By Isle of Wight Observer
The Isle of Wight Youth Trust are set to receive a grant of £449,200 from the Big Lottery Fund, over the next four years.
Youth Trust CEO, Mairead Healy said that the funding boost would help transform the way the Youth Trust delivers services.
Mairead said, “We are delighted to be the recipients of such a generous grant from the Big Lottery Fund. We are facing an unprecedented increase in demand for Youth Trust services and we want to make sure all young Islanders have access to the best quality services possible, whatever challenges they might be facing. This funding will have a huge impact, not only on the work of the Youth Trust, but also in the lives of the young people and families who access our services.”
“We would to thank the National Lottery for supporting the Youth Trust in working towards this vision. As the largest independent provider of youth mental health services on the Island, the stability of our service is vital. In the face of a changing funding climate, grants like this mean that we can confidently retain our independence and ensure that the course for our future direction is set by the needs of our young Islanders.” She said.
This latest funding announcement caps off another successful year for the Youth Trust who received a record 1,002 referrals from 4-24-year olds last year. The local charity has also secured over £1,000,000 in new funding over the past 12 months which has allowed them to significantly change the way they work.
Mairead further added “Over the past 18 months, we have been working hard to understand the needs of our young people and have been proactive in seeking their opinions on where there are gaps in the provision of services on the Island. The message that kept coming through was that young people need access to longer-term counselling and services that are designed to meet their individual needs, instead of working to a one-size-fits-all approach.”
“Our team has been working to transform our clinical model, in line with the needs identified though our work with young people. In March we appointed Karen Smith as our Clinical Lead, who has designed our new clinical model and in September we appointed three Senior Counsellors, who have been delivering assessment sessions to young people so that we are able to better identify their needs, before counselling commences. This grant will help support this core work as we continue to develop new services and expand our longer-term work to support our young people in their time of greatest need.” She said.
