Information for Professionals

We want to make sure young people in North Northamptonshire have the support they need to live an independent, healthy, safe and fulfilling life beyond care.

Do you work with young people in the area? Do you know of a 16-25-year-old that would benefit from our support?

Please see below for information on our Referral Criteria. To make a referral, click here.

Referral Criteria

Young people being supported by The Wave must fit the referral criteria, and be referred from a professional working for Northamptonshire Children’s Trust.

The young person must be aged 16 to 25 years, from North Northamptonshire, and needs to be exhibiting at least one of the referral needs listed below:

Experiencing or at risk of domestic abuse (physical, emotional, financial)
Experiencing or at risk of exploitation (gang affiliation, sexual and/ or financial)
Experiencing or at risk of isolation from professional and/ or peer support networks
Experiencing poor emotional or mental health
Low or unhealthy coping strategies and resilience (this may include coping strategies such as self-harm, alcohol and/or substance misuse)
Experienced of, and/or at risk of, a pregnancy that would initiate care proceedings. Also applicable to biological males fathering the children.

The young person may also have the following referral needs:

Experiencing difficulty in identifying short- and long-term goals (including lack of access to EET)
Struggles with self-identity
At risk of maintaining a safe, secure and stable home environment
Involvement with the criminal justice system (this may include difficulty in engaging with probation, courts or legal requirements)

Make a Referral

Referral & Support Process

The Wave is delivered in a holistic, relationship-based way, where we aim to meet the young people where they are at. Therefore, we balance tenacity and respect to ensure that the young people are accessing the service at the right time for themselves.

It is voluntary for the young people to access support from The Wave and it is important for young people to acknowledge that this is not a compulsory service.

Initial referral submission to include key contact and demographic details, a brief description of the young person’s key support areas, and date/time availabilities for a first meeting.

Referral discussion: a Wave Worker will reach out to the referrer (depending on route) and organise a Teams or telephone call to discuss presenting strengths, needs and behaviours, and to confirm an initial meeting time.

Introductory Meeting: first meeting with the Young Person, Wave Worker and Referrer.

Beginning of support: the Young Person will be supported to complete a goal-setting exercise and pre/post assessments (SWEMWBS, Brief Coping and Resilience Scale and UCLA Loneliness Scale); a flexible plan for support will be developed alongside the Young Person based on their needs and aspirations.

Support: up to 6 months of support for the Young Person will take place in the community/ at home, and may also include telephone and SMS contact. After 3 months, they will be asked if they are happy to share feedback on the service and/or wider systems that affect them.

End of support: the Young Person will complete a celebratory activity with their Wave Worker, complete post-assessments and receive a therapeutic letter from their Wave Worker. If they have consented, they will be contacted for feedback.

Make a Referral