A Voice for Young People: Identifying the need for

online information, advice and guidance

through dialogue

Today’s presentations:

1. Young People’s Access to AdviceJames Kenrick, Advice Services Manager, Youth Access

2. A voice for young people: Identifying the need for online information, advice and guidance through dialogueSarah McCoy MSc, Research Manager, YouthNet

3. YouthNet’s Life Support AppealJulie Reynolds, Head of Appeal Development, YouthNet

4. Question & Answer sessionLed by Fiona Dawe OBE, YouthNet

Engaging, informing and inspiring 16 to 25-year-olds

Each month, TheSite.org helps over

500,000 people access vital:

Information…

...via no-nonsense

fact sheets

Support…

…from peers via

discussion boards

Advice…

…from experts via

askTheSite

Young People’s Access to Advice

on Social Welfare Issues

James Kenrick

Advice Services Development Manager

Youth Access

Youth Access

The national membership association for young people’s information, advice,

counselling and support services (YIACS)

• Over 200 members throughout UK

• National policy focus for sector

• Set standards and promote best practice

• Provide training, support, consultancy, resources

• Develop the evidence-base

Our Research

Topics: advice needs, access, outcomes,

impact, workforce, impact of recession etc.

Scope: social welfare advice; ages 13-25; all

modes of delivery

Methods: literature reviews; focus groups;

interviews with agencies; analysis of data

from Civil & Social Justice Survey

Extent of unmet needEach year, young people

- experience at least 2.3 million ‘difficult to solve’ social welfare problems

- fail to obtain advice in relation to at least 1.3 million problems

Many more get poor advice

The cost to individuals and the public purse*

= c. £1 billion a year

*as a result of loss of employment, physical and stress-related illness and violent behaviour resulting from the stress of problems

Sources: Research by YA with LSRC based on 2006-08 CSJS data; Estimate by JustRights campaign based on Ministry of Justice figures

YP’s Advice Needs

• Needs change with age

• Prone to multiple & severe problems

• Problems cluster around disadvantaged YP

• Close inter-relationship between legal,

personal, practical & emotional issues

• Need for holistic age-appropriate services

• Big increase in demand due to recession

Seeking &

obtaining advice

YP are more likely to: take no action, delay,

give up, try but fail to get advice

58% face problems without getting advice

YP are twice as likely to be unsuccessful in

obtaining advice when they seek it as adults

Of YP seeking advice, nearly half are NEETs

Early advice-seeking experiences highly

influential on future behaviour

Sources of Advice - key

characteristics sought

Trustworthy, friendly, non judgemental

Specialist service for YP only

Where YP already go

Informal, flexible & confidential

Independent – voluntary sector preferred

An ‘expert with clout’ who will ‘go the extra

mile’

Modes of Access

Internet:

• YP use the internet for advice and it is growing in importance

• Disadvantaged YP less likely to have access

• Complements face to face – not a replacement

• YP have problems finding sites they can trust

• Independent, youth-focussed sites preferred

• Rapid developments in technology – need for specialist approach

Barriers to Access

• Young people’s problem-solving ability -awareness of rights & services, communication skills,

confidence & persistence, psychological barriers etc.

• Characteristics of ‘mainstream’ adult advice

services, e.g. CABx – lack of focus on meeting YP’s

specific needs, skills/attitudes/knowledge gaps

• Skills of youth professionals – lack ability to spot

problems/limits of competence, advice & advocacy skills

• Policy & planning failures – youth policy too

careers-focussed; advice policy adult-focussed; lack of

joining up; recession planning

Recommendations

1. A joined-up Government strategy for planning & funding youth advice – DCSF, MoJ, CLG, DH, DWP

2. A national strategy to develop YP’s ‘legal capability’ / problem-solving skills

3. Joined-up local planning & commissioning –Integrated Youth Support, Advice Services, Housing, PCTs, JobCentre Plus

4. Review balance of funding:– careers IAG vs rights-based advice services

– remote vs face to face services

– independent vs statutory services

5. Develop competence of youth workforce to provide good advice – new qualification?

Recent Reports• The Advice Needs of Young People – The Evidence (2009)

• Young People’s Access to Advice – The Evidence (2009)

• With Rights In Mind (2010) – re mental health/advice

• The Impact of the Recession (2009)

• The Youth Advice Workforce: Now & In The Future (2009)

• Rights within Reach (2009) – re outreach advice

(All available at www.youthaccess.org.uk/publications)

Forthcoming titles in 2010:

• Under Strain – re impact of recession, funding & policy

• The Outcomes of Youth Advice Work

A VOICE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE:Identifying the need for online

information, advice and guidance

through dialogue

Sarah McCoyResearch Manager

What we’ll cover…

• The background and methodology of the study

• Introducing the young people

• Information and advice-seeking behaviour

• The role of the internet

• What makes a good website for young people?

• A voice for young people: In their own words

Background of the study…

• LifeSupport Appeal: TheSite.org redevelopment

•What do young people want and need from information, advice and guidance online and offline?

•Funding from the European Commission though Youth in Action programme

•Eight workshops with 62 young people from diverse backgrounds around the UK not currently using TheSite.org

The workshops…

• Pre-tasks• Disposable camera• Technology diary

• Difficult situations

• Getting support

• Internet use

• Website reviews

• Recommendations

The young people…

Highly active internet users:

LondonEx-offenders and

drug/alcohol abusers: Liverpool

Rural England: Pensford (nr.

Bristol)

Gay and lesbian young people:

Manchester

Rural Scotland: Outskirts of

Glasgow

Young parents: Bridgend

No further education: Newcastle

Ethnic minority young women:

London

Highly active internet users: London• Wrote at least one blog, were members of at least

one social networking site, and participated in at least two other content-sharing activities

• Few life-concerns not linked to careers or education

• Struggled to find adequate support and feared for others who might have less determination and ambition

• Animated and opinionated when discussing the internet

“For me, I just think that at school, when I finished my A-levels, it was really concentrated on people going to

university. And I didn’t want to go to university, so there wasn’t much to do

with that. It just seemed to me, everyone was going to university – they kind of forgot the people who wanted to

work instead.” (Diana, 18)

Ex-offenders and drug or alcohol abusers: Liverpool• The young people were in various stages of

recovery – all were in some form of treatment

• Interlocking issues: mental health, poverty, domestic abuse, self-harm, depression

• Felt neglected, ignored and mistreated by most support services

• Limited access to the internet, especially in throes of addiction

• Eager to use their own experiences to help others

“I ended up on heroin. I was a sex worker to feed my addiction. But it’s only been, like, since being in recovery, that I’ve been clean. Just

over 12 months. And I want to use my experiences to help other people. And I’d love to work in the care system, but I’ve got a criminal record. And it’d be like, I want to work with homeless

people, street workers, vulnerable women and stuff. And I know I can do that, but with a criminal record I couldn’t be with kids or

anything like that. It’s only if you’re drink or drug related stuff. But I’ve been in prison and stuff. But I want to use my experiences to

help other kids..” (Carla, 24)

Gay and lesbian young people: Manchester

• Participants were from a close-knit community and several knew each other well

• The group struggled to think of times they had needed support and focused on career- related decisions

• Only one mention of ‘coming out’

• The young people felt their lifestyles were very different to those of their heterosexual counterparts and this justified dedicated support services

• Experiences in rural locations may differ

“My problem was that when it was time to go to college, I still had no idea what I wanted to do. So I just went and did a random course and quit. But

back a year later, I did exactly the same thing.” (Karen, 20)

Rural South West England: Pensford (nr. Bristol)• All the young people were from the same school in

a very small, close community

• There were experiences of a wide range of issues –the recession mentioned for the first time

• Participants were incredibly supportive of one another and used few other advice sources

• It was felt there was a lack of support for people their age and that young people in rural locations are somewhat isolated

“There’s quite a few family problems on my Dad’s side. As in, there was a

couple of deaths in the family in quite close proximity. And then the

recession came, and my parents were struggling for money. So they had to cut back on quite a lot of stuff that I

was used to. ” (Michael, 16)

Ethnic minority young women: London• Most difficult to engage in conversation

• Focused on career-related issues, but had experience of family conflict, crime, homelessness and drugs

• The young women did not mention their ethnicity before prompting, implying they did not see their background as having a significant impact on their lives

• It was felt that ethnic minorities are underrepresented online and that there should be more positive role models for young people

“Basically, I had a boyfriend who wanted me to hold illegal stuff in my house – things that were stolen. And in a way, I felt

I owed my boyfriend a favour. But I didn’t want to do it, because I didn’t want to get my mum in trouble. And I didn’t

know what to do, because I was stuck in between.” (Aesha, 16)

‘Rural’ Scotland: Outskirts of Glasgow • Participants were suspicious of us as London-based

researchers

• All but one of those over 16 had dropped out of education without clear plans

• Most felt education was less important than experience when finding work

• Money (or lack of it) was a top-of-mind issue for all, and the impact of the recession had been acutely felt

• There was a lack of enthusiasm for leaving Scotland or their local area

• The young people felt UK services were target at England and felt neglected

“It’s gradual, and then a big dip with the recession. But also, you hear about people who are leaving university and then not getting jobs

anyway. The people I knew who were going to university and thinking, “Oh yeah, I’ll definitely get a job when I’ve finished”, even they’re not

getting anything. So why were they even studying?” (Simon, 18)

No further education: Newcastle• In contrast to other groups, there were few

mentions of education and career-relate issues

• Concerns centred around money, unemployment, housing and debt

• Most felt that finding work is about ‘who you know not what you know’ and were sceptical about education

• Most would return to education if they could but felt they lack the resources and support needed to do so

“You don’t know where your next job’s from at the minute, you’ve just got to take what you can get. You’re losing *contracts+ all the time. At the minute, you’re working for next to nothing, to try and undercut the other person, because they’re all doing the same. The companies, obviously, they can get credit. But if you can’t get the credit because of things that happened, there’s

no way that you can do it.” (Craig, 25)

Young parents: Bridgend

• Several of the young people had their children (aged between 4 months and 8 years) before they were 18

• The main concern for most was financial and there were several stories of debt and ‘money-struggles’

• When pregnancy was discovered, speaking to family and friends was considered difficult and ‘embarrassing’

• The young people felt patronised by doctors, hospitals and midwives

• They made good use of the internet for child-related information

“Like, really horrible. Like… I don’t know, it’s just nasty… Like, you’re… How can I put it? Because of your age, you’re

just treated really different? And, like you can’t cope on your own and stuff. It’s really horrible.” (Rosie, 17)

Help-seeking behaviour…

Personal support sources

Formal support services

Impersonal sources of support

Parents

Friends

Teachers

Personal support services

“They know you, don’t they?” - a double-edged

sword

• An insider’s perspective

• Useful for issues where the reactions or mindset of the young person is

important (e.g. careers or relationships)

• Best interests at heart

• Life experience (e.g. finance)

Pros

• Bias and control

• Only consider what’s best from ‘their’ perspective

• Lack of knowledge about ‘specialist subjects’

• No good for ‘embarrassing’ subjects

Cons

Careers advisors

Social workers

Health services

Formal support services

“They don’t really care” – experience and

perception

• Generally available face to face

• Detailed information on ‘specialist subjects’

• Usually confidential so useful for ‘embarrassing’ issues

• Trusted and accurate information

• No personal interest in outcome for the young person

• Often perceived to be acting in their own interests

• Can be patronising and dismissive

• Sometimes paying ‘Lip service’ to a problem

Pros Cons

Banks

Impersonal sources of support

“You know the information is quality if

it’s published”

• Completely anonymous

• Assumed accuracy

• Some forms are easily accessible

• Trusted information

•Too generic, especially for personal issues

• ‘Old-fashioned’ and tedious

• Can be time-consuming

• May be out-of-date

Pros Cons

Television

Magazines

Books

Internet

As a social organisation and communication tool

A study tool

A life management tool

The role of the internet…

A source of information, advice and guidance

The internet for information, advice

and guidance

“The internet doesn’t judge you, you know? You can go and look at

whatever you want…they don’t say ‘why are you looking at this?’”

Non-judgemental

Anonymity

“It’s always private and confidential. It never like, unless it –

you look at it, and it’s just there, isn’t it, for you to take in. And no

one knows you’re looking at it. No one knows what your problem is. ”

“Just as an example, you wouldn’t want to go to your mum and say, oh, what’s testicular cancer, because you might be embarrassed. And on the

internet, you can just go on and find out anything. It can be absolutely anything – maybe

something you wouldn’t even want to talk to your friends about.”

Embarrassing topics

Choice

“And a lot of the time the internet has a

broader perspective.”

“Because the internet’s got everything, hasn’t it?”

What makes a good website?

• A clean, uncluttered appearance• An accessible, functional search box• Clear section headings• Limited use of text• Limited website depth – just 3 clicks!

Simplicity

Indicators of quality

• Visible indicators of website traffic• Clarity regarding website origins• Prominent feedback mechanisms • Attention to detail• Regular updates

“I think it’s got to have a search bar at the top, for keywords. Because there can be so much information on a website, so you can just type in a key word at the topand it’ll take you straight to that article.”

THE NEED FOR SUPPORT: Issues faced by young people

The young people

Summary of findings

• A need for accessible, relevant, high quality information for young people regardless of their background

•Young people use a wide range of support-sources, none of which are sufficient in isolation

•The internet plays a significant role in the lives of young people and has the potential to bridge gaps in existing support and bring together the qualities found in other services

•Young people are internet savvy and have high expectations regarding online advice and support

Julie ReynoldsHead of Appeal Development

Panel Q & A

James Kenrick, Advice Services Manager, Youth Access

Sarah McCoy, Research Manager, YouthNet

Julie Reynolds, Head of Appeal Development, YouthNet

Jim Valentine, Communities Manager, YouthNet