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Title of Systematic Narrative
Review
Community based interventions
with disengaged adolescents and
their families
Abstract
Context
The 'adolescence service' model is a collaborative partnership between
statutory and voluntary agencies. It aims to move away from a traditional
crisis interventionist model, to a strengths-based, preventative model in
order to build resilience and social capital among service users, and
provide support to young people and their families prior to crisis. The
necessity of effective data collection and monitoring of service statistics
for procurement and funders has raised issues surrounding good
outcomes and more importantly the establishment of evidence based
outcomes.
Methods employed in the review
Three main databases, PsycINFO, Applied Social Sciences Index and
Abstracts (ASSIA) and Social Care Online (SCIE) were explored. It was
considered that these provided the best opportunity to gain search for
relevant material to answer the search question.
Concept terms used include: Community AND Adolescence AND Hard to
or Hard to Engage. AND Family.
Databases were searched between 23rd January and 24th
February 2017.
Findings
Within the synthesis, a number of themes emerged from the studies.
These included:
Resiliency and social capital
Positive relationships with caregivers, staff or mentors.
The interrelationship between education, youth agencies and
families of young people.
Levels of positive participation of young people in their community.
Sport culture and leisure
The findings of this study needs to be considered in the light of limitations
and in particular that it was limited to 16 studies.
Conclusions
The evidence review revealed the importance of establishing positive
relationships with disengaged adolescents and their families at the earliest
point of contact.