A flexible, mental health-informed youth outreach project meeting young people where they are.

Reach OUT is our flagship detached youth work model, designed for young people aged 11+ across the wider St Helens area. We create a trusted, consistent presence in the spaces young people naturally gather; parks, estates, outside shops, and shared community areas; breaking down barriers to support and connection.

Delivered by experienced youth practitioners with specialist mental health insight, the project blends the best of traditional youth work values with clinical expertise. This means every interaction is rooted in relationship-building, safety, and early intervention while being informed by a deep understanding of mental health, wellbeing, and safeguarding.

Many of the young people we meet tell us they would never walk into a formal service. So we meet them on their terms in their spaces, at their pace.

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What Reach OUT offers

• Targeted detached youth work sessions in public and community spaces.
• Flexible delivery models that adapt to local needs and resources; from street-based engagement to pop-up community hubs.
• Therapeutic early intervention and emotional support embedded into informal conversations and activities.
• Safe, discreet signposting to other services including mental health support, local youth provision, and wider community resources.
• Responsive scheduling, with additional sessions during high-risk times (e.g. Bonfire Night, school holidays).
• Partnership working with councils, schools, health services, police, and voluntary organisations.
• Youth voice at the centre, with feedback shaping priorities and approaches.

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Impact & Approach

Reach OUT acts as both an early-warning system and a bridge to support; spotting needs before they escalate and connecting young people to help quickly. By embedding mental-health-informed practice into detached youth work, we:
• Support emotional wellbeing in the moment.
• Reduce social isolation and disengagement from education.
• Increase feelings of safety, trust, and belonging.
• Strengthen community connections between young people, peers, and trusted adults.

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Future Growth

Our model is scalable; each area can develop its own identity (for example, Reach Parr, Reach Central) while keeping the same core values and structure.

With investment, Reach OUT can grow into a borough-wide network of trusted adults, visible where they are needed most, creating safer, more connected communities for our young people.