Working very closely with families in his community of Burngreave in Sheffield enables Imran Ali to maximise the positive impact he has on children in his care.
Imran manages Ellesmere Youth Project, one of Levelling the Playing Field’s specialist partners in South Yorkshire. His strong relationships with parents ensures his provision for young people meets local need and engages young people in the most effective ways.
“My staff know the parents of the vast majority of the young people who come to our programmes,” explains Imran. "They know my phone is always on. We touch base. It becomes like an extended family. There has to be mutual trust, otherwise we can’t be offering their child the best service.”
For example, Ellesmere Youth Project (EYP) opened an online consultation process with parents and children during the pandemic, asking what activities and support they would like to receive.
The survey asked about the worries parents had about their children, what they felt they were missing out on or needed more of in their lives. They had over 200 responses from young people and 86 from parents.
The variety of responses was huge: many wanted trips and excursions (having been cocooned for so long during the lockdowns), as well as mental health support, support with home learning, religious workshops, health and fitness, education around knife crime and drugs, personal development, life coaching and activities they could enjoy together as families.
“It gave us a really good mix,” reflects Imran. He immediately set about responding to these requests and needs, engaging with mosques and other local partners to provide workshops, coaching and away days.
“By consulting parents, it builds a lot of trust,” Imran explains. “We are working with their son or daughter, but giving them an input into it means that our relationship is so much stronger. We’re on the same page.
“It increases the power of parents and our staff. The young people know we’re in constant contact so we can be united in saying, ‘If you don’t knuckle down at school or if there are any incidents, you will be off the trip or you won’t be involved in sport sessions.’ That is a powerful deterrent to that young person – more powerful than if I or the parent were working independently.”
Imran set up drug awareness workshops for parents and for children, which were delivered by the same external organisation, but attended separately. It ensured both were getting the same information, up-to-date research and support. Both parties could look out for danger signs and were aware of negative impacts.
“When kids come to me, I’m dealing with a fully-formed problem and have to log it and deal with it myself,” says Imran. “If the parents are on board, it makes my work easier and we have a higher chance of recognising and dealing with any problems at an earlier stage.
“It gives me back-up. It increases the network of people who are on board and have that kid’s best interests at heart. I welcome other trusted agencies and organisations into that network too, so the net is as wide as possible.”
EYP don’t have a strong presence on social media, as they find that local word of mouth is the best form of marketing. Parents bring their children in from nearby Rotherham, Tinsley, Darnall and elsewhere, wanting to become part of this supportive community.
“I sent one text message out after lockdown before half term about a boxing session – 115 kids turned up, almost out of nowhere!” said Imran. “It showed the trust and the scope of our network – those parents knew straight away it would be a safe place to go.
“It’s all about working with the parents,” he concludes. “They might not always be clued-up, because so much is happening out there, but they know there’s a guy out in the community who is going into bat for them. They have our phone numbers, we will listen to them, support their needs and what they want for their children.”
Read more about Ellesmere Youth Project here.