Positive Futures FINALIST for Best Service Delivery Innovation at Third Sector Awards for ‘Transitions’ Project

Positive Futures was thrilled to make it to the finals of the prestigious Third Sector Awards in the category of Best Service Delivery Innovation for our pioneering ‘Transitions’ project. This recognition celebrates our innovative approach to tackling barriers to school attendance for some of the UK’s most vulnerable young people.

The ‘Transitions’ project is designed to identify and remove obstacles that prevent young people from attending school, with the ultimate goal of ensuring they not only return to school but also maintain their place. This pilot initiative has already demonstrated significant success in supporting young people with high levels of complex needs.

“This project aimed to encourage ‘severely absent’ young people to re-engage in education, increasing attendance in order to decrease the likelihood of offending behaviours attributed to poor educational outcomes,” said Professor K. Stuart. “The project has recruited above target numbers. The team has delivered a high-quality and highly differentiated offer to these young people, enabling them to achieve improvements in socio-emotional skills, attendance, behaviour, and exclusions. The project has met its overall aim of ensuring 60 young people are in school. The project team has gone beyond their original remit working with more young people than anticipated, in greater need than expected, supporting families as well as young people, and providing a significant contribution to multi-agency working across the City of Liverpool.”

Clare Corran, CEO of Positive Futures, commented on the shortlisting: “We are incredibly honoured to be recognised by the Third Sector Awards for our ‘Transitions’ project. This acknowledgment is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, who have gone above and beyond to support young people facing immense challenges. Our innovative approach to service delivery is making a real difference in the lives of these young people and their families. Being a finalist for this award reinforces our commitment to providing high-quality, impactful support and continuing to improve outcomes for vulnerable young people in Liverpool.”

The project specifically targeted young people who had become severely absent from school, particularly those with attendance rates of 75% or less over the previous six months. In reality, attendance varied from 0% to 75%, with over half attending less than 50% of the time and some not attending school for two years or more. The needs of these young people were multiple, high-level, and complex, requiring resolution before successful reintegration into school life.

Key statistics from the project include:

• 61% of young people were in mainstream education.
• 7 young people were ‘off rolled’ with attendance varying from 0-75%.
• Over half (56%) were open to EHAT, CIN, or Social Care, and a significant number (80%) claimed SEND status.
• 7% were in Care, 13% reported abuse, and 15% were NEET.
• The project provided comprehensive support to both young people and their families, including:
• 1:1 support from Targeted Youth Workers, totalling 5747 hours (77 hours per young person on average).
• Mediation between families, schools, and agencies, focusing on the voice of the child and advocating alongside parents.
• Cognitive profiling and neurodiversity support.
• Family support services addressing mental health, debt, and housing issues.
• Specialist ‘catch up’ tutoring.
• Evening, weekend, and holiday pro-social activities tailored to young people’s needs.
• Professor K. Stuart analysed data, examined surveys, and produced three 6-month reports, highlighting the project’s impact:

Short-Term Outcomes:

Statistically significant improvements in socio-emotional skills for 49% of young people.

“I’m here and feel supported. I want to go back into school for my last few months. And I want a job caring or teaching or something like that. They’ve helped me be more positive.” (YP13)

65% of young people showed positive changes in motivation for learning.

“And he started saying a couple of times; ‘oh, maybe I’ll go back to school,’ which is never something that we’ve really seen from him. We haven’t seen him back in school yet, but like he’s saying it, which I think it’s really positive.” (Social Worker YP13)

Medium-Term Outcomes:

Attendance improved for all young people who successfully engaged in the project, with 75% achieving an 80% or higher attendance rate at exit.

13 young people increased their attendance from 75% to 85%.

Four young people increased their attendance to between 86% and 95%.

15 young people had attendance as high as 95% to 100%.

“He’s back into school Tuesdays and Wednesdays which I never thought would happen.” (Parent YP11)

Decreased exclusion rates and behavioural incidents for all young people who engaged in the project.