A title for a project
To support the development of Wirrals offer for children and young people around risk and resilience, the Qualitative Insight Team gathered insights on young peoples risk-taking behaviours and how the pressures around them are managed by young people and families. The insights also show what helps/stops young people and families getting support, whether at home, at school, or in the community.
March 2023 - April 2023
Insights gathered by
Dave Jones
Aim
The Aim
People engaged with
Insights were gathered from 39 people, including young people aged 11-19, parents of young people aged 1-26, and professionals who work in young people’s services. The young people engaged with included Year 7 students (aged 11-12), Year 9 students (aged 13-14), and 17-19-year-olds who were engaged in services.
Methods
Focus groups were held with Year 7 students, Year 9 students, parents, and professionals. The focus groups included activities such as brainstorming, case studies, and designing Snakes and Ladders boards, where snakes represented barriers to accessing support and ladders represented enablers. The 17–19-year-olds engaged in services were spoken to using semi-structured 1-1 interviews and friendship interviews (where two friends are interviewed together).
Key insights
Pressures of growing up around, consuming, or dealing in substances, such as vapes, alcohol, cannabis, and Class A drugs. Young people highlighted the negative impacts of vapes in schools, including fears of consuming secondary smoke in the toilets, and anxiety caused by blazer searches before exams.
How have the insights been used/shared?
The insights contributed to a wider collation of new and existing insights (both qualitative and quantitative) on young people’s risk-taking and health-related behaviours by Wirral’s Public Health Team and Children and Young People’s Department. Together, the insights supported the commissioning of a coordinated ‘risk and resilience’ offer that meets the identified needs and is improving outcomes for families.
Online links
https://www.wirralintelligenceservice.org/media/bqskqhjl/risk-taking-full-report-v3-27-01-23-qit-accessibility-checked-v3-accchkdjh.pdf