Youth Early Support Service (YESS) Norfolk
Our YESS team supports young people aged 10 – 18 across Norfolk recognising that young people are experts in their own lives.
The service provides early intervention to help young people overcome challenges. The service is made up of two programmes, YESS and YESS to Progress.
YESS
YESS supports young people who are 14-18 to overcome challenges they face. We primarily deliver YESS in high schools across Norfolk, offering on average eight sessions to each young person.
Our Youth workers support young people to:
- Increase aspirations.
- Improve reported positive behaviour.
- Increase school attendance or attainment.
- Build confidence when navigating and accessing services
- Boost self-esteem.
- Increase resilience.
- Maintain or improve mental health and wellbeing.
- Reduce anti-social behaviour and / or crime.
- Learn the pitfalls of risk taking.
- Increase self-advocacy.
- Re-engage with employment, education, or training.
- Increase confidence navigating transition points.
YESS to Progress
Our YESS to Progress team supports young people aged 10-13, predominantly focusing support around the transition between primary and high school. We provide a series of group work sessions in primary schools. These sessions are followed by additional one-to-one support in year seven for students who need it. Our sessions cover the following topics:
- Transition compass (An assessment tool to measure progress between sessions.
- Questions and worries about high school.
- Resilience.
- Self-esteem.
- Self-advocacy.
All sessions are delivered using fun and interactive resources and sessions are tailored to react to the needs of young people.
How to get involved
YESS
Young people can refer themselves for the YESS programme or parents and professionals can make a referral for a young person.
YESS to Progress
We accept group referrals from primary schools across Norfolk.
To find out more about either programme or to make a referral email us at YESS@Shaw-trust.org.uk
More than 3,300 young people have been referred for support since our work started in Norfolk back in 2018.
You can see what the young people we have supported have to say about us in our Quarterly feedback.
Meet the team
Rob McKenzie – Service Manager
Rob has been involved in Youth Work for the last 15 years, and heads up our work in Norfolk and City of London. Rob is particularly passionate about young people being recognised as experts in their own lives.
In his spare time, Rob enjoys spending time with friends and family travelling and experiencing new places!
Ellie – Youth support worker
Based in schools in South and North Norfolk, Ellie has been working with young people for five years. In her spare time, Ellie enjoys painting pictures of lobsters and swimming in rivers and the sea all year round.
Kate – Youth support worker
Supporting young people in Breckland and South Norfolk, Kate has been a qualified youth worker for 20 years. In her spare time Kate likes spending time with her pets, she loves the countryside and nature, taking photographs and creating art.
Kate loves being a youth worker as it allows her to support young people to become the best possible version of themselves and follow their dreams.
Karen – Youth support worker
Karen works with young people in Great Yarmouth and East Norfolk and has worked with young people since the age of 18.
In her spare time Karen enjoys spending time with her young grandchildren and her two cats. She loves taking photos of wildlife and having fun with arts and crafts. You can always spot Karen in a room as she has her nails painted in bright colours and eye-catching designs.
Karen is hoping to take part in an aerobatics flight in a small aircraft over Norfolk.
Mike – Senior youth support worker
Mike has been working with young people for 23 years and has volunteered with the Norfolk Scouts for 15 of those. You will usually find Mike on his boat with his friends and family sailing around the Norfolk broads.
Mike believes it is important to be an active member of your community and also volunteers for the local Parish Council, the Village Hall committee, with the community speed watch team and at a club for young people with Autism.
Tracey – Youth support worker
Tracey has been a youth worker for over 20 years.
In her spare time Tracey runs a Scout Group in her village which she set up from scratch and currently has 40 members. She used to be in Guiding in which she ran a Brownie and Rainbow unit.
Alongside this Tracey is kept busy spending family time with her husband, two children and three dogs!
Gary – Youth support worker
Gary has been supporting young people most of his adult life and has worked with young people for most of the past 16 years.
In his spare time Gary likes to go to the gym as much as possible and when he was young, he played in a cup final at Carrow Road, Norwich City’s ground.
Enquire today
For more information on how we can provide programmes to support the young people in your area complete the contact form below.