Growing through the years between the age of 12 and 21 is challenging for everyone and CAYSH subscribes to the universal view that the best place to do this is at home with family. We work with young people and their primary carer (normally mum or dad) to try to ensure as many people get to grow up at home as possible where home life is a bit bumpy.
Young people often describe experiences of being "treated like a small child" and that rules they are asked to abide are better suited to much younger children. Parents often feel "taken for granted" and as if their home is "treated like a hotel". CAYSH aims first to mediate to create a different and positive approach to communicating with each other. The CAYSH Family Support service aims to help young people and their parents to talk to each other in a way that's acceptable to everyone as a starting point to avoiding housing crisis.
Some young people we meet are beyond the point at which reconciliation with their family is possible. Often by the time a young person reaches 16 family relationships may have been so problematic that intervention work such as mediation is unlikely to succeed. That's why our Family Support service starts earlier and is for young people aged 14 or more and their families, aiming to solve problematic situations before its too late. In the instances where any intervention would be to late we support young people, helping to get them safely and securely housed and hopefully then re-engage with their family.
CAYSH undertakes other work aimed at helping young people better understand the challenges of growing into independence. We work with schools and other young people's organisations to help them understand what services are available to avoid housing crisis if at all possible or to call upon when it does.
