You’re Welcome covers ten topic areas which are relevant for service providers, commissioners and strategic planners:
- accessibility
- publicity
- confidentiality and consent
- the environment
- staff training, skills, attitudes and values
- monitoring and evaluation, and involving young people
- joined-up working
- health issues for adolescents
- sexual health and reproductive health services
- child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
Details of the You’re Welcome quality criteria can be found on the Department for Health's website.
Implementation and quality assurance pilot
The You’re Welcome Project Lead based at Government Office for the North East is leading a programme of work to:
- develop and test a self-assessment process for service providers
- develop materials for young people explaining You’re Welcome
- develop quality assessment arrangements for You’re Welcome
- develop guidance to support commissioning in line with You’re Welcome
- align You’re Welcome with other standards and inspection/regulation systems, in consultation with the Healthcare Commission and other partners
- identify support materials, resources and effective ways of involving young people which will assist implementation and quality assurance
- engage with key stakeholders to extend formal endorsements, such as Royal Colleges
- develop a national quality mark for services that meet the You’re Welcome quality criteria
- launch the products developed and plans for national roll-out (subject to ministerial approval).
Who is involved
The North East is one of the four regions, alongside North West, London and South East which has been engaged to support the Department of Health (DH) to develop and test the self-assessment process. The findings have informed recommendations for the national roll-out. Pilot work has drawn on the learning from the Teenage Health Demonstration Site in Northumberland and participating primary care trusts (PCTs) in the region have included Durham, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton.
Next Steps in the North East
Following two training workshops in Middlesbrough and in Newcastle in December 2007, 27 self-assessment toolkits were completed as part of the pilot across the North East. These included primary health care, genitourinary medicine, contraception and sexual health services, school health, voluntary sector youth services, CAMHS, young people’s drug and alcohol services and community pharmacies. Feedback was collated and fed back to the Department of Health and has informed the revised toolkit that is due to be finalised in June 2008, prior to the launch of an electronic version.
Young people from Northumberland and Stockton were involved in the development of the You’re Welcome logo and young women from Durham have drafted a young people’s version of the You’re Welcome quality criteria for consultation nationally. Participation workers in the North East have been consulted about the development of a young people’s assessment tool linked to You’re Welcome.
It is envisaged that all PCTs in the North East will be encouraged and supported to become involved in the roll out of You’re Welcome as part of a phased implementation throughout 2008-09. We have drawn on the learning from the Teenage Health Demonstration site in Northumberland, and the experience of services which participated in the piloting process in the North East to draw up recommendations for a national quality assurance model. Participation leads in the region have met to explore and plan a coordinated approach to young people’s participation in You’re Welcome across the region. Plans are underway for the North East regional launch of You’re Welcome, which will take place on 8 October 2008 with input from young people.
For information on any aspect of You’re Welcome nationally, contact the Department of Health Adolescent Health Services Project Manager via email at lily.makurah@dh.gsi.gov.uk
The North East You’re Welcome Project Lead Mandy Cheetham is based at Government Office on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. For further information, contact her via email at mandy.cheetham@gone.gsi.gov.uk or telephone on 0191 202 3918.
