Need Advice?

Call: 0808 00 13-2-19

Text: 077664 13-2-19

Chat/Email:
www.connexions-direct.com

Connexions is a government organisation that gives advice and support for 13-19 year olds. For those with learning difficulties and disabilities, the age range is 13 - 25.

Connexions Black Country works in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

In your local area, Connexions works with other organisations, such as the local health authorities, the youth service, voluntary and community sector organisations, church groups, and many others.

Connexions works with young people through Personal Advisers, also known as PAs.

They work in Connexions centres and in every school and college, including special schools and pupil referral units.

They also work within other community organisations such as:

• Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) organisations
• Leaving Care teams
• organisations that support young offenders - e.g. NACRO
• teenage pregnancy teams
• substance misuse teams - e.g. The Zone in Dudley
• Voluntary organisations

Some PAs even go out onto the streets of our local towns to speak to young people who don't know that Connexions can help them. This is called 'outreach' work.

Our PAs are the 'gateway' to Connexions services, and can support young people to find the right kind of help for them.

Contact a Personal Adviser

The kind of things you can talk to a PA about are:

Education & learning:
help with choices from year 9 options, up to higher education

Employment and work-based learning advice:
help with moving into jobs and training

Confidential help:
someone to talk to who won't judge you

Drugs & alcohol:
information and support with problems

Emotional well-being:
coping with stress and worry

Financial and benefits advice:
info on finding financial support for learning, benefits and other financial issues

Health:
information on physical and mental health

Homelessness:
practical help

Learning difficulties and disabilities:
extra help and guidance for those aged 13 - 25

Pregnancy and sexual health:
advice, information and practical support

Relationships:
help with any problems you may have with family, friends and partners

Volunteering opportunities:
opportunities to get involved with voluntary and community organisation

Young people are at the heart of everything Connexions does. You can have a full say in everything that happens - our Involving Young People Team is always looking for ways to work with 13-19 year olds in all parts of the Black Country.

For more information on getting involved with the Connexions service and the work of the Engaging Young People Team, see Get Involved.

As with other services, we need to keep some information about you. We may also record information you share with us.

Why Do We Keep This Information?

• To keep in contact with you

• To make sure you know about our services

• To make sure you get the help, advice and support that meets your needs

We keep information about you on a secure computerised database

Your Rights

You have the right to see the information we keep about you. You can:

• see your computer record at any reasonable time;

• request a paper copy of your record - we will supply this to you within 40 working days (there may be a charge for this service);

• ask for your record to be changed if it is incorrect;

• complain to us if you are unhappy about the way we deal with information about you.

If you want any of this leaflet explained to you, ask your personal adviser, call in at your nearest Connexions Centre or telephone our free Helpline on 0808 100 1980

The Sort Of Information We Keep

• First name(s) and surname

• Date of birth

• Address including postcode

• Telephone number - at home and mobile

• Your e-mail address (if you have one) at school/college/home

• Your gender (male/female)

• Your ethnicity

• Your parent/carer’s name and contact address

• School/college/other learning provider/employer

• What you are doing at the moment eg at school, employed, unemployed, etc

• Information on your achievements and qualifications

We may share this information with other organisations who are involved with your education, training or support unless you ask us not to.

Confidential Information

Connexions will not pass on any confidential information you share with us toanyone else unless you tell us in writing it is OK to do so. We will ask you to fill in a form to give us permission. Occasionally, we may be legally required to pass on information about a young person to other organisations, without their permission, for example if we believe that young person to be at risk of personal harm.

Our policy protects young people as data subjects under the Data Protection Act 1998.

If you need any of our information in a different format, such as large print, Braille, audio or another language, please let a Personal Adviser or your nearest Connexions centre know.

We want to know your opinion - do you think we've got it right or do you think we could do better? Would you like to make a compliment or a complaint about our service?

Visit our tell us what you think page for more details