Who we are
Flintshire Youth Service are part of Flintshire County Councils Education and Youth portfolio. We work with young people aged 11 – 25 years to develop their personal, social and educational development and also support their mental health and wellbeing through a wide variety of opportunities with access to opportunities and experiences in Welsh and English, which provide enjoyment and enrich their personal development through youth work approaches.
Our work is underpinned by the five pillars of Youth Work;
- Young people are thriving.
- Youth work is accessible and inclusive.
- Voluntary and paid professional youth work staff are supported throughout their careers to improve their practice.
- Youth work is valued and understood.
- A sustainable model for youth work delivery.
Opportunities are delivered to Flintshire young people in many ways through Youth Services. There are 11 youth clubs that are open weekly (term time only). The youth clubs are open access and are safe spaces for young people to socialise with their friends and make new ones.
The Youth Homelessness Prevention Service caters for all young people in need of extra support. Supporting them in the prevention of becoming homeless and getting into crisis. The team can support young people with mediating between the child and parent, supporting them into education and employment and giving them independent living skills to prevent them from becoming homeless or into hidden homelessness
The School and Community Immersion team work within Flintshire secondary schools to provide support to young people during the school day and help them achieve their goals and aspirations.
Forrest School is a way of learning new skills in the outdoors by giving young people the chance to be surrounded by nature. The Play Development team are part of the wider team and offer open access supervised play opportunities within the community.
The Detached and outreach team work during term time and work out in the local communities and currently in partnership with Aura community sessions.
Projects such as the Flintshire Youth Council and Fusion LGBT+ group also run termly and are bespoke sessions to ensure all young people in Flintshire have the opportunity to work with Youth Service and have their voices heard.
Further to all these services, Flintshire Youth Service recognises the importance and the responsibility we have to promote and advocate the Welsh language. We have a designated Community Welsh Language Officer to look at all our services an how we implement the Welsh language through our delivery to support the Welsh Governments target of 1 Million Welsh speakers by 2050.
Our engagement with young people takes place in youth centres, youth clubs, on the street (where young people are!), in schools, and in local communities. Youth Service also engage with young people on social media and currently have a Facebook and Instagram account, follow our social media channels to find out more.
If you need to access urgent support have a look online at Live Fear Free, Meic and Childline websites or call them, their details are:
- Live Fear Free provides help and advice about violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence.
- Helpline 0808 80 10 800 available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
- Meic is a helpline service for children and young people up to the age of 25 in Wales and is open 8am to midnight, 7 days a week. Freephone 0808 80 23456 Text 84001 or IM/Online chat.
- Childline enables young people to get help and advice about a wide range of issues, call on 0800 1111 or talk to a counsellor online.