Member Profile: Bucks Youth Counselling Alliance (BYCA)
21 July, 2011
A New Partnership Celebrating 30 Years of Outstanding Delivery in Buckinghamshire.
Bucks Youth Counselling Alliance (BYCA) is a new partnership of two long established and highly respected agencies in Buckinghamshire - Way in, Chesham and the Youth Enquiry Service, High Wycombe, who between them have over 30 years of experience of the provision of high quality YIAC services throughout the county.
Background
The Youth Enquiry Service (YES) which was established in 1982 is based at 52 Frogmoor in High Wycombe and provides a wide range of services, including:
- A walk in drop in service from 11.00 to 17.00 Monday to Thursday and from 12.00 until 15.00 on Friday and Saturday
- One to one counselling is offered by appointment during drop in opening times and also three evenings per week from 17.00 to 21.00
- The agency also offers an excellent Sexual Health scheme for young people in partnership with the local Family Planning Clinic and is one of the largest C-Card schemes in the country with over 2.5k young people registered
- Through a partnership with Connexions, the agency offers specialist Housing and Accommodation advice for young people twice a week
- Last year the agency was accredited as a training provider with the Open College Network and now provides an accredited Enquiry Volunteer Course for all of its volunteers
- In addition to the Enquiry Volunteer Course, the agency has also developed an accredited Certificate in Counselling Supervision Course which is being run to train experienced counsellors at both YES and Way In to provide clinical supervision for our volunteer counsellors
Way In was established in 1988 and is based at 60 High Street, Chesham. The agency has for many years focussed primarily on its counselling service which has been praised both locally and nationally for the high standards that it has developed in the field of youth counselling. It has, however, in recent years begun to expand the range of services on offer through its One Stop Shop Partnership with a number of other local agencies. These include:
- Connexions Careers provision two afternoons per week
- Housing Interaction Trust which provides a range of housing advice and support for young people aged 16 - 25 including the Leaving Care Project which provides lodgings in secure caring homes
- Check Out – a free sexual health drop in for young people under 25
- The Practice NHS Nurses give free and confidential sexual health screening check-ups and tests for the under 25s
- Young Addaction who provide information and support around substance misuse issues
In addition to the above, the agency has started a new initiative called the Jigsaw Project which provides a wider family based service which includes:
- Work in junior schools with younger children in the 10 to 12 age group. This incorporates counselling skills with play therapy and creative interventions appropriate to the target group.
- Counselling provision for parents and young people – these are seen separately by different counsellors with a view to eventually meeting up together for a joint session to resolve conflicts/differences that have been affecting the family as a whole
- Parenting Skills Courses for the parents of teenagers using the Triple P Training Programme
The Future
Traditionally both YES and Way In have worked closely together and have run joint recruitment and training programmes as well as having the same Senior Youth Worker responsible for the line management of the Project Coordinators.
In terms of the future as the Youth Service who currently provide funding for both agencies move towards greater commissioning of services, Way In and YES have formed a strategic alliance with a view to merging as a single charity to provide YIAC services across the whole of Buckinghamshire.
This alliance will also enable both projects to develop new initiatives which will help to broaden the scope of their supportive interventions with young people and those concerned with their well being such as parents or carers. They will also become more actively involved with the younger age range currently being seen as part of the Jigsaw Project in order to help bridge the transition gap from Junior to Secondary School. They will also continue to broaden the base of their accredited training programme to incorporate other approaches such as Solution Focussed Brief Therapy and CBT.
How has it helped being a Youth Access Member?
Both agencies are long time members of Youth Access and greatly appreciate the benefits of being a member of the organisation, particularly the regular updates and research reports that are becoming increasingly essential as the commissioning culture gathers pace. Both agencies have also benefited from the training offered through Youth Access which is both relevant to the specific needs of our volunteers and also very good value for money.
What Young People Say about the Services
- Warm, friendly and welcoming – the staff are brilliant
- Don’t know what I would have done without YES – they have always been there when I needed help.
- Helped me find somewhere to live when no one else could
- Always some one to talk to
From Left: Victoria Downing (Young Fundraiser), Steve Baker (MP), Colin Pollard (Senior Practitioner), Belinda Sams (Young Fundraiser)
