ReRooted

Responding to the need

In recent years, our members have highlighted an upward trend in the level of support young people need when living in a Foyer. This is often because they have experienced significant adversity in their early lives. For example, 20% of young people living in Foyers have left care, 18% have experienced the justice system and 65% experience mental health challenges. We hear from young people that they would like better support with their mental health, and staff report feeling a lack of confidence and knowledge to respond to this need. 

After an extensive consultation phase with our network and beyond, we are pleased to be able to offer tailored and targeted support through ReRooted, coming together with our network to find solutions that work.

Our goal

ReRooted is about creating the right conditions in which young people can form strong roots, grow their skills and talents, and have fruitful, thriving futures – whatever their past experiences might be. 

Our aim is for staff to build the knowledge, confidence and skills to better support young people who arrive in the Foyer, making their time there positive and inspiring, and enabling them to feel safe to put down new roots.

Our approach

Through a programme that combines skill development, practical resources and community learning, Foyer staff will have the opportunity to strengthen their practice, deepen their awareness, grow their confidence and build environments that young people can feel safe in, ready to grow.

ReRooted grows around three core ideas that we believe are central to working with young people in the most effective way:

• Improving knowledge and awareness of mental health gives staff confidence in their ability to respond effectively and work proactively to prevent young people from experiencing crisis.
• Having greater awareness and understanding of trauma empowers staff to create spaces that young people trust and feel safe in.
• Developing an Advantaged Thinking practice enables staff to positively approach any challenges in a person-centred, sustainable and solutions-focused way.

ReRooted learning cohort

20 Foyers from Bodmin to Doncaster have joined the ReRooted learning cohort. In doing so, staff and young people in these Foyers have gained access to a host of learning opportunities. It started with a kick-off staff residential in June 2023, followed by a residential for young people in August 2023. The learning cohort are progressing along the ReRooted journey together, benefitting from each other’s experiences, learning from each other’s challenges and celebrating each other’s successes. 

As the programme builds, we are working closely with staff and young people to illuminate the priorities for learning and development, shaping and co-creating the programme around the areas of need and aspiration. We continue to introduce new ideas and creative approaches from around the sector to ensure inspiration is always in the air!

Wider opportunities and taking our learning forward

Based on the learning cohort’s experiences and insights, ReRooted will offer wider opportunities to our network members and beyond. 

This will include network events to share best practice, one-off training sessions and the production and dissemination of learning assets. By the end of the funded period we hope to have designed practical guidance resources, case studies and tools to help others to implement a ReRooted approach to working with young people in their own setting. These resources will reflect the journey our ReRooted learning cohort has undertaken, informed by both their challenges and successes. 

ReRooted will support practitioners to create safe spaces for all young people to thrive and flourish. 

For more information about ReRooted please contact [email protected].