Gweres tus Yowynk
Gweres tus Yowynk (GTY) is Cornish for ‘helping young people’ and was chosen as a name in collaboration with young people. The service is run by our Youth Justice Service and the adolescent service within Children and Family Services.
Our priority is working with young people, who are at risk of entering care and may be known to social care. They would also exhibit the following risks:
- are in an unplanned or emergency admission to care, particularly those
- occurring out of hours and those who may have had a past admission to care
- may be in unstable arrangements e.g. ’sofa surfing’
- where there is evidence of the following risks:
- Going missing from home
- Chronic and serious non-school attendance, exclusion and part time timetables
- Antisocial behaviours
- Offending
- Self-harming
- Alcohol and substance misuse
- Child sexual exploitation
Intervention is usually for a period of three to six months, working closely with other partners. It is a non-statutory service so families' involvement is voluntary.
Functional Family Therapy
Functional Family Therapy (FFT) is available to young people receiving a service from GTY and other social care teams.
It is based on the assumption that every family member's behaviour serves an adaptive function within the family. The aim of FFT practitioners is to help families understand the reasons for their behaviour so that they are in a better position to change them. Practitioners need to form a positive alliance with each family member to keep them engaged and motivated to change.
Multi Agency Rapid Response Service (MARRS)
MARRS is our innovative new extended hours specialist service for young people in crisis and with significant mental health needs.
It is a partnership between:
- Cornwall Council
- Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board
- Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
MARRS is a multi disciplinary team that works with the community CAMHS service (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service). We will provide young people with significant mental health needs intensive, effective help. It will reduce the risk of crisis and admission to hospital, helping the recovery journey from in-patient care in an appropriately matched home.
Youth Justice Service
The Youth Justice Service was established by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. It is responsible for the delivery or commissioning of statutory youth justice services. It works with partners to prevent offending and re-offending by children and young people aged 10-17. It also has the responsibility to provide an 'appropriate adult' for children and young people in police custody aged 10-17. The service is a multi agency partnership between:
- Cornwall Council
- Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Council of the Isles of Scilly
- Devon and Cornwall Police
- Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Partnership
- National Probation Service
- National Youth Justice Board
The service is overseen by the local Youth Justice Board. The Board comprises of a Chief Officer, who sits as the Chair of the Board, and a group of the Senior Officers from the partner agencies listed above. It has three national priority and performance indicators which are reported to the National Youth Justice Board on a quarterly basis. These are:
- Reducing the numbers of young people entering the criminal justice system for the first time (FTEs)
- Reducing reoffending
- Reducing the use of custody
Referral to the service is by:
- Police - Out of Court Disposals (OOCD)
- Youth Courts and Crown Courts
- Anti-social behaviour (ASB)
- Prevention
