One to One Work
Young Mother's Outreach
We are part of the NHS Teenage Pregnancy Strategy in Gateshead which means that every young woman who is 19 years old and under, and is pregnant, is referred to the Project's Young Mother's Outreach Worker by their midwife. We directly contact each young woman and visit them at a time and place that is suitable for them. The primary aim of this role is to offer whatever support we can which could be a space in one of our groups, advocacy, offering guidance, information and signposting to other agencies for more specialised support.
Freedom Programme
Young women and girls between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence, almost triple the national average. To address this, we have staff who are qualified to deliver the Freedom Programme on site at Gladstone Terrace and also as an outreach service with partner agencies. The programme consists of 12 weekly sessions that are designed to give information, rather than advice or therapy, to young women who are survivors of domestic abuse. The aim is to help women understand and make sense of everything that has happened, and to make them aware of the danger signs. The sessions examine the how beliefs and attitudes of abusive men impact not only on their actions, but also on our responses to them. The programme looks in detail at how children and young people are affected by being exposed to this kind of abuse and at how much their lives are improved when the abuse is no longer there which is particularly important for the young women in our groups.
Child Sexual Exploitation
We provide sessions on a one to one basis that provide support, information and guidance on issues relations to Child Sexual Exploitation. These sessions usually last for about one hour a week and are at a time and place that suit the young woman best. We work on issues and topics that are important to each individual and aim to be flexible and responsive to what is going on at that point in the young woman’s life. All sessions are informal and nurturing, giving each young woman a safe place to talk and explore her experiences. Sessions include internet safety, positive relationships, the Grooming Line, positive self-esteem, sexual health, confidence building, pregnancy, family breakdown, and sending and/or receiving sexualised images. We also provide advice and information to parents and guardians where appropriate.
Counselling
We work alongside 2 small, local Charities to provide counselling to young women who attend the Project. Counselling sessions are delivered in our building by fully qualified and experienced female Counsellors. Young women have told us that they access counselling at the Project, even when they have struggled to attend mental health support services in the past, because they feel safe, they feel accepted and not judged, and they know who they will see.