Towards a Shared Future
This guide is for commissioners, service providers and other leaders who can help improve the life chances of young people with multiple needs. It shows the distinct challenges these young people face and the resulting high costs. It recommends commissioning across service boundaries as a solution. The guide adescribes the current commissioning landscape and explores three approaches to improving the commissioning of services for this group. It is targeted at those working in a wide range of sectors including health, criminal justice, local government and the voluntary sector.
Young adults (aged 16-24) with multiple needs experience a number of vulnerabilities. They may be in contact with a wide range of services, expected to maintain engagement with them simultaneously. Their problems are often accompanied by experiences of early adversity and many have spent time in care. When these multiple needs are unmet, the interrelation between them often results in a cycle of crisis and crime. On reaching adulthood they are faced with transitions from children’s or adolescent services to the adult equivalent. For those involved in the criminal justice system, this period may also see numerous transitions into and out of custody. Frequently lacking support from family, friends and communities, these young adults often make these transitions unsupported. This often leads to them ‘falling through the gaps in services’.
The costs of this spiral into crime are felt across community and criminal justice agencies. Many of the solutions lie outside the criminal justice system, for example in education, primary health care or supported housing. The right support at this crucial stage of a person’s life can determine whether their pathway to adulthood is successful.
This guide emphasises that improving support does not necessarily mean spending more money or commissioning new services. Long-term improvements can be achieved by identifying and building on what works already and enabling services to work together better. Improving access, sharing resources and developing a shared understanding can all contribute to improvements. The guide explores three specific gaps into which young adults with multiple needs fall – commissioning across age transitions, needs and criminal justice settings. It aims to demonstrate to commissioners why and how they need to work together to improve and join up existing provision. We also make six recommendations for action.
We hope that commissioners will see the importance of working together to commission across service boundaries. They have the potential to transform the lives of young people, improve communities and make significant savings to the public purse.
