Wellbeing

This evidence summary seeks to address the following question relating to the outcomes of involvement in social enterprises for young people with additional support needs: What are the benefits of social enterprise ventures such as cafés for young people with additional support needs? How does evidence from academic research and lived experience back up the approaches taken by [organisation redacted] as examples of good practice? It identifies some key studies relating to the wide range of outcomes for young people with additional support needs from work- and employment-based social enterprise interventions and recommendations for good practice.

This evidence summary examines how community-based interventions can support young people's social and emotional wellbeing. Due to a scarcity of robust evaluation and reporting taking place across the sector, we selected a wide-range of materials for this review, including systematic reviews, relevant individual studies and case studies from UK-based organisations. Studies examining a range of different children’s and young people’s interventions were selected, with most aimed at improving social skills, emotional wellbeing and behavioural difficulties.

This summary focuses on evidence of the indirect impact on children from living with the effect of adult to adult coercive control. Overall there is very little research into coercive control without violence, and even less specific research into how children experience coercive controlling behaviours only, when living with domestic violence perpetrated by one caregiver to another. However, we have identified some key publications and sources of knowledge that seek to identify and explain the impact of coercive control on young people, where these effects are described specifically. Children who witness severe and ongoing parental conflict can have significant negative outcomes for children. Children who witness severe and ongoing parental conflict can display: externalising problems (such as behavioural difficulties, antisocial behavior, conduct disorder); Internalising problems (such as low self-esteem, depression and anxiety); academic problems; physical health problems; and social and interpersonal relationship problems. It is important for people working in social services to understand the impact of coercive control and develop relevant assessment skills. This Outline provides contextual information and recommendations for reading and development.

Lisa Curtice, Programme Director, People Powered Health and Wellbeing speaks about the programme and their experiences of co-production and improvement methodology as approaches.

Renfrewshire Association for Mental Health (RAMH) celebrates 25 years of providing support. Michael McEwan speaks to Karen Milne who tells us about RAMH and launch of the celebrations. 

Information about PASDA, a charity that offers support to parents, partners and siblings of adults with autistic spectrum conditions.

Introduction

A Better Life was a major five year programme of work developed by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which explored how to achieve a good quality of life for older people with high support needs. This briefing has been produced by Iriss to ensure that the messages and challenges of A Better Life are understood in the context of the current policy drivers in Scotland and are translated into practice across the country.

Note: A subsequent development of Imagining the Future saw the creation in November 2014 of a scenario planning tool in which we explore four different worlds that might emerge depending on the interplay of social, political and economic factors.