Choosing your friends: Young peoples agency in negotiating supporting relationships Jenny Spratt and

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Choosing your friends Young peoples agency in
negotiating supporting relationshipsJenny
Spratt and Kate PhilipUniversity of Aberdeen

• ESRC seminar series The school as a location for
  promoting and supporting mental health
• Seminar 3
• 6th Nov 2008

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Whose voices? Working with young people
This paper explores questions of childrens
agency and voice which have recurred as
analytical themes from three recent studies
undertaken by the Rowan Group at Aberdeen
University. Shucksmith, J., Philip, K., Spratt,
J. and Watson C.(2005) Investigating the links
between mental health and behaviour in schools
a report to SEED. Spratt, J., Philip, K.,
Shuckmith, J. and Kiger, A. (2008) The role of
school nurses In supporting mental health a
report to the National Programme for Improving
Mental Health and Well being. Philip, K.,
Shucksmith, J. and King C (2004) Sharing a
Laugh a qualitative study of mentoring
interventions with young people. York Joseph
Rowntree Foundation
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This paper will

• Consider the impact of the changing social
  context on the opportunities for informal
  relationships between young people and adults
• Discuss the increase in professional
  friendships designed to support young people
  experiencing difficulties

• Explore the opportunities for young people to
  exercise choice and agency within the support
  structures available
• Draw from previous studies undertaken by the
  authors to identify common themes in young
  peoples perceptions of meaningful relationships
• Consider implications for policy and practice

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Young peoples place in society

• Structural changes impacting on perceptions about
  young people
• -collapse of youth labour market
• -policy changes (family, education, youth
  justice)
• -sharpening of inequalities between different
  groups of young people
• Imagery of young people
• moral panics (fuelled by media)
• youth as a social barometer? (France, 2007)

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A perceived loss of informal mentors

• Lack of shared experiences between young people
  and adults.
• Decline in natural settings for adults and young
  people to interact e.g. youth centres / play
  spaces, clubs and activities (Jeffs and Smith
  2005, Valentine et al. 1998).
• Young people not always welcome in so-called
  public spaces

• Few opportunities for young people and adults to
  co-construct relationships based on voluntary
  association
• Loss of the collective community guidance of
  young people (Rhodes, 2003).
• Decline of the mentor rich environment
  (Freedman 1993).

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Adult fears of interactions with young people

• Scotlands Commissioner for Children and Young
  People (2007) Adults attitudes towards contact
  with children and young people identified 4 main
  barriers to adults choosing to interact with
  young people.

• Fear of accusations of harming young people
• Reluctance of men to have contact with young
  people for fear of suspicion of their motives
• Fear of teenagers
• Perceived power of children and young people

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Growing public concern about young peoples
mental health

• Concerns about the prevalence of poor mental
  health amongst young people (Green et al 2005)
• Recognition of the importance of environment for
  mental health (Curtis 2008)
• Risk of pathologising normal behaviour and
  experiences?(Coppock 2002)

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Cue the professional friend

• In the absence of informal community networks a
  range of specialists now work with young people
  to support and remediate difficulties (Shucksmith
  et al, 2005).
• Counsellors, mental health workers, pupil and
  family support workers, mentors, support young
  people through their difficulties.

• Often, but not always associated with schools
• Often targeted at certain segments of youth
  population (Philip and Spratt, 2007).
• Often being seen to compensate for family
  inadequacy
• Frequently seized on as a silver bullet to
  compensate for all (Colley, 2003)

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In the best interests of the child?

• Ventriloquism adults purporting to speak on
  behalf of children as they act in what they
  perceive to be in the childs best interests
  (Ruddick 2007)

• Coercive mentoring tutoring young people to
  comply with a system that doesnt meet their
  needs (Colley 2003)

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Young Peoples right to participation in
decisions made about themselves (UNCRC 1989)

• How can participation be promoted in the context
  of young people seeking support?

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Choice and agency in help seeking

• Who decides?

• The nature of the problem
• Whether to seek help
• From whom to seek help
• At what level to engage with the service
• The purpose of the supporting relationship

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What have our studies shown?.....

• Young people are strategic seeking help from
  different people at different times for different
  purposes

• Young people are more comfortable with people
  with whom they have a natural relationship

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.What have our studies shown?.....

• Young people recognise and avoid services that
  have been stigmatised by referral of problems
• The bad people go and see her

• Young people prefer support where they are seen
  as a person and not as a case

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.What have our studies shown?

• Young people prefer to choose who to speak to
  rather than being allocated

• Time limited professional relationships can be
  problematic

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Implications for policy and practice

• In order to honour childrens participation
  rights we must establish the conditions in which
  they can be honoured.
• Mayall (2000 248)

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Structure meets agency formal supports

• How can we design our interventions to

• allow young people to test out before choosing
  to engage
• provide low threshold access to support
• avoid labelling and stigmatising those who seek
  support
• offer a range of gateways to support
• offer a menu of options (including informal
  supports) for young people to select how they
  choose to engage.

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A mentor-rich environment informal supports

• Adults working with young people all have a
  responsibility towards the welfare needs of
  individuals in their charge, and the potential to
  respond to a young persons need for a
  professional friend

• Young peoples well-being is everybodys
  business (Weare 2004)

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References (1)

• Colley H (2003) Mentoring for Social Inclusion.
  London Routledge.
• Coppock, V. (2002) Medicalising childrens
  behaviour in Franklin, B. The New Handbook of
  Children's Rights. London Routledge, 139-154.
• Curtis, S. (2008) Troubled youth in troubled
  places? Environmental influences on mental health
  of adolescents and young adults. Paper given at
  ESRC seminar, The school as a location for
  promoting and supporting mental health University
  of Teesside, April 4th
• France A (2007) Understanding Youth in Late
  Modernity. Milton Keynes Open University Press
• Freedman, M (1993) The Kindness of Strangers
  adult mentors, urban youth and the new
  voluntarism. San Fransico Josey Bass
• .

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References (2)

• Green, H., McGinnity, A., Meltzer, H., Ford, T.
  and Goodman, R (2005) Mental health of children
  and young people in Great Britain, 2004.
  Basingstoke Palgrave McMillan.
• Jeffs T and Smith M, (2005) Informal education,
  democracy and Learning. London Heretics
  Press
• Mayall, B, (2000) The sociology of childhood in
  relation to children's rights. The International
  Journal of Children's Rights 8 (3), 243-259.
• Philip K and Spratt J (2007) A synthesis of
  published research on mentoring and befriending.
  Manchester Mentoring and Befriending Foundation.
  
• Rhodes J (2003) Stand By Me. Boston Harvard
  University Press.

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References (3)

• Ruddick S (2007) At the Horizons of the Subject
  neo-liberalism, neo- conservatisem and the rights
  of the child part 2 parent, caregiver, state.
  Gender, Place and Culture, 14 (6) 627-640.
• Valentine T, Skelton C and Chambers D (1998) Cool
  Places an introduction to youth culture in
  Valentine T and Skelton C (eds) Cool Places
  geographies of youth cultures. London Routledge
• Scotlands Commissioner for Children and Young
  People (2007) Adults attitudes towards contact
  with children and young people. Edinburgh Rocket
  Science.
• Weare K (2004) Developing the Emotionally
  Literate School. London Sage.