Smithycroft Secondary School

Meet the Team 

What’s it all about?

The Young Parents’ Support Base forms part of a wider strategic approach to supporting young parents in Glasgow which includes key partners such as Health, Social Work, Education, Development and Regeneration Services and Skills Development Scotland.

The overall aim of the service is to support young parents to attain the best possible start in life for themselves and their children. In working towards this aim, young parents involved with the Base have opportunities to engage in a variety of individual and group work activities to support their development as a person and as a parent. The Base provides opportunities around a wide range of health and social needs for all young parents. 

All young women who become pregnant or have children while of school age have the right to access education. The Base aims to support the needs of young women to maintain and/or return to education during their pregnancy and after the birth of their baby.

We work with all Glasgow City schools to promote this outcome.

The Base has a small nursery for the children of young women attending Smithycroft for education and for parents accessing support in the Base. The Nursery is staffed by three Child Development Officers caring for a maximum of nine children at any one time.

What kind of support can the YPSB offer?

The YPSB recognises that whilst young parents have many things in common, not all young parents are the same, therefore all young people will be offered support with:

·         Personal development.

·         Building parenting knowledge, skills and understanding.

·         Educational and training opportunities.

·         Access to peer support.

Young parents who have left school

Any young parent, male and female, who is 19 or younger can access the support and development opportunities available through the Young Parents’ Support Base.

These opportunities can include participation in groups or individual work with the YPSB Co-ordinator, Social Care Worker or external specialist either at the Base, within the home or any other suitable venue.

Crèche facilities are provided for planned group work and childcare can be accessed within the nursery for parents accessing individual support.

Young Women attending their own school who are parents/expectant parents.

YPSB staff will work in partnership with the young woman, her parents and school to ensure her education and personal needs are met while at school. This may include such things as adaptations to the young woman’s timetable and/or accessing continued educational supports during the time she is absent around the birth of her child.

YPSB staff recognise the need to work with the young woman’s family and partner where this is appropriate and provide a full range of supports to ensure they have the information and understanding they require to support the young woman.

Young woman attending school and their partners can access the support and development opportunities available through the Young Parents’ Support Base.

Young Women attending Smithycroft/Base

If a young woman has difficulty maintaining attendance at her own school, a referral can be made for her to transfer to the roll of Smithycroft Secondary School.

Young women attending Smithycroft can access all of our support and development opportunities and, in addition, will have access to more intensive support through daily contact with Base staff. This will enable the young women to spend time focusing on her needs as a pupil, parent/expectant parent and teenager in a safe and trusting environment.

The YPSB Co-ordinator and Smithycroft teaching and support staff work in partnership with young women and their parents to ensure she has access to appropriate education opportunities. For most young women this will involve a range of activities including attending mainstream classes and accessing the Support for Learning team.

It is also important for young parents to have some timetabled sessions within the Nursery with their child to focus on developing parenting skills and awareness of appropriate parent: child interaction.

The “Award Winning” Young Parents’ Support Base

In February 2012 the YPSB received a ‘Best Practice’ award from Glasgow’s Child Protection Committee. This recognised the work we do to support young women to stay in education and the help we provide parents to give them and their children the best possible start in life.

Councillor Coleman presents the award

The YPSB in Print

The Times Education Supplement Scotland recently visited the Base and printed an article in their magazine about our work. You can find out more by following this link- http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6176762

The YPSB in the Media 
Scottish Television featured the Y.P.S.B. in a news report that can be seen here -
http://local.stv.tv/glasgow/magazine/186705-i-want-to-be-a-midwife-and-prove-that-young-mums-are-not-a-waste-of-space/

Do you know someone who would benefit from our service?

Give us a call on                0141 770 8452

You could text on               07827808365 

Or email                             UnitHead@ypsb.ea.glasgow.sch.uk

www.careinspectorate.com