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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 9:26 pm
Time: 9:26 pm
Results for outreach services
2 results foundAuthor: Bovarnick, Silvie Title: Outreach Work: Child Sexual Exploitation - A Rapid Evidence Assessment Summary: This briefing is based on a rapid review of the available literature on outreach work with children and young people. It is intended to provide the ReachOut project with an overview of different approaches to outreach; what it generally aims to achieve; what distinguishes it from centre-based work and how it is applicable to children and young people involved in, or at risk of, child sexual exploitation. We highlight what is known about 'detached' and other approaches that aim to reach vulnerable populations who are not accessing mainstream services. We hope it will be useful in informing ReachOut's thinking about the role and value of its own outreach activities. WHAT IS OUTREACH? There isn't a single definition of 'outreach'. The term is used to describe a range of activities relating to community development, social inclusion, or engagement with local people (McGivney 2000a). It can operate in a variety of settings and with a range of target populations such as sex workers, drug users, and young people involved in crime or gangs (Rhodes 1996). In the context of youth work, outreach is typically aimed at particularly vulnerable and/or marginalised individuals or groups that, for a variety of reasons, are not effectively reached by mainstream services (Hardy et al 2010; Rhodes 1996). Outreach may also include work with parents, carers and the wider community. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DETACHED YOUTH WORK, STREET-WORK AND OUTREACH The fundamental similarity between outreach and detached youth work or street work is that they all take place where young people 'are at' geographically and developmentally. Detached youth work and street-work tend to both assess and address young people's needs by delivering activities in their spaces and places. Although outreach can also deliver services in community settings (Dewson et al 2006), it is more often an extension of centre or project-based work (Kaufman 2001; CWVY 2014), used to 'advertise' existing services and encourage young people to use them. Because outreach shares many methods and principles with other types of detached youth work, this review draws on relevant examples from the range of approaches. THE PURPOSE OF OUTREACH The primary purpose of outreach is to raise awareness of existing services and encourage their takeup. Outreach often targets individuals or groups that may be suspicious of, or intimidated by, mainstream services in order to increase their confidence and draw them into centre-based provision (Dewson et al 2006). However, in some instances, outreach can be used to deliver services in the local community, especially in communities where there is poor service provision and where people have difficulties in accessing advice and support e.g. in rural areas. Such outreach services may involve locating staff for some of their time in organisations which are located within target communities. Details: London: Barnardo's, 2016. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 16, 2017 at: http://bettercarenetwork.org/sites/default/files/Outreach%20Work%20-%20Child%20Sexual%20Exploitation.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://bettercarenetwork.org/sites/default/files/Outreach%20Work%20-%20Child%20Sexual%20Exploitation.pdf Shelf Number: 146206 Keywords: Child Sexual AbuseChild Sexual ExploitationOutreach Services |
Author: Worwood, Erin B. Title: Evaluation of the Homeless Outreach Service Team (HOST) Program Summary: According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 610,042 people were homeless in the United States on a single night in January 2013 (HUD 2013). In Utah, state officials estimate that 15,093 individuals were homeless in January 2013, a 9.5 percent decrease from the previous year (Wrathall et al. 2013). When individuals experiencing homelessness lack the resources to gain adequate housing and key behavioral and support systems, they occupy public places that often create conflict with other community members. Communities may perceive homeless individuals to be a threat to community safety or a disruption to the functioning of businesses and public spaces. As a result, many communities have turned to their local law enforcement agencies and criminal justice systems to address these issues (NCH and NLCHP 2006). Law enforcement policies typically respond to such problems by restricting where homeless individuals can congregate and issuing citations for misdemeanor offenses and infractions that are specific to their status as homeless (e.g., public intoxication, urination in public, open container, trespassing, jaywalking) (American Bar Association 2006; U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness 2012; NCH and NLCHP 2006). The homeless gain entry into the criminal justice system when they are cited for misdemeanor offenses or infractions, fail to appear in court, or are booked into the jail on a court-ordered warrant (J. Baxter, pers. comm., September 10, 2012). Unfortunately, reliance on the criminal justice system as a means of managing homeless populations places an expensive burden on a system that is not equipped to address the underlying issues contributing to homelessness (Roman and Travis 2004). Salt Lake City's Homeless Outreach Service Team (HOST) program was developed in April 2011 as a collaborative effort between law enforcement and homeless service providers to disrupt this cycle and address the underlying issues of homelessness (M. Ross, pers. comm., October 2, 2012). The original purpose of the HOST program was to bring Salt Lake City police officers and community outreach workers together to identify homeless individuals who frequently panhandle or engage in other types of public nuisance activities in downtown Salt Lake City and to connect them to community resources. The main objectives of this program were to (1) encourage police to make referrals to services rather than issue citations to the homeless and (2) decrease the prevalence of panhandling by encouraging the public to give money to homeless service providers rather than directly to panhandlers. In 2012, the Salt Lake City (Utah) Police Department (SLCPD) received an award from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) to expand the HOST program. The goals of the COPS Office HOST award were to fund a public awareness campaign, coordinate strategic planning efforts, and recruit and train formerly homeless individuals as volunteers to assist with outreach efforts. Salt Lake City has contracted with the Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) to examine the impact of the award on services offered and the perceptions, roles, and responsibilities of personnel and key stakeholders involved with the HOST program. This report covers the three primary components of the HOST program: donations to homeless service providers, the homeless support group, and collaborative street outreach. Details: Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2016. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 27, 2018 at: https://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0814-pub.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0814-pub.pdf Shelf Number: 149588 Keywords: Anti-Social behaviorCollaborationHomeless PersonsHomelessnessOutreach ServicesPanhandling |