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Providing support, help, advice for young people can a difficult task, at times emotionally, physically, and mentally demanding. Working in such a role means that regular moments for recharging and re-centring are needed. Support can be a tricky thing to improve or change – because the only true outcome that matters is an intangible, subjective sense of ‘feeling supported’. Therefore, this section is kept intentionally broad – because support looks and feels different depending on your context and your organisation.
Support for staff is one of the cornerstones of relationship-based practice, it can cement the culture and ensure that relational practice is consistent and sustainable. Only when people feel supported can they maintain the values, trust and autonomy need to build relationships, even under changing workload, stress and pressures.
Examples of support
As a first reflection answer these following questions:
What support structures are currently in place at your organisation?
What informal ways are there to get support?
Working with young people you will know that support needs to be adaptable and flexible to work for the person.
You could make a list of formal and informal support structures and answer the following questions:
If you are in a position where you lead people, you can do these reflections in a team. Ideally, give each team member the opportunity to work on these questions on their own for a richer group discussion.
Lastly, check that you have considered both the presence and absence of certain support structures, as well the quality of each one of them. Does the strength of relationships exist to make these support sessions useful?
*Relationship-based practice is an approach that prioritises building trusting, consistent, and empathetic relationships as the foundation for support. *It recognises that meaningful change and positive outcomes are more likely when young people feel valued, understood, and safe in their interactions with adults. *It focuses on the quality of the human connection rather than solely on procedures, emphasising active listening, authenticity, and mutual respect.
*Trauma-informed practice recognises how common trauma is, and how deeply it shapes young people’s development, behaviour, and relationships. *It aims to create safety, avoid re-traumatisation, and promote resilience and healing. *Early experiences leave lasting marks on body and mind. Trauma-informed practice takes this knowledge and applies it so practitioners and organisations can build safe, healing spaces.
Introductions matter — when, how, and where they happen can shape a young person’s entire experience of transition. For young people in care, transitions are often the most difficult times, especially when they involve changes in trusted relationships. This guide looks at how to approach introductions and referrals through the lens of relational practice, focusing on building trust and avoiding unnecessary stress.
What do IT systems and relationships have in common? Both usually run in the background and are easily taken for granted. Yet, IT systems can have a big influence on the quality of relationships and relational practice in general.
One of the first things you learn when you start your job is when you need to arrive and when you need to leave. Have you ever considered that the pattern of your work affects the relationships you are building?
Organisational values influence the working culture. They can inspire workers to follow the organisation's mission. However, for them to have an impact they need to be developed with staff and young people.
It is important to keep learning and growing. Recognise your staff’s value and expertise by developing internal training and discussion sessions. Enable staff to learn and train more. Training should not be a tick-box exercise but a place for growth and reflection.
As is often said, hurt people hurt people – it is even more important to consider the flipside: supported people support people. Working with young people and caring for them can be a demanding role, especially in under-resourced and stressful environments. A truly relational organisation also invests in the relationships between managers and staff, creating a positive environment for everyone.
Relationships are shaped by the culture of organisations. Sometimes one person who ‘doesn’t get it’ can create relational barriers for an entire team. So, it’s easy to see why recruiting the right people is critical to create and maintain a relational organisation.
Strong relationships take time, effort, and trust. For young people with care experience, this can be more complex, requiring patience, consistency, and a clear sense of boundaries. With the right approach, you can build positive, lasting connections that support the young person’s growth and relational skills.
Relationships are essential to all parts of life and encompass both our professional and personal lives. They are a vital part of the support networks for our young people and the stronger the relationship the better we can all do our jobs, perhaps making them feel less like a job and more like a vocation. And perhaps more importantly, the stronger the relationship the more important a young person might feel.
