We are thrilled to announce that The Basement Project has joined forces with Wyre Forest & South Worcestershire Nightstop and Mediation Service to launch Upstream Worcestershire. This new school-based project is designed to identify and support young people aged 11 to 16 before challenges at home or school reach a breaking point.
Too often, we only hear from young people when family relationships have already broken down and they have nowhere safe to stay. Family breakdown is the number one cause of youth homelessness, but Upstream gives us the chance to step in much earlier.
Inspired by successful early-intervention programmes like The Geelong Project in Australia, which saw a 40% reduction in youth homelessness, our approach relies on a simple digital survey completed by pupils in the classroom. This helps us identify issues like family conflict, poor mental health, or disengagement from education. Crucially, this whole-school approach allows us to reach students who might be struggling quietly but would never feel comfortable asking for help themselves.
If a young person is identified as needing extra support, we invite them to meet with an Upstream practitioner. From there, we shape flexible support around their specific needs, which might include one-to-one mentoring, family mediation, conflict coaching, or referrals to specialist services.
The Basement Project are piloting this work at North Bromsgrove and South Bromsgrove High Schools, while Wyre Forest and South Worcestershire Nightstop and Mediation Service will be working with Baxter College in Kidderminster and The Stourport High School and Sixth Form Centre. We will be closely monitoring the pilot to understand its impact on young people’s wellbeing, their engagement with education, and their relationships at home. Our long-term ambition is to help more young people remain safe, supported, and able to reach their full potential.
More information can be found on both of our websites here:
Basement Project: https://www.basementproject.org/what-we-do/workshops/
Nightstop: https://www.wyreforestnightstop.org.uk/upstream