The Newham Y2A Hub is designed to meet the specific needs of 18-25 year olds in probation. It comprises of a small, specialist team of psychologists, youth workers and a speech and language therapist. 2025 is the third year of delivery in Newham.
The visit included a presentation from Laura Norton, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) Commissioner for the service, commenting on findings from the Ministry of Justice’s evaluation of the service over the course of two years.
Dr Phil Minoudis, ELFT’s Head of Forensic Personality Disorder (PD) Psychology, presented outcomes from our local service evaluation, including:
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The development of a new scale to measure psychosocial maturity.
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Improved attendance at probation appointments for young people who engaged in the Y2A Wellbeing service.
Following the presentations, the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime had the opportunity to meet practitioners who work at the Hub, alongside young people who make use of its services. This included interviews with two of our staff.
Commenting on the successful visit, Kaya Comer Schwartz said: “I’m a passionate believer in partnerships being key to community safety. The Y2A Hub is a vivid demonstration of partnership in action, with health, probation and council partners working together in the community, tackling the complex causes of crime with a child-first approach.
"I’m grateful to everyone involved for their skill and commitment in setting up and running the Hub. I also want to thank the team involved in the evaluation, which is providing important insights and evidence to inform future work across London.”
Dr Phil Minoudis added: “This was a great opportunity to showcase the good work of our ELFT-led London Pathways Partnership (LPP) Y2A Hub in Newham, delivered in partnership with our third sector partners, Rights and Equalities in Newham (REIN) and Together for Mental Wellbeing.
“Our service is tailored to the specific needs of young adults who have offended, and leads with innovative approaches to engaging this disenfranchised group. We prioritise the relationship, to identify areas of need and provide a bridge for young adults to the support they require to help them move away from offending and lead a life with hope of future opportunity.”
If you would like to learn more about the Newham Y2A Hub, you can contact Dr Minoudis at philip.minoudis@nhs.net.