MAPS Annual Report 2013-2014 by Chris Parker

YOU ARE HERE MAPS’ Annual Review 2013-2014

CONTENTS

PAGE 1 - YOU ARE HERE

PAGE 2 - THE NUMBERS

PAGE 3 - WELCOME TO SUTTON PAGE 4 - MENTORS

YOU ARE HERE Welcome to ‘You Are Here 2013-2014’. In one word “WOW!” What a year it has been for MAPS. A year of growth and development where we have branched out into new areas of work whilst continuing with our ethos of supporting young people in the London Borough of Sutton (LBS), as well as a year of sustainability where we have continued to provide and deliver a high level of support to the most vulnerable young people in the borough.

PAGE 6 - INCLUSION MENTORING

PAGE 8 - LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN PAGE 10 - LEAVING CARE PAGE 12 - MENTORING ALTERNATIVE CARE PAGE 14 - SCHOOLS MENTORING PAGE 16 - PEER MENTORING PAGE 18 - LEAP PAGE 20 - LEAP OUTREACH PAGE 22 - ROMANCE ACADEMY PAGE 23 - TARGETED YOUTH PAGE 24 - YOUNG CARERS PAGE 25 - ADVOCACY PAGE 26 - THE FUTURE PAGE 27 - FINAL WORD

lease take a moment to sit back, relax and share in MAPS’ vision for the year ahead as well as its achievements! This year we have been honoured by the Chris Donovan Trust who awarded MAPS with the ‘Caring for the Community’ Award. It was a privilege to have received this award from the inspirational Ray and Vi Donovan! To find out more about another exciting achievement you might want to jump to page27, the ‘Final Word’ for some thrilling news from Volunteer Centre Sutton’s CEO Chris Parker. MAPS’ success is proof of the support and commitment of our outstanding volunteer mentor community, whose support enables us to, not only exist as a project but more importantly to provide invaluable and life changing support to young people in the LBS. We currently have 170 selfless mentors working with us, almost 60 of whom have been recruited and trained in the past 12 months.

As a charity, MAPS are forever grateful to our funders who make what we do possible. We would like to publicly thank, LBS, The Henry Smith Charity, Children In Need, The Sutton Community Fund, Lloyds TSB, GamesAid and Big Lottery for their support over the past year. Last but certainly not least I would also like to thank the sensational MAPS team who work tirelessly to make sure no young person misses out, and who ensure that our volunteers are supported to a high standard. They constantly go above and beyond and MAPS success is testament to their hard work and efforts. To my wonderful colleagues you are invaluable, thank you for all that you do. Here at MAPS we can truly say that we love what we do. This year, like any other, we have worked hard to achieve our two main aims:

Over the past year our volunteers have gifted over 21,000 hours of their time! In monetary value this equates to over £277,000 in social value, but to the young people they support their time is priceless. Each and every year I am astounded that there are so many giving people in Sutton who are driven to make a difference in our community. MAPS mentors are at the heart of our project as they make all the work happen. Thank you never seems enough but to each and every one of you I want to extend my heart felt gratitude and appreciation for all that you do. You each make our community great and ensure that MAPS is able to continue to provide an award winning service to all young person referred, you are all AMAZING!

1) To improve the quality of life and longer term opportunities for the most vulnerable, isolated and disadvantaged young people in our society.

MAPS would also like to thank all of the young people involved in our project who constantly inspire and enthuse us to do more. MAPS are committed to ensuring that we continue to be what our young people need in today’s society.

Helen Gasparelli

2) To build social cohesion and derive new and improved skills and opportunities for volunteers. We hope that the following demonstrates that we have not only achieved our aims, but have excelled in the delivery of a specialist early intervention, mentoring project. Thank you for taking time out to enjoy the MAPS annual review.

MAPS Manager

THE NUMBERS

Welcome to Sutton

Ethnicity

White British Mixed white black Caribbean Black Caribbean Black African Mixed other Other

This year has seen MAPS work with over 280 young people across all projects. This is a figure that is set to grow with the introduction of a number of new initiatives. This year we have set up two new streams of mentoring, are delivering two new projects and have introduced Advocacy to the menu of support that MAPS can offer. We we have had an article published in the ‘Youthwork’ magazine, provided research to the Risky Behaviours Needs Analysis and Children In Need, provided guidance to organisations about best practice for mentoring projects and recruited 4 new team members!

MAPS continues to exist to serve its local community. The London Borough of Sutton (LBS) is a vibrant and diverse borough with contrast in character. Sutton is also undergoing much social and business development. With the tram set to be extended to Sutton by 2020 the popularity of borough is sure to grow with improved links to London and other major towns such as Croydon. Despite all the growth, Sutton is not without its challenges, with 18% of Sutton’s children living in poverty and a large educational gap for vulnerable young people, MAPS continue to strive to reduce inequality and are committed to supporting change.

Phew, its tiring just to reflect on all that work, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Despite all of this it is our outcomes that matter, the impact that we are having on the lives of young people.

in problem alcohol use by 16%, illicit drug use by 12% and sexual activity by 10%. Evidence also demonstrates that they are 40% more likely to succeed in school due to a renewed commitment to learning.

Disability

Using our 40 Developmental Assets framework we can demonstrate significant improvements for young people across all eight measurable outcomes over the 12 months of mentoring, which are: Support, Empowerment, Boundaries & Expectations, Constructive Use of Time, Commitment to Learning, Positive Values, Social Competencies and Positive Identity – all which empower young people to succeed in life and achieve their full potential. Using our RADA tool (Relative Assessment for Developmental Assets) we have illustrated MAPS impact across all of our projects, with each young person gaining an average of 9.1 assets overall. Through the process of intentional asset building throughout the mentoring year we can evidence that young people have reduced their likelihood to engage

We have also seen a 50% growth in the area of Commitment To Learning, resulting in young people being more motivated to achieve in school, to engage in extra curricular activities, to focus on homework and motivated to do well educationally. Growth in this area positively impacts relationships improving a young persons self esteem and confidence. Improvements across all eight measurable outcomes demonstrate that young people feel more positive about their future, confident and able to influence or be in control of the things that happen to them, as well as being better equipped to make positive life choices.

10 9

Positive identity

8 7

100 80 60

Empowerment

No disability

Social communication

Learning

Medical illness

Mental health

Physcial

Other

6 4 3 2 1 0

Boundaries & Expectations

Constructive use of time

Positive values

Commitment to learning

Mixed white black African Asian Pakisanti Asian Indian

Location St. Helier Out of borough Sutton Central Wallington North

Social competencies

Unknown

At 47% almost half of the young people that MAPS support are recognised as having a disability which is a 9.1% increase on the previous year. Similar to the previous year the most common disabilities are learning and mental health. However we have seen an increase of almost 8% in the number of young people that MAPS is supporting who are classified as having a social/communication disability. MAPS work in partnership with the local authority to share demographic data to help ensure support and services are targeted where there is the most need.

Support

Asian Other

Young people come to MAPS via a plethora of referral routes from professionals that include, teachers, pastoral teams, voluntary and community groups, youth workers, social workers, Youth Offending Team (YOT)... The list is diverse, as are the needs of our young people that choose to be part of this award winning programme. The graphs depicted on this page help to build a picture of the MAPS population. This year’s ethnicity data evidences that 22.6% of young people represented BME groups, which is 5% higher than the borough as a whole, which has a BME index of 17.6%.

The evidence: Mentoring works!

White Irish

Key: Start destination

Although a geographically small borough, Sutton is home to 197,300 residents, and has seen a higher than national average growth. The population growth is due in part to increased births but the highest contributing factor is migration in to the area. These figures illustrate that MAPS needs to continue to grow in order to support Suttons most vulnerable young people. As I previous years MAPS continues to receive the majority of referrals, 35% for children and young people living in four distinct wards, wards which are statistically the most deprived (St Helier, Wandle Valley, The Wrythe, Beddington South). Within these four areas the percentage of referrals remains steady. With the exception of The Wrythe, where we have seen an increase of 5.2%. As continues to be a trend year on year, referrals to MAPS are weighted towards the wards with the greatest need and is testament to our referral process and the professionals on the front line identifying these young people.

Beddington South The Wrythe Wallington South Wandle Valley Carshalton Central Stonecot Worcestor Park Beddington North Belmont Sutton North Sutton South Nonsuch Cheam Carshalton and Clockhouse Sutton West

MENTORS MAPS Mentors are truly amazing! Each year they go about their business quietly supporting young people in Sutton, without want of thanks or accolades. Mentors are truly outstanding and without them MAPS would simply not exist. They are patient, generous with their time, thoughtful, encouraging, inspirational, fun, exciting, motivational and all round wonderful role models. More than this though they are people that genuinely care and want to make a positive difference to their community and the lives of others.

Mentors - We salute you! If the above doesn’t show you how amazing each mentor is here are some facts to prove it! 1) This year we have recruited 60 new mentors taking our total number of mentors to 170 which is a new MAPS record 2) They raised almost £4000 through their own fundraising activities which included running the Sutton 10K 3) For 2014-2015 period mentors continue to raise money for us by running the Brighton Marathon, sailing round the world in a clipper race and jumping out of planes, but more on that in next years report... 4) Each mentor gives approximately 104 hours per year to each child they support 5) Mentors have generated £277,000 in social value over the past year 6) This year mentors have taken young people to careers fairs, higher education open days, climbed and bouldered, screamed at Chessington, gone 3D at the cinema, participated in sporting activities, been competitive at go karting, made glass, been budding Bear Grylls at Forest School and so much more... 7) Mentors have been involved in MAPS promotional activities 8) They have supported the training of new mentors 9) Our longest serving mentor has supported young people for over a decade 10) MAPS mentors live in all 18 wards across the London Borough as well as the neighbouring boroughs of Croydon, Merton and Kingston

“ He makes me feel happy when I feel sad ” Mentee aged 11

INCLUSION MENTORING Inclusion is funded “with our thanks” by the London Borough of Sutton (LBS) to work with children and young people aged 9-15 years, who live within the borough. Referrals come to MAPS via the multi-agency, Children and Young People’s Resource Panel. The panel’s aim is to provide the best support package for young people referred and their families. As members of the panel MAPS are able to accept referrals for mentoring streams funded from alternative sources, enabling us to support a larger number of Sutton’s young people.

Young people referred to MAPS have multiple and complex needs, facing many difficult issues in their day to day lives, including low self-esteem, challenging family relationships, abuse, loss or bereavement, mental health or offending behaviour. A mentor provides each young person a safe environment to talk about their issues. With 50% of our young people having experienced domestic violence it is easy to see how essential having an independent person to talk to is.

INCLUSION EVALUATION: Within the Inclusion stream we have seen progress in all eight impact areas. With an average increase of 8.8 assets for each young person engaged in the programme. The most significant increase this year is in Commitment to Learning where we have seen a 50% increase, closely followed by Constructive Use of Time with a 45% increase. It is encouraging to see this result, as many young people are referred to Inclusion mentoring due to poor school attendance/attainment and social isolation. An asset increase in Commitment to Learning means young people are more motivated to achieve in school, putting effort in to their work and become more engaged with school life. Improved engagement results in improved relationships with staff, family and peers’ ensuring that school is a happy, healthy place for young people to be. Changes with Constructive Use of Time is positively impacted by improved relationships with peers. Healthy peer influence often results in young people engaging in activities outside of school, improving emotional wellbeing and reducing isolation.

Support 10 9

Positive identity

8 7

Empowerment

6 5 4 3 2

Social competencies

1 0

Positive values

Boundaries & Expectations

Constructive use of time Commitment to learning

Key: Start destination

Louise Storey, Bernie Rowe and Di Gilmore Inclusion Coordinators

CASE STUDY Peter, a 15 year old lad, came to MAPS at a time in his life when things were particularly difficult. He was suffering from anxiety and panic attacks, he felt overwhelmed at the thought of going out on his own. He couldn’t cope with crowds or travelling on buses and had been unable to access mainstream education for over a year. He was becoming more socially isolated and depressed. Peter was matched with David. They spent the first few sessions chatting and getting to know each other, discussing what they could work on during their year together and looking at more long term goals such as possible further education and careers. David was

focused, he planned activities to do with Peter that would challenge his ideas about himself and the world around him. David encouraged Peter to try new things like rock climbing and Judo. They visited the local fire station and open days at Carshalton and NESCOT College. Peter achieved several mile stones during their year, he attended Judo for over 6 months, joined a gym and fixed up his bike which gave him the ability to travel independently. Peter developed new friendship groups and his confidence and resilience grew. He was better able to cope with challenging situations that arose and didn’t allow them to undermine the good work he had already achieved. At the end of the relationship Peter said. “I feel like I’m a different person. I now go out with friends, I am starting college in September and because of my Judo and bike riding I have lost 2 stone in weight, life is good”

LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN MENTORING Thanks to funding from London Borough of Sutton and more recently, the Henry Smith Charity, MAPS has been able to continue working with and supporting Looked After Children. Children come into care for a whole host of reasons. It may be because of a family illness, family breakdown, parental mental health or substance misuse, bereavement or a situation where their welfare is threatened. These young people are highly vulnerable often lacking self-esteem, socially isolated, with disrupted education and feelings of loss and separation. The latest national statistics and Department for Education: identify that there were 68,110 looked after children at 31 March 2013, an increase of 2% compared to 31 March 2012 and an increase of 12 per cent compared to 31 March 2009. With more young people being placed on Child Protection Plans nationally this figure is set to continue to rise. Through continuous funding MAPS are able to provide additional support to this vulnerable group, assisting them to for fill their potential.

Teresa Martucci, Looked After Children Coordinator

LAC EVALUTION: Within the LAC stream we have seen an average increase of 10 assets per young person. The biggest increase at 80% is within Positive identity the area of Constructive use of time. Many young people are placed in areas which they are unfamiliar with, where they know few if any people; the result is lack of empowerment and often isolation. These changes also result in a change of peer groups and the Social young person can lack knowledge competencies of the area and understanding of the community. Having a mentor enables young people to reduce isolation by engaging in weekly positive activities. This regular and consistent support enables them to get to know their local community, where to go, how to get there and Positive values what is available. Mentoring is young person led; the young person is intentionally empowered to select what it is they want to engage in enabling them to be in control of their life. With this in mind it is easy to understand why young people who have access to mentoring have seen a 40% increase in the impact area of Empowerment.

Support 10 9 8 7

Empowerment

6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Boundaries & Expectations

Constructive use of time Commitment to learning

Key: Start destination

CASE STUDY Stephen was referred to MAPS halfway through his 15th year, a looked after child who had been living with foster parents for 3 years.

own and was spending more time socialising. His carer commented on how ‘outgoing & confident’ Stephen had become, he had even joined the Police Cadets!

Stephen was referred for mentoring as he recently transferred to a new high school and was struggling to make new friends – he had been bullied at his last school and had low self esteem in relation to his own personality and his ability to make friends; this was heightened due to Aspergers Syndrome.

Stephen now had someone who he could talk to about anything, from school issues to asking girls out on a date, for Stephen this was really helpful. Despite having excellent foster carers who were very supportive, Stephen felt there were some things he didn’t want to discuss with them. With his mentor he could discuss anything and she would support him to find his own solutions.

When MAPS met with Stephen to identify his mentoring needs Stephen said he wanted a mentor who would help him build strong meaningful relationships and learn to be a leader not a follower.

With the help from his mentor Stephen had worked on lots of self developmental goals that he had set, ranging from exploring youth clubs to positive decision making skills.

Stephen and his mentor got on well right from the start; they enjoyed lots of conversations around friendship and relationships. Within six months (the halfway point) Stephen had started to go out more on his

At the end of the mentoring year Stephen told his Coordinator that his mentor had increased his confidence so much, he was also one the most popular boys in his year.

LEAVING CARE MENTORING Thank you to London Borough of Sutton and Henry Smith Charity for valuing our young care leavers by funding MAPS to continue essential work with this cohort of young people. Within the Looked After Children (LAC) stream, many of the young people that we support are cared for outside of the London Borough of Sutton. However during the transition to Leaving Care (LCT) many move back into the area. This is a major transition for young people as many haven’t lived in the borough for over a decade. Through the support of their mentor they reconnect with the community, know how to access support, where to go and services that are available to them. Through community integration, support of their mentor and the LCT team, these young people go on to make positive choices for a successful and healthy life. • Only 6% of care leavers go to university - compared with 38% of all young people. • One third of care leavers are not in education, employment or training - compared with 13% of all young people. With the support of a Volunteer mentor, MAPS aims to address the imbalance in these figures.

LEAVING CARE EVALUTION: Similar to the 2012-2013 annual review we have seen almost a 90% increase in Positive Identity. This is particularly important for a care leaver, demonstrating that the young people we work with are feeling that they have control in the things that happen to them and that they have a voice. It also indicates that they feel they have a purpose and are excited about their future, feeling optimistic about what they will achieve in life. However, by far the biggest area of asset gain, which more than doubled, is in the area of Constructive Use of Time. Considering that many care leavers have recently moved back into the area and are unfamiliar with their community, often lacking a peer group this is a very positive outcome. Through mentoring support young people are able to access their community and develop friendship groups that set a good example, discover and join community groups such as sports, hobbies and extra curricular activities that they have an interest in as well as engaging in educational or employment activities. By engaging in multiple activities young people become more motivated and encouraged to build a positive future for themselves and be active citizens within their community.

Support 10 9

Positive identity

Empowerment

6 5 4 3 2

Social competencies

1 0

Positive values

Boundaries & Expectations

Constructive use of time Commitment to learning

Key: Start destination

CASE STUDY At the time of referral Lorraine had been looked after by the local authority since she was 14, taken into care due to severe neglect. Now 18 she was ready to transition into independent living. Lorraine wanted a mentor so that she had someone to talk to, who could help her become better organised and learn how to budget. Lorraine was also seeking employment or a full time apprenticeship and wanted some guidance. Soon after Lorraine was matched to Stephanie it was clear to see a good relationship was forming, ‘I can talk to her about anything’ Lorraine told the Coordinator after after being asked how it was going.

Teresa Martucci, Leaving Care Coordinator

The early months were spent meeting up for a soft drink or for something to eat while they talked about any issues Lorraine was facing that week. It became clear early on the Lorraine was not making positive relationship choices and not considering her personal

health and safety. On reflection the mentor said “Those discussions really cemented our relationship I think, being able to talk about her romantic life opened the door for us to talk about anything she wanted and needed to talk about”. The year held a lot of changes for Lorraine, she moved from supported accommodation to semi supported and onto independent living. Each move caused Lorraine stress and anxiety as she had to resettle into her new home. The time spent with her mentor was the continuity that Lorraine needed to continue looking for work. After completing a Prince’s Trust course, Lorraine and her mentor worked on her CV and employability skills. All Lorraine’s hard worked paid off as she was accepted onto an apprenticeship course with a nearby government office and was now able to manage her finances and budget confidently. At the ending meeting with Lorraine and her mentor, we discussed Lorraine’s last year; she summed it up….. “I have had 3 addresses but i’m now in my own home, 3 social workers, 4 boyfriends and just one mentor”.

MENTORING ALTERNATIVE CARE Thanks to BBC Children In Need, MAPS have been able to support young people looked after by adults other than their birth parents for the past two years. Young people who live with a relative under Special Guardianship Orders, are in private foster arrangements, or who are adopted. These young people are not recognised as Looked After Children and therefore miss out on vital support. MAPS is delighted to be able to announce that BBC Children In Need have generously agreed to provide funding for this programme for a further three years enabling us to support even more young people, helping them to recognise their worth, increase self esteem and improve their life chances. Since 2008 the number of young people living in private foster arrangements has grown by 38%, demonstrating how essential it is that they are able to access this support.

MAC EVALUATION: The MAC evaluation data is showing comparable findings to those identified in 2012-2013 annual review. As in the previous year ‘Commitment to Learning’ and ‘Constructive use of Time’ are areas which come out on top for positive change. Coupled with the areas of ‘Boundaries and Expectations’ we have seen each young person gain approximately 6 assets across these three areas alone. Year on year data suggests that the support of a mentor assists young people to try new activities and be encouraged to engage in community life, whether that is using local facilities such as parks, joining clubs or extra curricular activities at school such as homework clubs or team activities, thus reducing social isolation and improving engagement in school and community life.

Support 10 9

Positive identity

8 7

Empowerment

6 5 4 3 2

Social competencies

1 0

Positive values

MAPS aim for young people have the skills and confidence to look beyond their mentoring year, to utilise their new found skills to apply them to all areas of their life.

Boundaries & Expectations

Constructive use of time Commitment to learning

Key: Start destination

CASE STUDY Nialla was referred to MAPS aged 11 when transitioning from primary to secondary school. At the time of her referral to MAPS Nialla was struggling with social isolation due to her diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Her parents and school were also finding her behaviour very challenging.

Connie Gillett, MAC Coordinator

When the MAPS team were identifying a mentor for Nialla they specifically wanted someone who would put in strong boundaries and support Nialla to access her local community, to build her confidence and to access positive activities. Esther proved to be the perfect match and they warmed to each other instantly. Initially Nialla was very easily distracted and proved difficult to get out of the house on time. However, she soon responded to Esther’s boundaries and consistency and they developed a positive relationship. A favourite pastime for the pair quickly became drinking hot chocolate in local coffee shops and having a chat. Over time, Esther noticed that Nialla had started to open up and was able to give her more eye contact, she even became more positive about herself.

School also noticed positive changes in Nialla’s behaviour which initially had been a challenge. With the support of a mentor and additional support from her school Nialla experienced two major achievements within her mentoring year. Firstly, her behaviour was deemed good enough for her to attend a school trip abroad, secondly her art work was chosen as ‘art of the week’. Nialla was extremely proud of both of these achievements and received praise from all involved. When Esther and Nialla were out in the community Esther found that Nialla was a pleasure to be with and rarely had to challenge her behaviour, something that had been a challenge initially. At the end of her mentoring relationship Nialla was able to acknowledge ways in which she had changed for the better and felt positive about her future. Both Esther and Nialla agreed that it had been a fantastic year and that although they were sad it had to come to a close, they could see things had changed for the better. Nialla now often spends time with friends at weekends and has plans to do more activities and progress at school. Due to her time with Esther, Nialla’s world is a bigger and better place.

SCHOOLS MENTORING The schools mentoring stream is funded by direct school buy-in from Glenthorne High School and through the support of GamesAid, who have funded this stream for two years. GamesAid are the charitable arm of the gaming industry. Their support, coupled with school buy-in enables 18 young people to be supported and engaged in mentoring each year. We would like to say a massive thank you to GamesAid for investing in these young people’s lives in the way that they have. Without this funding the preventative work that we do aiding selfesteem, supporting mental and emotional health, making positive decisions, raising engagement at school and helping to deal with issues that young disaffected young people face would simply not happen on this scale. We are currently working in 4 local high schools and have concentrated our efforts on year 10 students mentoring them through year 10 into year 11 when there is a lot of pressure for them to succeed and choose a “life path”. The support of a mentor enables each young person to talk through their concerns and ideas and gives them the support and space to help them formulate a way forward.

Andrew Smith and Louise Storey, Schools Coordinators

SCHOOLS EVALUATION: The two main areas of growth we have identified in the young people we have supported are Commitment to Learning and Support. We have seen over a 30% increase in both of these identified areas.

Support 10 9

Positive identity

This illustrates that as a direct result of the intervention that MAPS mentors provide, young people in schools are more motivated to achieve, this results in them being Social more likely to do homework, to competencies become engaged in school extra curricular activities and to have improved relationships across peers, family and teaching staff. Their enjoyment of school also improves, become more engaged and results in young people being able and have the desire to achieve more whilst Positive values they are there. The young people also feel more supported by adults in their life outside of their parents or carers and feel more able to communicate with adults in their life including teachers and parents. Young people who have received mentoring support feel more positive about learning and better supported in their endeavours, both of these attributes makes success in school much more likely.

8 7

Empowerment

6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Boundaries & Expectations

Constructive use of time Commitment to learning

Key: Start destination

CASE STUDY Fifteen year old Holly was referred to MAPS by her school. Her grades had dropped, she was having friendship issues, mood swings and her behaviour was becoming a real concern.

Holly’s mentoring year was a roller coaster seeing some very low episodes and continuous self –harm. Through partnership working with Holly’s school, CAMHS, MAPS and the mentor Holly was well supported. She built emotional resilience and was able to implement skills and strategies to deal with her issues without harming herself.

Mentoring was put in place to provide Holly with long term support to help improve her engagement with school and deal with the issues negatively impacting her. The aim: to improve her emotional health and to maximise her potential.

At the end of her mentoring year Holly recognised the progress that she had made and said she enjoyed having her mentor take an interest in her. She felt her mentoring sessions were calming when she felt agitated and it helped her to see things from a different perspective. Holly’s mentor, although finding it challenging at times, spoke of their time together as extremely rewarding.

Holly, wanted to feel good again and wished for someone to talk to, someone she knew she could trust. After a few short months Holly and her mentor had built a strong and positive relationship, she knew her mentor was someone that she could trust and bravely disclosed she was self-harming. With the support of the school and the mentor, targeted work with Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS) began.

As mentoring ended, Holly spoke of her desire to move forward independently, feeling more content and positive about life. She was genuinely happy within herself and glad to be in school sitting her GCSEs. Holly is now not only feeling stronger emotionally but also professionally, developing her own career options.

PEER MENTORING MAPS’ Peer Mentoring stream supports and encourages young people in secondary schools in Sutton to become effective at supporting and positively influencing their peers. Peer mentors help students in school (years 7, 8 and 9) with the transition from primary to secondary school, as well as any other issues that a lower school student may be facing such as bullying, being in trouble, lack of motivation, or other external factors.

MAPS Peer mentoring provides interactive and explorative mentor training to upper school students in one secondary school within the London Borough of Sutton. The Peer mentoring aims are:• To improve self esteem for pupils • To enable them to achieve • To reduce exclusion • To improve skills of the young people involved such as communication • To support younger students in their transition to secondary school MAPS has found that young people are particularly skilled at supporting and encouraging each other. Our peer programme of study has proven an excellent resource to schools looking to boost leadership skills, pupil voice and emotional intelligence.

LEAP MENTORING The LEAP Outreach project is funded by The London Borough of Sutton (LBS) to work with young people aged 16-19 years who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). Thanks to LBS’s support this project is now completing its second pilot year and celebrating great success. Within the borough there are estimated to be 300+ NEET young people with a further 600+ of ‘unknown’ status. The overall aim of the project is to better understand the borough’s NEET population and to continue providing targeted services for them. A set of linked objectives were defined to support these aims and allow each individual participating in the project a progression towards achieving EET status. These are; • To identify and interact with NEET young people, • To refer them onto another service; to help meet a need or to further their potential • To help them achieve EET status Young people face a variety of issues such as bereavement, homelessness, lack of support at home or educational difficulities, all which can have practical implications such as poor exam results. There can also be longer lasting effects such as low self esteem and confidence. This project seeks to address all factors and support young people to achieve their aspirations.

LEAP EVALUATION Evaluation data demonstrates, that the set target to support young people from NEET to EET was exceeded by a little over 36%. Positive identity Despite the current economic climate not being one of great opportunity and optimism for young people; especially true for those who may not have a long list of qualifications and who may be impacted by low self-esteem and a poverty of support. However, Social for these young people a referral competencies to an educational provider can be a perfect fit to help with this. This success is testament to the NEET Outreach worker taking time to understand each young person’s needs and supporting each journey individually. Work Positive values that was supported through weekly Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) drop-in sessions, where young people were supported with practical skills such as C.V. writing, filling in application forms and emotionally by having someone to talk issues and lifes challenges through with. Through the provision of this holistic support young people are supported to bring about lasting change in their lives.

10 9 8 7

Empowerment

6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Boundaries & Expectations

Constructive use of time Commitment to learning

Key: Start destination

CASE STUDY Matthew was referred by the Leaving Care Team. He had been struggling to find work for several months and although he had clear ideas about what he wanted to do, he had been unsuccessful in getting a job or apprenticeship. Although outwardly he appeared confident, he struggled with feelings of low self-worth and had difficulty controlling his temper, he wasn’t sure that he would get a chance to do any type of job apart from very menial tasks.

Derek Terrell, LEAP coorddinator

Support

Matthew and Graham (mentor) worked closely to decide what he needed to do, and how he needed to act to secure employment.

Matthew’s passion was for cars and he wanted to work in the motor repair industry. Following a further search, a motor vehicle apprenticeship was identified with the local authority servicing and maintaining the council’s fleet of trucks and vans. With Graham’s support, Matthew applied for this role and was successful in getting through the recruitment process. “Matthew’s confidence and ability to interact with other people had improved dramatically by the end of the year, to the extent that he has been able to secure an apprenticeship in a trade he had always hoped to be able to work in. He has also grown in his communication, self-awareness and his caring and expressive attitude towards others. All of these new skills and abilities will help him to achieve. He is now established in his new role, earning a wage while developing a very positive future.”

LEAP OUTREACH LEAP is proud to have been funded by The Big Lottery Fund as part of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) Volunteering for Stronger Communities Project. VSCP consists of 15 separate projects across England; all working towards the same theme of supporting those who have been most impacted by the current economic conditions. Each young person who has participated in LEAP has gained a greater understanding of the job market and learnt new skills to support their future employability. The LEAP (Learning, Experience and Action Programme) mentoring stream was designed to help young people (aged 16-24) make decisions about their future. Although originally envisaged as an ‘employability’ programme, LEAP developed to also provide support in accessing further education, apprenticeships or starting a new business. We established relationships with local colleges and training providers to identify suitable short courses, including pre-apprenticeship and access to further education courses, all of which were available to LEAP participants.

LEAP OUTREACH EVALUATION

Within the LEAP stream we have seen an average increase of 5.1 Assets per young person. The biggest increases we have seen are in the area of Commitment To Learning and Constructive Use Of Time. Both areas featured heavily in previous annual reviews as areas of growth. With these areas we have seen almost a 50% increase which is a tremendous result. Both Commitment to Learning and Constructive Use of Time lend themselves to attributes that will equip young people to decide on, and develop their careers. By making better use of free time and focusing on education, gaining qualifications and skills needed to be successful, our participants have put in place the foundation for a successful future.

5 4 3 2 1 0 Carshalton College

Apprenticeship

Employment

Bromley College

Sutton & District

CASE STUDY Chris was referred to the project through a drugs and alcohol misuse agency within the borough.

Ben Webb, LEAP Outreach Worker

He had been in college but became disillusioned by the course and so dropped out. We met for some food, initially, and discussed options for him. We began to explore the options and found a few short term goals as well as long term hopes too. We then met weekly to see how the short term steps were going and to reassess if any did not go the way he had hoped. During this time he lost his part time job and so had no income at all. We met again at this point and he wasn’t sure how to move forward and what else he could do but he was scared by not having any income. Due to the

recognition of his situation we worked together to help him apply to as wider range of opportunities, he applied to two colleges and signed up with an apprenticeship agency. His issues around substance misuse had been gradually worsening but after he applied to the education providers he was offered three interviews and the possibility of these happening changed his outlook greatly. He became more motivated and positive; he found confidence in both the invitation to the interviews and the effect of feeling they went well. He has been offered a college course in September, is waiting to hear back from an apprenticeship and has an interview for a separate course still to come.

ROMANCE ACADEMY

TARGETED YOUTH

Thanks to Sutton Community Fund MAPS was able to run MAPS Romance Academy-an innovative sex and relationships programme targeting young people aged between 14 to 16 years in the London Borough of Sutton. The Academy was a 14 week programme where young people are taken through a holistic safe sex and relationships education course with the aim of increasing self esteem, improving family relationships, equipping them with information to make better life style choices and reduce risk taking behavior as well as improving interpersonal skills and relationships. Weekly sessions covered topics that included communication, confidence building, emotional intelligence, sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention, sexual delay, building and sustaining healthy relationships, drugs and alcohol, coping with peer pressure and the media.

Northern Wards mentoring and project work, funded by the London Borough of Sutton, is in its maiden year at MAPS, having started in September 2013.

Of the young people that are NEET in Sutton the most frequently occurring reason given by 24% of the young people is that they are a teen parent. Teenage pregnancy is linked with deprivation and has risk factors such as low educational attainment, poorer physical/ mental health, early onset sexual activity, poor contraceptive use and substance abuse. This programme protects young people by addressing the underlying causes of risky behavior and reduces their vulnerability of becoming NEET through early intervention.

ROMANCE ACADEMY EVALUATION The impact results for this project have been fantastic! MAPS Romance Academy has seen improvements across all eight measurement points with a focus on Positive Identity, Support and the ability to Use Time Constructively as well as in the area of Boundaries and Expectations. With these impacts in mind young people are encouraged to look beyond Romance Academy to other areas of their life, giving them new confidence, self respect and a maturity in dealing with life situations resulting in more responsible citizens equipped to handle themselves and relationships whilst using their skills to model positive behavior with peers. With an average gain of 6 assets per young person, evidence illustrates that young people supported via MAPS Romance Academy have gained skills that will enable them to continue to make positive life choices around sex and relationships and risk taking behavior reduction.

Support 10 9

Positive identity

8 7

Empowerment

Within the 18 wards in Sutton, there are three that consistently show high rates of risk taking behaviours. These wards are The Wrythe, Wandle Valley and St Helier, collectively known as the Northern Wards. Within these areas research has identified specific issues that continue to be present which are substance misuse, inappropriate sexual/ sexualised behaviour, poor mental and emotional health, educational attainment as well as others. With this in mind, MAPS provide a two pronged approach. The first is in the form of one to one mentoring. Similar to the other mentoring streams, this allows young people to have the space and ownership of a confidential relationship so that they can explore issues, gain self-esteem and engage in a community led programme. Secondly, MAPS are providing an eight week course that explores the risk taking behaviours mentioned above. As well as providing young people at risk with real and extensive information about these issues, it also provides a space for young people to engage with others in similar situations, as well as the trained MAPS staff who can journey with the young people to encourage positive life choices so that they are able to make informed decisions that will lead to a successful future. Results of this maiden year will be illustrated in the 2014-2015 MAPS Annual Review.

6 5 4 3 2

Social competencies

1 0

Positive values

Boundaries & Expectations

Constructive use of time

Commitment to learning

Key: Start destination

Chris Mingay, Targeted Youth coordinator

YOUNG CARERS

ADVOCACY

The Young Carers stream, funded by Lloyds TSB, is new within MAPS and provides mentoring to young carers aged 8-19 years within the London Borough of Sutton (LBS). A young carer is someone who looks after a family member living with an illness or disability. Caring for another can bring many challenges for young carers; isolation and having to grow up quickly are just a couple. The Children’s Society states that there are at least 160,000 young carers in England and Wales and that this has risen by 20% since the 2011 census.

Thanks to funding from the London Borough of Sutton MAPS is now the Advocacy provider for Looked After Children and Children on a Child Protection Plan for the borough. Young people aged 8 and over and are either recognised as Looked After or Leaving Care or are on a Child Protection plan have been able to access advocacy via MAPS since February 2014.

With Lloyds TSB funding, MAPS are able to provide one to one mentors to support children and young people who have to cope with the everyday challenge of caring for a loved one. MAPS provide mentors to enable young carers to take time away from their caring responsibilities and simply be a kid again. We have worked hard to expand our referrals to local schools, helping to raise awareness of MAPS and the help we can offer young carers as well as to refer them on to other services that can support them and their families such as the Sutton Carers Centre. This project started in December 2013 and we are excited to share our findings with you in next year’s review.

Amanda Ruck, Young Carers coordinator

An advocate is an independent adult who will help a young person to have their views and opinions heard by people who make decisions about them, and ensure that these are taken seriously. An advocate will also help a young person understand their rights. MAPS would like to take this opportunity to thank Barnardos, for the support and training they provided to ensure that Sutton’s young people receive the best support possible and to the LBS team for their ongoing support. We are looking forward to being able to share our success stories with you in the 2014-2015 annual review.

V 26

THE FUTURE So what next for MAPS? Well it’s quite simple really, we continue to place people who listen with young people who need to be heard. MAPS are committed to building a valuable community who value community. Mentoring is a term we use to say nobody should miss out. It is an action that reaches the most marginalised and most vulnerable. Many children today are faced with a poverty of support and receive a poor serving of positive role models. MAPS mentoring does not seek to replace traditional support systems but rather seeks to empower the young person to bridge the gap step by step. Through the use of the 40 Developmental Assets framework MAPS have been able to clearly measure the impact that mentoring is having on the lives of the young people that we support. The model continues to empower mentors to make a difference and supports young people to recognise and celebrate their achievements. Last year we committed to do more, to learn from our results, and we have. Using our impact data we were able to identify specific areas of need that have resulted in the development of new initiatives such as MAPS Romance Academy which proved to be a real success. Year after year 40 Assets has proven its worth and we commit to its development and the development of MAPS to further enable young people achieve and reach their full potential. Whilst the UK is still in a period of austerity MAPS are encouraged by the continued support we receive and in our indicators of resilience as a result of our clear strategy for the future. MAPS are committed to 5 principles over the next year.

1. Grow A vision to see every young person who needs a mentor to have a mentor. MAPS are committed to the continual growth of mentoring within current streams of mentoring and in response to gaps in services in LBS and its neighbouring boroughs. 2. Sustain A drive towards financial sustainability through emerging social enterprise opportunities, local commissioning models, and diversifying funding. 3. RE:Source The intentional development of mentor resourcing (guiding STARS) framed within our 40 assets model and inspired by our vision regarding the source of what we do. 4. Connect An aspiration to be known by name and by face within our local community. For community to understand our essence and respond to our cause through a variety of opportunities. 5. Engage A desire to inspire local business to engage with our service for a mutually beneficial partnership.

THE FINAL WORD Almost 2 decades ago, a lady walked into Volunteer Centre Sutton and said “I’d like to volunteer to help young people”. As we explored her intention a bit further it became clear that this amazing lady wanted to do more than just lend a hand. She wanted to do something that would be transformative for young people living in Sutton. This was the birth of MAPS; one volunteer, mentoring a handful of young people at a local secondary school. Since that moment, Volunteer Centre Sutton has nurtured and grown this incredible mentoring project to the point where it engages over 170 volunteer mentors to transform the lives of around 300 young people each year. This is a local gem, a best kept secret and something I feel immensely privileged to be part of. So it comes with a huge sense of pride to have MAPS and Volunteer Centre Sutton recognised this year for the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. It is simply the highest accolade we can achieve and my heartfelt thanks must go to MAPS’ Volunteer Mentors, the MAPS staff and of course the young people we have been privileged to journey with. Never underestimate the amazing difference a handful of volunteers can make to the lives of others! This award is dedicated to those who are willing to give their time and energy to being positive role models for young people in our community. Thank you.

Chris Parker Chief Officer VCS

Mentoring And Peer Support Volunteer Centre Sutton, 31 West Street, Sutton, SM1 1SJ T: 020 8661 5900 /MAPSmentoring @MAPSmentoring