Reboot
What is Reboot?
Reboot is a four stage early intervention youth programme in Sussex.
The concept is to engage with young people (10-17 years old) at early ‘teachable’ moments, before they become entrenched in crime and violence. The programme is a non-criminal pathway which takes a strengths-based approach to focus on the positive aspects of young people’s lives as opposed to the negatives. This is achieved through staged interventions, building skills and resilience in young people and giving them access to tailored support; all to reduce the risk of them being drawn into a life of criminality or victimisation. Every interaction will be both an intervention and an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with the child and their family.
Support can also be offered to parents and guardians of young people open to Reboot to help provide holistic support to the family as a whole.
Children and young people come from a wide range of backgrounds with different experiences, vulnerabilities and values. Our approach acknowledges differences, recognises vulnerabilities and aims to meet the needs of every child. We will treat a child as a child. The voices of vulnerable children and young people must be heard and their opinions respected. The child will be spoken to and asked how they are feeling, what they are thinking and what do they want to happen?
Why is Reboot needed?
Young people are increasingly vulnerable to becoming involved in crime and violence, and due to its close proximity to London, young people in Sussex are particularly exposed to being exploited by gangs running County Lines drug operations.
Stages
At every stage, those working with the young person and their family look to fulfil the objective of the programme which is to reduce the risk of young people becoming involved in crime, violence or repeat victimisation.
The first intervention is conducted by a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) who will attend the home address of the young person. They will explain the programme and why the young person was referred. They will endeavour to establish a relationship with them and the wider family so as to identify diversionary activities that interest the young person. If willing to engage in the programme a Reboot coordinator will contact the family to discuss relevant and bespoke diversionary activities and support for the young person.
The second intervention is conducted by a Neighbourhood Youth Officer (a Police Constable). This will take place at the home address of the young person. They will explain why the young person has moved to stage two and what new concerns/risks have been identified by police. They will endeavour to establish a relationship with them and the wider family so as to identify diversionary activities that interest the young person so as to identify and support them in accessing diversionary activities.
If incidents continue and escalate, the young person will be moved to stage three. A meeting will be held between professionals who are or have been engaged in support with the young person and their family. This will allow opportunity to establish what positive impacts there have been and what further support can be offered. A further home visit will be conducted by the Neighbourhood Youth Officer. This ensures continuity in building a relationship with the young person and their family.
If the young person continues to be at risk the entire Reboot response will be assessed and handover will be completed to a more appropriate team/partner. This may include Children's Services or the Youth Offending Service.
Results of the first year
Reboot began in 2019. It was estimated that the programme would see 20-30 referrals a month - around 250-350 per year.
Instead, in its first year Reboot received over 1000 referrals of young people into the programme, exceeding initial anticipated demand by 300%. Of the 938 young people who engaged, most exited the programme at Stage 1, with 30% progressing to the coaching offer at Stage 2.
82% of young people continued to be monitored for a period of time and were subsequently assessed as no longer at risk. Seven out of ten young people said that Reboot had a positive impact on helping them achieve their personal goals, and one parent commented that "for the first time the strengths of my son have been recognised and someone has worked with him to set goals and encourage him to focus on all his passions. He is now back on track, not getting in trouble and the future is his to grab."
You can find more in depth information about the programme's first year in the Reboot Impact Report.
Partners and initiatives
Reboot works in partnership with Active Sussex who have been able to open up exciting opportunities with local partners across Sussex.
We are building relationships with these partners to offer young people opportunities in a number of activities, thereby using the power of sport and physical activity to transform lives.
During the Covid-19 pandemic Reboot worked with Active Sussex to provide free online sports sessions to young people and their families. Check out some of the fun activities on offer from the safety of your home on the Active Sussex website.
Raise Resilience is a series of six online sessions for parents offered by Bounce Forward.
Part of children growing up is experiencing life beyond the home which sometimes means our children start to veer off course. It can be difficult to know how to stay connected to them in a way that is helpful.
The sessions start with personal resilience to remind you to look after yourself (which can be easily forgotten) and takes you through key ingredients for building resilience in a way that is helpful for you and your children. The sessions provide practical skills and information proven to support positive changes in cognition and behaviour, and mindsets. This is an opportunity that really helps with the small day to day stuff and can be a set of tools that help you and your children thrive in life.
'TeenAid' is a series of ten online sessions for families offered by Changing Chances. The programme helps families better understand how the teenage brain works and what might underlie different behaviours.
They provide very practical solutions to these difficulties, helping parents and carers understand what’s going on in the teenage brain and know the best ways to help young people get back on track.
These will help you to feel more in control, know the best ways to manage your child’s challenging behaviours and support them towards improved life chances.
At stage 3 of the Reboot programme, family counselling can be offered by Relate.
What is family counselling?
Family counselling is where members of a family talk with a qualified counsellor trained to work with families who may be experiencing problems. Family counselling can help with a range of things, such as:
- parenting issues.
- child, adolescent, or adult behaviour.
- relationships between family members.
- changes in family life, such as separation or divorce.
Family counselling is non-judgemental. Its aim is to help each family member to be heard so that everyone can communicate better with each other. It can help families to change, develop and resolve conflicts, especially if you have different opinions.
Who can come along?
It can be all of the family or some of the family members. You can talk about this with your counsellor. Sometimes who comes along depends on the problem/s you want to deal with.