An innovative multi-million pound project which will improve support to vulnerable young people is due to be considered by councillors next month.
Norfolk’s version of the ‘No Wrong Door’ scheme will see an investment of £5 million over three years by the Department for Education and additional council investment of £4 million.
It aims to help reduce the number of young people coming into care as well as reducing the number of arrests and hospital admissions.
Due to be launched in June next year, No Wrong Door is a non-traditional approach to working with young people that combines short term residential care placements and specialist support.
Two children’s residential homes in Breckland and Norwich will be refurbished and improved to convert them into hubs which will sit at the heart of the new service providing residential and outreach support.
The scheme is due to be considered by Norfolk County Council’s cabinet on December 7.
John Fisher, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “This project has a proven record elsewhere in the country of delivering significantly better outcomes for young people and their families as well as substantial cost reductions.”
Developed by North Yorkshire, No Wrong Door has helped reduce the cycle of young people moving between multiple foster placements, or into residential care, reduced the numbers in high cost independent placements and reduced young people going missing, arrests, as well as reducing the numbers going into care.
Norfolk County Council has been working closely with North Yorkshire to deliver its version of the scheme.
There will be two specialist hubs at the heart of the service, which will be for young people aged between 12 and 25.
Each young person will have a key worker who sticks with them through their journey and then draws in support from mental health workers, speech and language therapists, substance misuse specialists, clinical psychologists and police safeguarding officers.
Mr Fisher said: “It builds on the transformation programme we already have underway to strengthen our work with children, young people and their families, including our Inside Out programme, which offers coaching for young people in care and at the edge of care, and our supported accommodation for care leavers.
“This scheme will further help us improve the life journeys of our county’s most vulnerable children facing the most complex difficulties.”
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