What is keywork and how does it help our service users at New Ethos House?
Keywork is a term used to describe the regular and structured support that we offer to our service users who live in our hostel New Ethos House. Keywork sessions are one-to-one meetings between a service user and their assigned keyworker, who is a member of our staff team. The aim of keywork is to help service users achieve their personal goals and move towards independent living.
Keywork sessions are tailored to the individual needs and preferences of each service user. They usually last for about an hour and take place at least once a week, but can be more frequent if needed. During a keywork session, the keyworker and the service user discuss various topics related to their well-being, such as:
- Budgeting: how to manage their money, pay their rent and bills, save for the future and avoid debt.
- Lifeskills: how to cook healthy meals, keep their room clean, do laundry, shop for groceries and other essentials, use public transport and access local services.
- Training: how to improve their skills, qualifications and employability, find suitable courses or workshops, apply for jobs or volunteering opportunities and prepare for interviews.
- Health: how to look after their physical and mental health, access medical care or counselling, cope with stress or trauma, deal with substance misuse or addiction issues and practice self-care.
- Relationships: how to build positive and respectful relationships with others, communicate effectively, deal with conflict or abuse, make friends or join social groups and access peer support or mentoring.
Keywork sessions are based on a collaborative approach between the keyworker and the service user. They use various tools and methods to help the service user identify their strengths, challenges, needs and aspirations. Some of these tools include:
- Assessment: a process of gathering information about the service user's background, circumstances, needs and goals at the start of their stay at New Ethos House.
- Support plan: a document that outlines the service user's short-term and long-term goals and the actions they need to take to achieve them, as well as the support they will receive from their keyworker and other agencies.
- Review: a regular evaluation of the service user's progress towards their goals and any changes or adjustments that need to be made to their support plan.
- Feedback: an opportunity for the service user to share their views and opinions on their keywork sessions and the quality of the support they receive from their keyworker and New Ethos House.
Keywork sessions are an essential part of our service at New Ethos House. They help our service users to:
- Feel valued, respected and empowered
- Develop confidence, self-esteem and resilience
- Learn new skills and gain new knowledge
- Access opportunities and resources
- Overcome barriers and challenges
- Make positive changes in their lives
- Achieve independence and fulfillment
We are proud of the work we do with our service users through keywork sessions. We believe that keywork is not only a professional duty but also a privilege. We are honored to witness the growth and transformation of our service users as they move from homelessness to hopefulness.
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