Inspire: Youth Work in Hospital

Inspire is based at Wrexham Maelor Hospital. It began as a partnership between Wrexham County Borough Council and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and has since expanded provision into Flintshire.

Inspire provides support to young people who present at the hospital with self-harming behaviours, with the overall aim of reducing readmission rates. The project involves a multi-disciplinary team of youth workers and assistant psychologists working holistically to support each young person.

While supporting a young person one-to-one, the Inspire youth worker liaises with other professionals that the young person is involved with. This encourages seamless communication and transition between services, ensuring that a young person’s needs and wishes are met. It includes working collaboratively with social workers, schools and colleges, counsellors, CAMHS, specialist services and others. The youth workers advocate for young people and are flexible in their approach to suit each individual, their situation and difficulties and the goals they would like to achieve.

The judging panel highlighted how the hugely successful Inspire approach is enabling the value of youth work in health settings to be more widely recognised. The project continues to grow, with other medical teams now choosing to invest in the support and expertise of an Inspire youth worker.