Introduction
Young people are allocated places on the ACE Education Project via the Children and Young People's Services Emotional Behavioural Social Difficulties (EBSD) Operations Group. Referrals are taken to this group by the Strategic Manager for Behaviour.
Young people referred to the ACE Education Project may have:
- been permanently excluded from EBD (Emotional / Behavioural Difficulties) school placement
- returned to Wigan with no school placement following a period in custody or secure accommodation
- moved into Wigan, having been excluded from an EBD school in another area.
Young people generally arrive with no Record of Achievement, no nationally recognised accreditation and no easy route into the various training organisations / work experience programmes.
It is always our aim to empower a young person to become a more inclusive member of society, and to leave ACE with a full and valuable Record of Achievement and the resolution to do something that is substantial for them, with their lives.
Individualised Programmes
Young people generally start their work at ACE by completing a series of one to one sessions before moving, when and if they become ready, into small groups.
Individuals and groups are carefully nurtured to provide positive social interactions and assist young men and women to reconstrue themselves as definite 'team players', supporting and guiding each other for mutual benefit.
Following on from a young person's premliminary sessions the team begin to carefully build a package that the individual has ownership of and can put together academic sessions, workshops, outdoor education / learning, work experience, work based training, college placements and sports activities. Timetables are thoughtfully and gradually built to provide a pallet of academic / social / vocational experience and achievement.
Young people start their programme on a part time basis with the aim being to extend into daily sessions leading to 20+ hours provision.
Continual emphasis is placed on the importance of team building both on and off site. It is only by becoming part of a positively functioning group that a young person can achieve their fullest potential and become a truly inclusive member of society.
Inclusion
The ACE Education Project regards itself as being at the cutting edge of 'inclusion'. Enabling some of the most disadvantaged and marginalised young people in the borough, achieve success, in an educative setting, where previously they had lost hope in 'the system'.
By 're-including' young people into the educative system many doorways previously closed open again; doorways that can lead to an enhanced, positive, bright new future.
Working Relationships
The Teacher in Charge and Youth Worker's who staff the Project work hard to develop strong working relationships with related agencies, including colleagues within Children and Young People's Service, Youth Offender Team, Social Services, Positive Action Team and training providers.
