Coaching skills are helping support workers connect more deeply with young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs), empowering and motivating them to take responsibility for their lives. Mark Bisson reports
More than 35 million young people across OECD countries are not in education, employment or training (NEET), according to the OECD Skills Outlook 2015. In England alone, 738,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 24 are currently NEET (Gov UK, Q1 2015). The UK’s Audit Commission estimates the average lifetime cost to public finances and resource costs at more than £160,000 (Coles et al, 2010) for each young person, giving a potential total lifetime cost for NEETs in England of more than £100 billion.
The previous coalition government’s policies on NEETs resulted in a target-driven service in local authorities focused on process-driven assessments. Often, these did not result in a supportive, caring relationship with the young person.
A deeper, emotional level
The need for Youth Support Officers (YSOs) to develop their practice and engage young people and families at a deeper emotional level was highlighted in an audit of the Youth Support Service (YSS) at Surrey County Council (SCC, 2012). The authority commissioned a coaching skills programme aimed at new input into practice development from a coaching perspective.
Mark Bisson, director of Rise Organisational Development Consultancy, which specialises in coaching and behavioural change, developed the programme and carried out research on its impact.
“I wanted to analyse the impact of how providing youth support practitioners with coaching skills changed their working practice and how this altered the young person’s outlook, attitudes and motivation.”
The strength of the individual relationship
YSOs have a pivotal role in influencing young people. They have a variety of professional backgrounds, including youth work, teaching, social work, probation, careers guidance and nursing. The key to their success is the strength of the individual relationship with the young person and their ability to gain understanding and raise awareness through questioning and listening. The head of Surrey’s (YSS described authentic relationships as “the dynamo for change”.
The coach skills training programme
A bespoke experiential learning-based coaching skills programme was developed, focusing on the theories of appreciative coaching, emotional intelligence, learned optimism, soul guide coaching discourse (Western, 2012) and active listening. The programme ran over three months with one borough team.
Building the foundation for transformation
Research was carried out by Bisson as part of an MA in Applied Coaching with The Performance Solution.
It showed that the provision of coaching skills enables YSOs to connect more authentically with young people. The practice change revolves around practitioners moving from being process- and target-driven to being better able to focus on the young person and support them on their journey at their pace by asking insightful questions rather than telling them what to do.
Developing a safe, trusting relationship, where awareness can be raised in the young person of what has impacted their motivation and attitude to life is the starting point for the journey, according to Bisson.
He says: “The key to transformational change is grounded in using an appreciative coaching approach, identifying the positives in the young person’s life and what interests them. Allied to this is a focus on unpicking barriers to internal motivation, which include limiting beliefs and values derived from childhood that conflict with a desire to engage
in education, training or employment and being a positive member of society.”
The confessional space
Young people have grown up with the backdrop of society disclosing secrets and confessing publicly on TV shows, such as The Jeremy Kyle Show.
However, the research showed that young people would prefer to talk to someone in person when they have a problem. Western, in his critical text of coaching and mentoring, says: “To coach as a soul guide is to listen to the confessions of the coachee, to hear their hidden desires, fears, angst and anxieties” (Western, 2012).
The power of intrinsic motivation
Once the young people involved could ‘see’ a future, they were motivated to make happen one that aligned with their interests and desires, developing an intrinsic motivation that drove them towards taking action.
“This then required little support other than the YSO being there to walk alongside them on their journey. The coaching approach empowered and supported the young people to become more resilient and confident, especially in controlling and taking responsibility for their life,” says Bisson.
Human Caring theory
Bisson’s research identified a link between the YSO being an authentic caring human, the principles of social pedagogy and Watson’s (Watson, 2008) human caring theory in the nursing profession.
Watson is passionate in her belief that the nursing profession should view human caring and love as a critical starting point for its existence. Bisson believes that there is a similar link for youth support practitioners in their work with often vulnerable young people.
The key outcome from the research is that setting aside Government targets and using a coaching approach working with the young person’s inner self empowers them and creates intrinsic motivation.
One participant on the programme said: “The difference that really came through was the young person having somebody who they could trust, who will listen to them, doesn’t judge them and provides consistent support. It’s about walking beside them until they are there. Coaching is a key element of our practice now.”
Conclusion
Using a coaching approach with NEET young people is courageous work, and takes time, patience and resilience. The rewards, however, can be significant in making a positive difference in a young person’s life, says Bisson.
He quotes Orem’s work on appreciative coaching, in which she states that when a coach and client work together as partners “in the positive pursuit of a dream and when they retain (mostly) positive attitudes and act towards the change they want, the change will happen positively. It may happen even faster if clients
(even the very negative ones) change in ways that allow them to perceive themselves as effective actors on their own behalf”
(Orem, 2007).
Being an authentic caring human and working in partnership, is the starting point for YSOs using a coaching approach to support young people on their journey towards a more fulfilling life.
For more about using coaching with young people contact Mark at: www.risecoachingandmentoring.com
