Trafford Youth Engagement Service

Trafford Youth Engagement team delivers a number of services from our Talkshop base in Sale. Talkshop is an advice, support and information centre for young people aged 11 to 19 (up to 25 with additional needs or care leavers). 

Advice and information

Talkshop drop-In

Talkshop offers support in a safe, friendly and non-judgemental, youth worker-led environment. Youth workers build trusting relationships and provide information and opportunities for young people to learn about themselves and overcome the challenges they face.

Youth Workers offer support on a wide range of issues; from homelessness to CV writing, relationships and exploring sexuality, conflict at home or school, emotional well-being, drugs and alcohol and much more. Whatever the problem or opportunity, Talkshop will be there with young people.

Talkshop Youth Workers also deliver some group sessions which include 'Talk About It' and Youth Forum.

Sexual health

A central aspect of the drop-Ins is sexual health support and advice. Youth workers can; give young people confidential information on sexual health, healthy relationships and contraception, provide condoms and lube, do pregnancy tests and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) screens, and make termination referrals.

Sexual Health Nurses can prescribe and dispense contraception including; the pill, the implant, the depo injection, and give treatment for Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Pregnancy and parenthood

Your decision

Talkshop can help young women access emergency contraception and undertake a pregnancy test. If the test is positive, we support young women to consider whether they want to continue the pregnancy, have a termination or consider adoption.

Young Bumps and Butterflies Young Parents

When young women continue with their pregnancy, Talkshop provides support for them and their partner. Young Bumps is a 12-week rolling ante-natal programme which provides young mums-to-be and their partner (or supporter) with knowledge and information to help them with pregnancy, labour and the few first weeks of being a parent.

Becoming a parent is big life change for everyone, and for young parents there may be extra challenges. Talking and meeting other parents in similar situations can make a young parent feel less alone. Butterflies is a friendly group for parents under the age of 20.

Street Talk

Street Talk is Trafford’s detached and locality youth work team. The team is a mostly street based team, building trusting voluntary relationships with young people on the streets and in parks and community venues, developing young person led projects and activities.

Youth workers deliver informal education which builds on young people’s interests and strengths to support their personal and social development. Future projects will include a range of activities including legal graffiti walls, music and rap, creative art, outward bound and sports. The team has some capacity for 1-1 mentoring for those young people who need extra support.

Connexions careers guidance service

Connexions Trafford is a service which supports young people aged 13-19 to achieve their future aims. The service offers advice and guidance on a range of subjects including; careers, education, employment, training, qualifications and personal development. Connexions Advisers will explore a range of options that are available to young people. Connexions is based in many schools in Trafford and offers a drop-in service for unemployed young people at Talkshop and in Stretford.

Help when young people need it most

Missing from home or care

Talkshop provides support to young people who go missing from home. Young people have the right to a conversation with a Youth Worker, called an Independent Return Interview, covering what caused them to go missing, what happened while they were away and what can be done to help them not go missing again. This can include advocating for young people with parents, social workers or school. For young people who go missing frequently, ongoing mentoring can provide flexible support based on what is going on in young person’s life.

Child sexual exploitation

Talkshop delivers personalised youth work mentoring for young people aged 11-19, who have experienced, or are at risk of, child sexual exploitation. The programme is discussed and agreed with each young person based on their needs and strengths.

• We work with young people help them think through what has happened, being clear they are not to blame
• We advocate on behalf of the young person with other professionals to ensure that their thoughts and feelings are heard
• We raise young people’s awareness of grooming and e-safety, and how to raise concerns for themselves or others

Emotional wellbeing support for young people who go missing or are exploited

Sometimes young people go missing because they are having a difficult time mentally and emotionally, and sometimes experiences whilst missing can cause mental health issues. Young people often need therapeutic support to recover from experiences of sexual exploitation. A Mental Health Practitioner works from the Talkshop, enabling quick access to mental health support for young people who go missing or who are sexually exploited.

Trafford youth justice

Trafford youth justice works to support young people to reduce offending and reoffending. The service is made up of a multi-agency team of professionals with expertise across; health, education, mental health, social care, the police, probation and drugs and alcohol use. Because the service incorporates representatives from a wide range of services it can respond to the needs of young people in a comprehensive way.

Trafford youth justice works with young people and their parents and carers to identify appropriate holistic support packages. The service helps to identify specific issues that contribute to negative behaviours to support young people to make positive change.

Other services

A number of additional services are delivered from Talkshop including:

• Rainbow Reflections LGBT group run by the Proud Trust
• The Youth Cabinet facilitated by the Children’s Rights Service
• Mental Health support from 42nd Street
• Help with substance misuse from Early Break
• Sexual health clinics and counselling delivered by the Northern Contraception, Sexual Health & HIV Service.

The Talkshop youth work led drop-in is open:

Connexions drop-in

Please call 0161 911 8600 prior to attending to confirm the drop-in is running that day:

The Talkshop can also be accessed Monday-Friday mornings from 10am for emergencies and booked appointments.

Services can be accessed directly by young people dropping in, or via a Single Agency Referral Form or Early Help Assessment completed by schools, medical professionals, the police, social care workers and voluntary sector partners.