Gweres tus Yowynk (GTY) is Cornish for ‘helping young people’. It was chosen as the name for our service in collaboration with young people.
The service is run by our Youth Justice Service and the adolescent service within Children and Family Services.
Gweres Tus Yowynk is the name used for a group of teams that help young people who are facing difficulties or who may be in trouble with the police. We also work with young people who are at risk of entering care or becoming homeless.
We usually call the people we work with “children” rather than “young people,” even when they are teenagers. This reminds everyone that, in law, anyone under 18 is still a child. This is a choice we have made, to emphasise the rights of the people we work with.
We work closely with teams across the Council. There are several different teams or areas of work that came under the Gweres tus Yowynk umbrella.
Gweres tus Yowynk Service
This team works with children who are at risk of entering care and may be known to social care. People often come to us for one or more of the following reasons:
they are in an unplanned or emergency admission to care. This is particularly the case for out-of-hours admissions (evenings and weekends). It is also for those who may have had a past admission to care
they have unstable housing, for example ’sofa surfing’
they have other risk factors, for example:
going missing from home
ongoing and long-term non-attendance at school, with exclusions and part time timetables
antisocial behaviours
offending
self-harming
alcohol and substance misuse
child sexual exploitation
We normally work with the children for three to six months, together with other professionals. This is not a statutory service, which means that families can choose whether to be involved.
Risk of Family Breakdown
The team works with families at risk of breakdown, to help them manage the issues that are causing problems. We use Functional Family Therapy (FFT) in families where there is conflict between individual family members.
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Youth Justice Service
The Youth Justice Service is responsible for statutory youth justice services. It works with partners to prevent offending and re-offending by children aged 10-17. It must also provide an 'appropriate adult' for children aged 10-17 who are in police custody. The service is a multi agency partnership, overseen by the Youth Justice Board.
Find out more about the Youth Justice Service
Gweres Kernow
Gweres Kernow is part of the Youth Justice Service. It provides advice and guidance for professionals. This is to help them support children and young people who display concerning or harmful sexual behaviours.
Find out more about Gweres Kernow
Multi Agency Rapid Response Service (MARRS)
MARRS is our innovative new extended hours specialist service. It works with young people in crisis and with significant mental health needs. MARRS includes the Positive Support Service.
Age 16 and 17 Homeless Prevention
We work closely with colleagues in the Housing Service to support young people who are at risk of becoming homeless. We aim to help them go back home, or stay at home, if we can. If not, we will find them an alternative, as fast as we can. We have three dedicated Homelessness Support Workers. They are responsible for making sure these young people get the support they need.