ABOUT RAPP
INFO FOR PARENTS, CARERS & PROFESSIONALS.
R.A.P.P. STANDS FOR: RIGHTS AND PARTICIPATION PROJECT.
RAPP was established in 1997 following pioneering work in Hull City centre with children and young people at risk.Supported by Save the Children until 2003, RAPP continues to be a partnership project between the founding partners Hull Social Services (now Hull Children’s services) and The Warren Young people’s Resource Centre. RAPP also receives support form Connexions Humber, Hull Children's Fund and the Safeguarding Children's Board.
WHAT DOES RAPP DO?
RAPP is a service for children and young people in need or at risk aged between 9 & 21 living in the Hull area. RAPP offers independent advice, support and advocacy to ensure children and young people are listened to in decisions that affect their lives.
RAPP is about responding to children and young people’s issues in a child centered way. The RAPP case workers aim to develop effective working relationships with young people and offer positive advice, support and advocacy.WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU CONTACT RAPP?
We send the young person a RAPP information pack.We then follow this up with a letter within one week. The letter is then followed by a telephone call to try and arrange a time to meet the young person.THE FIRST MEETING WITH RAPP
When we meet with a young person for the first time we explain clearly:
WHAT ELSE DOES RAPP DO?
RAPP works with Hull Children’s services and a range of other agencies to make sure young people’s views and ideas are listened to and can help shape and develop services for young people in the future.
RAPP runs various groups and projects with young people around drama, anti-bullying support and raising awareness about offending (HMP RAPP). RAPP offers training and workshops delivered by young people to a range of professionals and agencies. RAPP runs a number of drop in advice surgeries for young people in Schools across Hull. RAPP is an active partner and supporter of Hulls Youth Parliament and the Hull Coalition.
MISSION STATEMENT:
To actively promote and advocate children and young peoples rights.
•
To build on children and young people’s capacity to take
part in important decisions regarding their lives.
•
To create opportunities across services enabling children
and young people to feel valued, listened to and included.
Key Objectives:
To provide independent advocacy, advice and support to children and young
people in need or at risk aged between 9 - 21 years old living in the Hull area.
To strengthen existing services for children and young people at risk of falling
through existing support systems and to re-introduce children and young people
to these services.
To promote an awareness and understanding of children’s rights and participation
in existing provision through:
• Developing and delivering positive, user friendly processes and advocacy.
• Promoting child centered practice and policy developments through creative consultations with children and young people.
• Actively listening and responding to children and young people through offering
a need led children’s rights casework service.
• Utilising a participatory approach to integrating children’s views into service
planning, delivery and evaluation.
RAPP Philosophy:
RAPP asserts that all children and young people have value and have rights. These rights include:
The right to be treated with respect.
•
The right to participate in decisions that affect their lives.
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The right to be protected from harm.
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The right to an education.
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The right to be listened to, and taken seriously about things that are important to them.
In working alongside young people to try and make these rights a reality we aim to:
1.Work in an open, honest, flexible and approachable way.
2. Be non-judgemental and not patronising to children and young people.
3. Be willing to listen and to learn from our mistakes to develop our service.
4. Treat children and young people with respect and as individuals with their own specific needs.
5. Promote and provide a responsive and creative children and young people’s rights service.
6. Design, deliver and facilitate training programs alongside children and young people for other professionals.
7 .Work with children and young people to promote their views on issues of importance to them.
8 .Sharing practice experience in multi-agency arenas in order to influence policy and service development.
9. Working positively with other agencies to ensure young people are heard in planning & reviewing of services.
10. Carrying out short-term focused pieces of development work in partnership with other agencies.
11. Consulting with children and young people to promote their views and experiences at local and national level.
We believe children and young people are the best people to tell us about their lives.
INTRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE.
The RAPP story for children and young people.To cut a long story short….
RAPP was started 10 years ago in the Warren (a young people’s resource centre for 16 to 25 year olds in based in Queens Gardens) after working with a gang of young people (called the YAP group; Young and Proud) in the City Centre.
These young people were having loads of problems and felt they were not being listened to, fobbed off and fed up of being passed from one place to another.
RAPP was then set up in April 1997 (by the Warren, Hull Social Services and Save the Children) to work at making sure children and young people were listened to and got the right support when they needed it.
RAPP is about making sure children and young people are listened to. Have a say in decisions and are treated fairly.
This is what you can expect when you contact RAPP.
THE RAPP CODE
RAPP workers will...
Treat you with respect, listen to what you say & take notice of your views and ideas.
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Do our best to get you sorted - if we cannot help we might know someone who can.
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Never give in - we will keep working with you as long as you want to work with us.
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Be honest and upfront with you - we have open files and you get to see what we write and how we are trying to help you.
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Ask what you think of the RAPP Project – your views and ideas are important and we are willing to listen and learn from young people.
MEET THE RAPP TEAM
Who’s who…Craig Clark:
Hull Children’s Rights Officer/ Project coordinator
Lisa Chapman:
Project Administrator
Sue Overton:
Children’s Rights Caseworker.
Katie Roberts:
Hull Safeguarding Board Children and Young peoples Participation Officer/ Freedom Road Creative Arts worker.
Iain Thompson:
(Northern Drama & Education) - Freedom Road Creative Arts Worker
Ian Bolton:
Development worker/ Freedom Road Creative Arts Worker
Chris Lennie:
H.M.P. Manager
Cindy Brogan:
Children’s Rights Caseworker
Emma Gamble:
H.M.P Support worker
Christine Charlton:
Children’s Rights Case worker
Shaun ‘Twang’ Tinegate:
Children’s Rights Caseworker
Mike Gillet:
Children’s Rights Caseworker
Lisa Billany:
TOO MAD Project worker
TRAINING INFORMATION FOR PROFESSIONALS
Since its inception in 1997, RAPP has had a remit to deliver training to professionals in the health and social care field.
This training has been developed from what the RAPP team has learnt from the issues presented by children and young people accessing the RAPP service.
The main focus of the training has been to promote children’s rights, participation and a child centered approach. However in the past RAPP has delivered training on various subjects such as child protection, anti bullying and solvent misuse.
RAPP works very closely with children’s services in delivering training on the social workers foundation course and offers a training programme once a month to professionals through the Hull Safe Guarding Children’s Board.
The majority of RAPP’s training is co-delivered alongside children and young people as part of the TLC (Talk, Listen, Change) project.
TRAINING COSTS:
RAPP charges a fee for its training programmes and the training offered can be tailored to meet agencies needs and requirements.
ANTI BULLYING TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR PROFESSIONALS:
RAPP and the Community Anti bullying Project (CABP) have designed and developed a two day training the trainers course aimed at raising awareness of bullying and tackling it more effectively.
The need for this training was identified by Children’s services anti bullying focus group, led by the (Children’s services complaints manager) following a high number of complaints received by children and young people living in care, about bullying difficulties.
The training programme supported by Children services training section and led by Craig Clark and Mary Dornan has been rolled out over the last two years to identified trainers in residential care in Children’s services.
This work has been recognised by the Anti Bullying Alliance as good practice and incorporates the experiences, views and ideas of Children and young people who access anti bullying support from RAPP and CABP.
BUDDY SCHEMES/MEDIATION SCHEMES IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS:
Over the last five years the RAP Project has designed programmes on Buddy and mediation schemes in three Hull Primary Schools, these include Highlands Primary, Bude Park Primary and Cleeve Primary.
This training involves RAPP working closely with nominated year 5 and year 6 pupils and training them as playground buddy’s or mediators, with a key focus on tackling bullying and strengthening friendships, over a four to five week period in School.
RAPP also carried out specific work over a three week period in Southcoates Primary School to develop their School Council.
IF YOU REQUIRE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION ON RAPP’S TRAINING PROGRAMMES, INCLUDING COSTS AND AVAILABILITY CONTACT CRAIG CLARK Tel.01482-225855
WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE OFFENDING OR AT RISK OF OFFENDING?
CONTACT CHRIS LENNIE AT HUMBER MENTORING PROJECT Tel.01482-225855EXAMPLES OF SOME ORGANISATIONS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED RAPP TRAINING
Hull City Council Children’s Services
Orange Grove Private Fostering agency
Association of Lawyers for Children
Connexions Humber
Sheffield City Council children’s services
Leeds City Council Children’s services
Hull College
Hull University
Lincoln University
Kingswood High School
Royal Pediatricians conference (York)
Designated Teachers (for Looked After Children) Hull Schools
Hull Fostering Service
Highlands Primary School
Bude Park Primary School
Cleave Primary School
Southcoates Primary School
TRAINING INFORMATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
At RAPP we believe children and young people are the best people to tell us about their lives. Our Training is delivered by RAPP staff alongside young people who have a story to tell and have experienced many different things in their lives. We feel this is one of the best and most powerful ways to get people to remember training courses and learn new things.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET INVOLVED AND SUPPORT RAPP TRAINING PROGRAMMES, CONTACT CRAIG CLARK ON: 01482-225855Here are just some of the films and presentations we use on our training:
Watch the "Telling Lives" Video
(may take a few seconds to load)
Click here for Lucy's Story (Power point presentation)
MAKING A REFERRAL TO RAPP:
REFERRAL INFO FOR PARENTS, CARERS & PROFESSIONALS.Thinking about making a referral to RAPP?
Contact the RAPP Project if the children and young people you are working with:
RAPP incorporates the Hull Children’s Rights Service, offers independent advice and advocacy to children and young people in need and at risk aged between 9 & 21 living in Hull. For information contact Tel: 01482-225855
PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE THE YOUNG PERSON’S PERMISSION BEFORE MAKING REFERRALS TO RAPP.
CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE CAN SELF-REFER TO RAPP
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WHAT CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE SAY:
We want to know if we made any difference.
This is what children & young people have said who have used the RAPP service.“I could just talk without any pressure about telling others. I felt that I was talking casually with a mate that I could trust”
“There was support there when I needed it”.
“They spoke to me about things I can do”.
“They were good to talk to.”
“They listened to me and they helped me get through it all and for that I am truly grateful to the people who work at RAPP!”
“Nice people and listened to the child and parents”.
“There was always someone to talk to”.
“Very helpful and very pleasant people”.
“Because they talk to you and help you at school”.
“Getting all the stress out and also feeling better after talking to you”.
“RAPP listened to me and made other people listen to me at school as well. They also helped me gain confidence at school when I was being bullied.”
“The people are nice and helpful and whenever you wanted to talk to someone all you have to do is ring and they be there.”
“going on trips and having people to talk to, having a life and making new friends, RAPP was very helpful and I wish I can come every day”.
“Helped me go back into school when I didn’t want to go”.
“I found out stuff about myself”.
“I enjoyed the arts and drama at half term and need more things like that to do”.
“The advice and help given by the team. They go out of their way to make things possible”.
“Craig Clark is really down to earth and tell you the truth if any thing can be done and you can look at what they write down about you.”
“He listened to me!!!!”.
“I thought Craig was brill and friendly and very helpful in giving me ideas for school bullies”.
“I was treated with respect and not frowned upon”.
“I felt they were there for me, they were kind and listened to me without interrupting me, they made me feel safer and that being bullied wasn’t something to feel ashamed about”.
“they always kept me informed with what was going on, they got things sorted out for me.”
“I was able to talk and be listened to”.
“it’s helpful to know you’ve got somewhere to turn when you need help and the best thing is they care”.
“RAPP was on my side and gave me a lot of help”.
“I enjoyed going to the meetings and making video’s”.
“They talk to you on the same level”.
“If RAPP hadn’t of got involved the problem would still exist”.
‘The things I went in for, was help to appeal to change Schools from one Secondary School to another. This happened for me. There was a lot of support for me and my Mum as well’
‘The RAPP office is a very happy place…it’s a right laugh’
‘ RAPP is the only place I would go in Hull for advice’
‘They helped me sort out my complaint’
‘I was home less, they talked to housing on my behalf and got it sorted’
