Parents | Professionals
Parents
The Citadel is happy to hear from parents of young people who use the Citadel services. If you have any worries or concerns about family life that we can help with, please talk to us. Contact
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or any member of staff by calling
Download a Parent Consent Form for your child - we ask all new members to complete one of these
The Citadel enjoys the support of parents on our management committee, and in our local community, for example in our fundraising activities. Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested in supporting us.
More information:
Professionals
Referring a young person | Partnerships | Our approach | Our policies
Referring a young person
The Citadel’s doors are open to any child or young person living in
Who can make a referral?
Referrals can be made by young people themselves, their parents/carers, or other adults who know the young person such as school teachers or social workers. Children and young people already attending our youth clubs, or their parents/carers, will often approach us for help, in preference to other agencies who they do not know. In these cases, a member of the Citadel team will meet with the young person or their parents to fill out the referral form with them. If a school, social worker or other agency wishes to refer a child or young person, they must seek the permission and the views of the young person and, if under sixteen, their parents/carers. It is also helpful if they discuss potential referrals with us, either by telephone, or at forums such as pupil support groups.
How do you make a referral?
Copies of the Citadel Youth Centre referral form can be requested in person, by telephone (0131 554 0510), by e-mail to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
; or can be downloaded here.
This referral form can be used to refer a child or young person to any of the Citadel’s youth work services: individual support; group work; or a supported place in an open youth club.
Individual Support
If a child or young person is offered individual support at the Citadel, they will be allocated a keyworker, who will arrange initial meetings with the young person, and, if appropriate, their parents/carers and the referring agency. Our approach to individual support is young person centred. Citadel keyworkers will work with young people to help them identify their own priorities, which will form the basis of our action plan. The keyworker will meet with the child or young person for weekly 1:1 sessions, which may take place in school or at the Citadel. After three months, the keyworker will review the action plan with the child or young person. With the young person’s permission, parent/carer(s), referrers, school staff and other agencies may be invited to contribute to the review.
Group Work
Children and young people will often benefit from being supported as part of a small group. Group members are able to help each other and develop their skills and confidence together. Our group work programmes are generally short term (8 to 12 weeks) and focused on a particular issue, for example:-
Futureheads – confidence building and career advice for school leavers
Grow Project – promoting resilience and social skills for primary children
Inclusion Group – ethnically diverse group to encourage and support more children from ethnic minorities to join the Citadel’s open youth clubs
Opportunities to refer to specific groups will be advertised to young people and their parents/carers in our open youth clubs and to schools and other agencies through forums such as pupil support groups.
Open Youth Clubs
Children and young people can be referred for additional support to settle into any of our open youth clubs:-
Junior Club – mixed club for 6-9 year olds
Inter Club – mixed club for 10-13 year olds
Girls Club – for girls and young women aged 12-16
Senior Drop In – mixed for 14-18 year olds
If a child or young person is offered a supported place in a youth club, a worker from the club will arrange a meeting with the young person, the referrer, and, if appropriate, the parent/carer(s) to agree the level of support to be provided (for example, a volunteer ‘buddy’ in the club, or separate transport arrangements). The young person’s attendance and progress at the club will be recorded weekly and, after three months, the young person, the referrer and parent/carer(s) will be invited to attend a review. This review will consider what level of ongoing support, if any, is required to enable the young person to benefit from the club.
Confidentiality
The Citadel is committed to promoting the privacy and welfare of children and young people. We aim to ensure that all our service users are involved, at a level appropriate to their age, in any discussion or decisions affecting them, such as case reviews or pupil support groups. We will not routinely share information regarding a child or young person with other agencies, without their consent. However, there may be exceptions, when the welfare of a child or young person is at risk, and we are obliged to share our concerns with statutory agencies.
Partnerships
Citadel contributes to the following local partnerships:
- Voluntary Organisations in Leith Together (VOLT)
- Leith Neighbourhood Partnership
- Pupil Support Group Trinity Academy
- Pupil Support Group Leith Academy
- Edinburgh Youth Work Consortium
- Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership
- Eke Out Project
Our approach
Our policies
Click here to view our policies.
