Step Up Step Up - December 2013 | Page 8

PAGE 8 STEP UP Single team will deliver early intervention and youth services From 1 January, Croydon’s early intervention and youth services will be merged into a single management structure. With a focus on family issues, the service will support people from conception to the age of 19. There will be five teams working under head of service Dwynwen Stepien. - Prevention through partnership (Denise Clements): supporting families by commissioning early-years support services, coordinating and signposting voluntary sector provision and working with children’s centres. Offering traded services through arts projects and the outdoor and well-being project. - Locality early help and support (Debby MacCormack): building capacity of universal service providers to carry out thorough assessments and provide effective support to families with young children. - Children and young people’s resilience service (Simon Townend): reducing the numbers of young people going into care or becoming involved with the criminal justice system through the Turnaround Centre and outreach workers. Leading on triage for early help on multi-agency safeguarding hub assessments. - Family resilience and justice service (Paula Doherty): Intensive support for troubled families, and support and advice, through the family justice centre, for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence. - Youth offending service (Ray Maguire): Reducing reoffending rates and tackling gang-related behaviour. Contact Dwynwen Stepien for more information, or if you would like a team briefing in January when the service goes live. ‘…the service will support people from conception to the age of 19.’