contacting and meeting the young person

contacting the young person

Young people can become transient, uncontactable or hard to reach as they near the end of their journey in Youth Service.

Early intervention is key. Contacting the young person now ensures that you're prepared for any change in circumstances or unexpected exits.

before contacting the young person

You should:

update the young person's ART record
update and result their activities
follow up on incomplete actions, e.g. incentive payments
use the exit reminders for a list of things you need to do or complete.

successful contact

You should:

check on their wellbeing first
discuss their situation, e.g. continue or exit youth service
discuss any change in their circumstances, e.g. looking for work, work ready or already working, reconciled with family and returned home or moved to another area
discuss next steps and make arrangements to meet with you to complete appropriate forms
where applicable, advise them on what to bring to the meeting, e.g. supporting documentation.

meeting the young person

There are things that need to be done or actions to be completed by you and the young person.

Exit reminders

Use the exit reminders to guide you through the exit process.

Completing forms

The most commonly used form for stopping, starting, continuing, cancelling payments or exiting youth service is the Youth Service Continue or stop payments form. This form should be used to stop payments if the young person no longer needs it or qualifies for it.

It can also be used to continue payments when the young person's payments stop and they've chosen to remain in Youth Service because they're still (and remain) in education, training or work-based learning.

Things you should note when completing forms:

has the young person’s address details changed?
has the young person been working?
is the young person continuing study?
is the young person in a relationship?
has a new child come into the young person’s care?
does the young person wish to continue their redirections?
does the young person want their payment card balance withdrawn and paid directly into their bank account?
have the forms been signed, dated and completed in full?

You will need to use your knowledge and resources to determine the best approach to supporting the young person through their exit, e.g. supporting a single young parent who has now indicated they have reconciled with their partner.

other forms, additional information and supporting documentation

Some processes will require additional forms to be completed by you and the young person. Where applicable, the young person should also provide as much information as possible as well as provide any supporting documentation to support their exit.

Examples of supporting documents can be (but not limited to):

verification of accommodation costs (if this has changed)
baby's birth certificate (a new baby has come into care)
a letter from the young person outlining their situation.

notifying yssu

Once all forms have been completed (and supporting documents have been gathered), you will need to:

scan, link or add them to one of the commonly used ART task
complete the task questions
submit the task through to YSSU for processing
update and result activities
follow up on incomplete actions, e.g. incentive payments
request exit when all actions have been completed.

The most commonly used ART tasks for continuing or stopping payments or exiting Youth Service are:

start or stop payments
age out of Youth Service
YP/YPP Transition to a Main Benefit
request exit.

notifying the young person

You should monitor your notifications on your dashboard. Once you receive notification from YSSU, notify the young person of the outcome.