Most families and young people need help from time to time. At the Adolescent Support Team (AST) we recognise that living in families can sometimes be difficult, especially at time of change. For young people this may affect how you feel about yourself, your family and your friends. Your parents, teachers or others may be unhappy with your behaviour and at times you may also be feeling unhappy. The Adolescent Support Team can help you and your family through the difficult times and help you all to learn to live with each other and respect each other again.

Services we provide

Referrals

Referrals are accepted only from Social Care Teams in Waltham Forest.

Schools who feel they need to make a referral should complete a CAF (Common Assessment Framework) and forward this to Children and Young People's First Response at Buxton Road.

Preventing family breakdown and the need for a young person aged 10 –16 to go into care

The team is made up of Social Workers, Social Work Assistants, a Systemic Family Therapist and an Education Support Worker.

Interventions / How We Work

  • Brief Solution Focused Therapy Framework
  • Triple P Parenting - (Positive Parenting Programme)
  • Developing communication skills
  • Conflict resolution
  • Self-Esteem / bullying / assertiveness
  • Recognising and working on anger
  • Adolescent development
  • Age appropriate guidance and boundaries
  • Appropriate sanctions / incentives
  • Reward charts and contracts
  • Routines
  • Family tasks
  • Developing a Community Based Support Network
  • Linking into positive activities.

What do we do?

  • 12 direct work sessions with parents and young person (separately and/or together)
  • Worksheets
  • Handouts
  • Setting tasks to try out new strategies
  • Facilitating family meetings

SMART project – rapid response for 14 and 15 year olds

Support, Reunification and Rehabilitation Team

Aimed at 14 and 15 year olds who are at risk of going into care or who when they reach their sixteenth birthday could be at risk of homelessness.

  • Rapid response  - Allocation to SMART worker on day of referral to Adolescent Support Team to bridge the gap between referral and allocation in the team
  • Crisis intervention – Increased support for families at times of crisis
  • Practical support such as escorting young people to school to encourage attendance
  • Identification of positive activities/development of interests and escort if necessary
  • Registration with library and leisure card
  • Self esteem work with young person
  • Contracts between young person and family
  • Support / Escort to other agencies such as young people’s counselling, young people’s sexual health advice and young people’s drug and alcohol advice.

Parenting groups and theme days

  • Triple P’ – Positive Parenting Program run in partnership with the Youth Offending Team for families that are known to either of the services
  • Triple P – Positive Parenting Program groups for families on the Adolescent Support Team waiting list.
  • Theme Days – delivered in partnership with the Youth Offending Team offering a two hour information/question/answer session with parents on areas such as ‘Gangs and knives’ or ‘Sexual Health’ for adolescents. An invited speaker usually facilitates these sessions.

Parenting assessment of children in care aged 0–18 years

The Parenting Assessment service provides Parenting Assessments for families where their child/young person aged 0-18 is a ‘Child in Care’.

Wherever possible the assessment will be carried out in the family home.

The assessments are carried out by qualified social workers, over a period of about twelve weeks and the following tools are used during the assessment:

  • Family Assessment
    Assessment of Family competence, strengths and Difficulties
    (Amon Bentovin and Liza Bingley Miller. Child and Family Training. Department of Health)
  • Home Inventory
    (Antony Cox and Stephen Walker. Child and Family Training. Department of Health)
  • Family Pack of Questionnaires and Scales
    Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families (Department of Health)
  • Direct Observations of family activities and the setting of tasks for the family that can be observed or assessed.

How to contact us

Adolescent Support Team
Rowan House
1 Cecil Road
Leytonstone
E11 3HF

Tel 020 8496 5067
Fax 020 8496 5052
Map get directions