What makes our Link Workers unique?
Recently, we're being asked one question more than any other: 'Are your AllChild Link Workers different to Youth Workers?' Both are critical roles for young people and both are needed today, given the different way in which each works and therefore the different profile of children they best support.
AllChild Link Workers co-design and deliver intensive support with children and their families through two-year personalised programmes, driving improvements in children's social, emotional, and academic development. They proactively reach out to children and young people, work from a foundation of deep curiosity, understanding and trust to conduct thorough strengths and needs assessments, access and drive resources to deploy wraparound intensive support in the right way and the right place.
In 2024-5, our Link Workers will work directly with 1,720 children and young people in 50 schools across five local authorities, positively impacting schools, communities, and local support systems for more than 32,000 children and their families. Their work reaches beyond the school gate, enabling more than 25,000 new trusted relationships with community-based organisation, as they are able to access and drive resources to deploy wrap around intensive support in the right way and the right place. And the impact of their work is evident:
⭐ 90% of school leaders say AllChild has helped their families and school community join up with local services and opportunities, including through specialist delivery partners and holiday trips
⭐ 92% of parents say AllChild Impact Programmes improve their relationship with school
⭐ 78% of school leaders say AllChild achieves a significant impact for families, including the extent to which it improves families’ engagement in a child’s learning, their relationship with the school, and their access to local services
So how do AllChild Link Workers manage all this? Here's how:
They are based in full time in schools
- they work with schools to identify children and build relationships
- they see the children they are supporting every day
- children and families don’t need to go to somewhere additional to find them
- they can reach children who struggle to access external support and opportunities (due to anxiety, finances, caring responsibilities, social isolation…) from this universal setting
- they are part of the school community and policies, whilst being a trusted, independent figure
They bring in specialist services and provide wrap around care
- they take children to opportunities in their community including activities, holiday visits & intros to wider early help support
- they assess gaps/barriers to access in specialist provision and micro-commission AllChild’s network of specialist delivery partners to deliver support and opportunities matched to each child’s individual strengths and needs - including therapy, counselling, tutoring, arts and sports - all overseen and quality-assured by AllChild
They work with the adults in each young person’s life
- they support parents/carers and work closely with teachers
- they enable parents/carers to access support for their own needs - linking to community and early help services
- they can facilitate a rebuilding of relationships between families and services
They receive continuous personal development
- including training on advanced safeguarding and child protection, relationships and attachment theory, mental health first aid, counselling skills, solution focused practice, trauma informed practice, school behaviour and reward policies, SEN, directories of community provision
- including regular practice sharing and reflective case time
When I first met you, I was nervous, but now I am confident and brave.”
A Year 6 student, to her Link Worker
In the end, it is the trust-based relationship and the constant presence, combined with the additional resources each Link Worker is able to marshall and direct through our collective funding and delivery model, that enables them to meet each child where they are at and deliver sustainable impact.
