Where They Are: The Reach OUT Training Programme

“Training youth workers to meet young people with care, consistency, and clinical insight wherever they are.”

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What Is It?

Where They Are is Reach Rainhill C.I.C.’s in-house training programme for youth workers, developed to embed the values, skills and practice principles that underpin our flagship outreach model Reach OUT.

Designed by experienced youth and mental health practitioners, the programme blends trauma-informed theory with street-based practical tools. It’s the foundation of how we work; relational, responsive, and rooted in trust.

Why It Matters

Detached youth work is one of the most accessible and impactful forms of support, but also one of the most complex. It demands emotional intelligence, safety awareness, creativity, and deep empathy.

This training ensures that every Reach Rainhill team member from new starters to senior leads; shares a common language, skillset, and commitment to high-quality, values-driven practice.

It’s more than a CPD course, it’s part of our culture.

The Modules

Our 6–7 core sessions focus on the real challenges and opportunities of working with young people in community spaces, parks, estates and shared environments:
1. Understanding Emotional Dysregulation in Adolescents
Trauma, brain development, co-regulation strategies
2. De-escalation and Safety Planning in Open Environments
Managing risk, reading situations, responding safely
3. Vicarious Trauma and Youth Worker Wellbeing
Self-awareness, supervision, emotional sustainability
4. Holding Boundaries with Empathy
Trust-testing, consistency, professional identity
5. Neurodiversity and Co-Regulation Strategies on the Street
Inclusion, sensory needs, supporting diverse ways of being
6. Creative and Visual Tools for Engagement and Check-ins
Practical tools for emotional literacy and connection
7. (Optional): Rooted in Purpose: The Bigger Picture of Youth Work
Values, sector sustainability, funding, and advocacy


Who It’s For
• All Reach Rainhill staff and volunteers
• Practitioners supporting Reach OUT, Reach Active and Reach Ready
• Youth workers, project leads, facilitators and emerging leaders
• Partners working alongside us in community or outreach settings


What Makes It Different
• Created by a team with combined expertise in youth work + mental health
• Grounded in lived experience and local delivery
• Responsive to real challenges faced on the street
• Includes reflective practice, not just information
• Builds empathy, awareness, and practical confidence


Accreditation & Expansion

We are currently exploring external accreditation and sector delivery options for this programme. If you’re an organisation or commissioner interested in accessing or adapting Where They Are for your staff team, please get in touch.

This training is part of Reach Rainhill’s long-term commitment to sector leadership, inclusion, and impact.


Questions or Collaboration?

To learn more about Where They Are, or to explore how Reach Rainhill can support your organisation through training, mentoring or partnership:

📩 Contact us at: admin@reachrainhill.co.uk