What does a good professional relationship look like for homeless young people?

Key messages from young people

• Young people felt that the caring and respectful attitudes that staff had for them were the most important part of being supported by Centrepoint. Young people appreciated that members of staff had a joke with them, made them feel at home, and took the time to meet them ‘where they were at’, with respect and with an open mind. These positive relationships meant that young people felt comfortable talking through difficult topics with members of staff, which they might not otherwise have done if members of staff didn’t take the time to get to know them.
• Young people were very aware of negative attitudes and stigma from others. The positive experiences they have had with members of staff from Centrepoint contrast with the way they felt judged and let down by other supported accommodation providers. Young people also suggested that they felt judged by members of the local community who neighboured the Centrepoint service, and sometimes by visitors from other organisations who came to see them. Young people have really useful ideas about how to minimize and reduce this stigma, and it is really important to work together with young people to reduce this stigma as it can have really harmful effects on self-esteem and can be a barrier for forming positive relationships.
• Young people also really valued having regular opportunities to speak openly and give constructive feedback about how services can work best for them, e.g. through residents meetings and this research. As engaging young people can be a long and slow process, it is really important young people have regular opportunities to raise their concerns and have these listened and responded to.
• Young people said that they really appreciate the chance to try and do something new and different. They suggested that having activities in the calendar gives them something to look forward to, helps to release some of the stress and boredom they face, and helps them to build positive relationships with both staff and other young people. While motivating young people to attend might be a challenge, young people said they would be willing to attend. Some young people even suggested that they would be willing to pay a ‘deposit’ or contribute a small amount towards an activity (e.g. cycling or cooking a group meal)
• Young people felt that open and honest communication was really important for building consistent and positive relationships with staff. They also felt that this honesty reduced the potential for conflict as they had a better understanding of why certain rules or procedures were in place.
• Young people said that the support they wanted, and received, from Centrepoint was more than just being provided with somewhere to stay. They appreciated that they were supported in many different areas of their lives, ranging from education, to work, to managing relationships and help with practical things (e.g. how to use different websites). They also appreciated when other organisations provided support within their accommodation, as this helped them to feel safe and comfortable. As the biggest worry they had was around their mental health, young people really wanted and needed mental health providers to offer drop-in support to them in their accommodation. While they felt that members of staff from Centrepoint were there for them when they wanted someone to talk to, they really wanted this to be supplemented by opportunities to speak to trained professionals before things got too much for them.

Key messages from staff

• Staff found that the key to success when supporting homeless young people is young people’s level of engagement, and the way that they perceive their relationships with staff to be. The more that members of staff ‘meet them where they are at’ in environments where they feel safe and comfortable, the better that support will be received and taken on board.
• Staff found that it is really important that young people have a safe space from which they can take positive lessons from their mistakes. Members of staff also suggested that it is important that young people are made to feel comfortable and at home, and that they meet young people with a caring personality and without judgment.
• Members of staff found that getting to know young people by doing activities with them (for example by drinking tea/coffee together, going for a walk, or playing football) can be really useful ways of building positive relationships. Service providers could consider providing support in different and more ‘informal’ spaces where young people may feel more relaxed and more willing to open up.
• Members of staff suggested that the strong team-ethic they had was really important for providing consistent support to young people. As members of staff worked on rotation, sharing information within the team (both verbally and through written notes) was seen as crucial in order to keep up-to-date with what was happening in the lives of the young people they supported. The detailed notes recorded using the ‘in-form’ platform also meant that information could be shared with other agencies/organizations in order to protect young people from harm.