“This is the first time I remember anyone has ever sat down with me and listened to me…”

Boy, age 14

 

People: What Matters To Us

 

 

Lifespace Trust has a rich history that precedes the work with young people which began in 2004. Our approach to the services we deliver with young people and families are influenced by what matters to us. Perhaps we might call these important things “The Big Nine”:

 

1 You are Amazing

We believe all people have a built-in worth of 10 out of 10. To put it another way, no-one is worth-less. Being a faith-based project with a strong Christian values base, what we do is motivated by compassion, rooted deeply in our belief that all people are inherently worth 10 out of 10, whatever their behaviour, background and circumstances. We believe every young person must have opportunities to explore and reach towards their full potential. They deserve to be
listened to and respected as people, even when their behaviour and opinions may not always be agreed with!
2 Flexibility

We believe working flexibly around people's individual needs and circumstances is the best way we can help. We recognise that what's happening at home affects what's going on at school; what's going on in someone's head affects their behaviour, their energy levels, strength of their friendships and their learning. This ‘whole-life’ view requires a high degree of flexibility in how we work with others – young people were not designed to fit into neat boxes.
3 Excellence

We want to be the best that we can – young people, families and agencies all deserve and need us to be! We put this into practice through our achievement of the national quality & safety framework (Approved Provider Standard) which we have carried continually since 2005 from The Mentoring & Befriending Foundation; our achievement of the Silver Level standard of the Warwickshire Award for Involvement (WAI) in 2009; being a national finalist in the Faithworks Awards for “Improving the lives of children and young people (2008)”; being shortlisted for the Midlands Mentoring Project Recognition Award (Supporting Life’s Journeys, 2010). We have a good framework of mentor supervision in place; monitor mentors’ progress and outcomes closely; and feedback to schools/agencies as required.

4 Diversity and Expertise

…from the wide range of skills and professional training of the people within Lifespace. Everyone’s contribution
matters, and our ‘team ethos’ helps us to enjoy the work we do even though it can be immensely challenging.
5 Focus on outcomes

The process of mentoring matters, as do the ‘end results’. All our work fits with the Every Child Matters outcomes framework (The Children Act 2004). We use a special ‘outcomes-measuring tool’ devised by City College in Norwich to help us check how things are going and what outcomes are being achieved. As author Stephen R. Covey says “Begin with the end in mind”.
6 Urgency

We understand people facing difficulties need help as soon as possible. We work hard to match up mentors to young people as soon as we can (usually within 2-3 weeks) as we know that some issues just can't wait. To this end we use
a Waiting List Protocol and will not allow more than twenty young people on the waiting list at any one time. We believe that continuity of contact with one person and regular contact are vital ingredients in creating hope and promoting choices that lead to positive change, rather than creating dependency. You will find we are a proactive organisation.
7 Voluntary Contribution

Most of our team of mentors and educators are volunteers, all of whom are extremely dedicated to what they do.
We provide everyone with regular individual and group supervision, ongoing training and chances to connect with each other at team meals. As a project we are largely funded voluntarily by a range of charitable trusts and individuals,
and we are not tied to government or public sector targets or budgets.
8 Voices

Young people's views are at the heart of what we do, how we do it and why we do it. At the close of all our mentoring
and education work young people complete an Exit Interview which gives them the opportunity to express what they
have valued, how they have been treated, and if anything could have been different/better. Lifespace has the Silver Level Warks Award for Involvement as recognition of good practice in young people’s participation.
9 More Than Us

We are all designed to need other people to help us get what we (really) want and need. We enjoy working closely and appropriately with lots of other agencies (statutory and voluntary) wherever and whenever we can, and are always
willing to listen and learn from others. As someone once said “2 + 2 can equal more than 4”. Our track record is really good proof that we do this.