Young People Service (YPS)

Young People’s Service (formally Youth Service) works with children, young people, and families to secure enough educational and recreational leisure-time activities. This aims to improve young people’s well-being and their personal and social development.

Our main focus is on Early Help. We work with local organisations and agencies to find ways to spot issues and potential unmet needs of individual children and families.

Once identified, we can offer positive participative activities, programmes and initiatives across the borough to prevent young people and families entering the criminal justice system.

Our service has three elements that offer locally based services for youths in the area:

• our third sector partners
• an internally operated participation and
• a targeted support team.

We work together to ensure we offer the right opportunities and help.

Service providers

The service works jointly with Youth Justice service in supporting young people as part of their step-down process to re-engaging in Targeted or Universal services and encouraging user voice through participative activities such as the youth council.

Youth provision

The following provisions free to access and are made available for young people who live, work and/or study in in Tower Hamlets and the City of London area. 

The model of delivery for youth services has changed and is now delivered on a quadrant basis across the borough.

The borough has commissioned 10 universal centre-based youth centres. Four specialist youth provisions for specific cohorts of young people. Five detached youth provisions to support and engage young people on their territory (streets, parks, open and shared public spaces) where participation is voluntary.

Universal centre-based youth centres

North West Quadrant term time

Osmani Trust deliver the Youth Contract in the North West of the borough from two locations.

Osmani Centre
58 Underwood Road, London, E1 5AW

Minerva Community Centre
10 Minerva street, Bethnal Green, E2 9EH

Programmes and times are subject to change. Please visit the Osmani Trust website for the latest information and to book sessions.

Contact
Abdul Hasnath
Youth Space Manager
Tel: 020 7247 8080, Ext 1014
Email: abdul.hasnath@osmanitrust.org, info@osmanitrust.org

North East Quadrant Term Time

Poplar HARCA (Spotlight) deliver the Youth Contract in the North East of the borough from three locations.

St Paul’s Way Community Centre
83 St Paul’s Way, E3 4AJ

Linc Community Centre
70 Fern St, E3 3PR

Eastside Youth & Community Centre
6 Parnell Road, E3 2RB 

Detached and arts offer

Spotlight deliver both the Detached and Arts contract in the borough please visit the Spotlight website for more details and programme.

For more information contact
Daniel Rose
Spotlight Director
Tel: 020 30 111 333
Email: hello@wearespotlight.com

Programmes and times are subject to change. Please visit the Spotlight website for the latest information and to book sessions.

South West Quadrant term time

Newark Youth London deliver Youth Contract in the South West of the borough from three locations which belong to the council.

Haileybury Youth Centre
Ben Jonson Rd London E1 3FQ

*Football session at Stepney Green Astro pitch

Christian Street Hub
30 Challoner Walk, London E1 1AZ 

Wapping Youth Club
20 Tench St, London E1W 2QF

Programmes and times are subject to change. Please visit the Newark website for the latest information and to book sessions.

Manik Miah Youth Work Coordinator
Tel: 020 7392 2121, 07958 085480
Website: https://newark.org.uk/

South East Quadrant term time

Sporting Foundation deliver Youth Contract in the South East of the borough from two locations which belong to the council

Limehouse Youth Centre
Limehouse Causeway, London, E14 8BN

St Andrews Wharf
Mast House Terrace, London, E14 3RW

Programmes and times are subject to change. Please visit the Sporting Foundation website for the latest information and to book sessions.

Contact
Aroz Miah CEO
Tel: 07949 204 103
Email: aroz@sportingfoundation.com
Website: www.sportingfoundation.com

LGBTQi offer

Step Forward have been working in Tower Hamlets for more than 30 years offering LGBTQi young people support and counselling services. 

Step Forward will continue to offer this support to all our young people.

Step Forward
234 Bethnal Green Road, London, E2 0AA

Step Forward: is open when our clients are more likely to be free.
Monday – Saturday via telephone and video calls.

Contact
Jennifer Fear CEO
Tel: 020 7739 3082 or 07961 201234
Website: info@step-forward.org

SEND offer

Tower Project are a specialist provider for SEND provision and have been offering services to young people for many years.

The Tower Projects Youth Groups provide an evening service for young people with disabilities aged between 11–25 years old. 

Mile End Stadium
190 Burdett Rd, London, E3 4HL

The Tower Project
45-55 Whitehorse Road, London, E1 0ND

Contact
Samantha Johnstone
Youth Service Co-coordinator
Tel: 020 7790 9085
Email: sam.johnstone@towerproject.org.uk 

Website: www.towerproject.org.uk or Youth Leisure Centre

Next Steps Transition Programme

Half Moon Theatre have been delivering the Next Steps transition programme since 2018.

This programme mainly works with young people transitioning from year 6 to year 7 and helping these young people with this transition time that can be very volatile.

Many of the participants are referred by school and other are self-referral and all young people have benefited from the intervention, which is aimed at creating friendships, breaking down barriers, raising self-esteem and building self-confidence.

The programme offers young people free after-school sessions in the second half of their summer term of year 6, a week-long summer school and after-school sessions on the first half of their autumn term of Year 7.

An extension of this programme is our satellite Afterschool Drama Clubs, which continue to focus on building self-confidence and making new friends while developing drama skills.

These are open to young people in Years 7, 8 and 9 and take place during term time Mondays- Fridays.

Half Moon Theatre
43 White Horse Road, E1 0ND 

Contact
Jen Pearcy-Edwards
Creative Learning Manager

Tel: 020 7709 8905
Email: jen@halfmoon.org.uk
Website: www.halfmoon.org.uk

Breaking the Cycle (BTC)

Our team of BTC Youth Support Caseworkers aim to reduce the number of young people going into the Youth Justice System or other statutory services. They do this by providing additional help and tailored interventions at the earliest opportunity to vulnerable families displaying complex needs and young people aged 5 to 19 years old (up to 25 for SEND).

This includes those displaying harmful behaviour, offending behaviour, being at risk of engaging in youth violence, criminal activity, ASB/ involved in substance misuse or coming to the attention of police/or becoming a teenage parent / young carer/ at risk of being excluded from school or are NEET.

The team takes a partnership approach to offering preventative interventions through

• 1:1 support
• building relationships
• delivering group work programmes and activities that encourages youth voice and influence,
• maximises engagement
• participation and learning to support reducing risks and
• making informed choices to improve and maintain
  • positive pathways
  • achieving positive outcomes in their personal, social and emotional development, effecting positive change.

Contact

Haileybury Youth Hub, Ben Jonson Rd, London E1 3FQ (offer localised service across the borough)
Office hours: Monday to Friday 9.30am-5.30pm

Akhtar Rahim
Tel: 020 7364 5995/ 07961 898 320

For enquires to the BTC project please complete the Early Help Enquiry form.

Young Carers/Children in Care Council (CLICC)/Youth Council & Young Mayor

The service also delivers face to face session with young carers from Haileybury Youth Centre every Monday and Tuesday from 4-6pm.

Contact Samantha.anderson@towerhamlets.gov.uk for more information.

The Junior and Teen CLICC meet every Friday from 4-6pm at Haileybury Youth Centre. For more information email Samantha.anderson@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

The Senior CLICC (18 plus) meets every Wednesday from 4-6pm at Kitkat Terrace. For more information contact Samantha.anderson@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

The Youth Council and the Young Mayor Team meet every Wednesday at Mulberry Place from 5-7pm. For more information email Khadra.said@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

Check the procedures we have on young carers.

Additional information

If you have an enquiry regarding a child / young person, you can contact the Early Help Hub Duty line on 020 7364 5006 (option 2).

Visit the Early Help page and complete an Early Help Enquiry form.

For any safeguarding queries / concerns, please contact:

Tower Hamlets Children’s Social Care Emergency Duty line
Tel: 020 7364 2972 from (9am - 5pm)
Tel: 020 7364 4079 (out of office hours 5pm – onwards).