommodation

Yvonne House is our 24-hour therapeutic residential unit in South London for young women aged 16 to 21. Purpose built in consultation with care-leavers and designed around their needs.

All residents have experienced complex trauma and they have often been through multiple placements and many are referred to us from high support situations such as secure units, psychiatric care and children’s homes.

They are given a high-quality, freshly decorated, fully furnished studio room, modern en-suite bathroom and a grant so they can personalise it and make it feel like home. The unit has a bespoke therapy space and the residents share a high spec kitchen and multi-function common room that hosts a range of activities and workshops, from movie nights to boxing, dance, creative writing and indian head massage.

Residents are able to explore and make sense of their identity through sporting, cultural and artistic activities. This helps generate a sense of belonging and promotes positive feelings of self-esteem and wellbeing and build new skills and interests.

We want our young women residents to feel confident, equipped and hopeful for the future. So Yvonne House aims to be more than just a safe and comfortable home, but somewhere that broadens horizons, allows young people to grown and develop and empowers them to achieve their potential.

Community-based flats

Our high quality, well-maintained central London flats provide our young people with a supported, but very real, training flat experience. Living next door to working professionals, they’re given an opportunity to understand the realities and challenges of living independently, whilst being supported to keep themselves and their home safe. This helps equip them with the life skills they need to increase their ability to secure – and keep – permanent housing.

Young Futures CIC

info@youngfutures.org.uk 127 Lambeth Walk, London, SE11 6EE

Community Interest Company No: 5962550

For placement enquires and referrals please call: 07811 155838 or 07940 352283

Yvonne House duty 24/7 Tel: 07896 102 842
Community out-of-hours on-call Monday to Friday 5pm to 9am, weekends and bank holidays Tel: 07435 964 589