Mr. Mick Ferron:

No. It needs to be a very different role, and they need to walk that line very carefully. That is where the aspect of non-judgment comes in. As a result of that, young people have reached out and got involved in training courses and activities they had not been involved in the past. In some cases, they have got employment through that. What was particularly encouraging was that we had a young person who spoke of a younger sibling who was getting involved. They could not see a way out yet, but they were concerned about a younger sibling and almost made a referral.

There is another cohort which we do not see on the streets. That is possibly a legacy of Covid. They spend a lot of time at home, have social anxiety and may or may not be self-medicating a little. That is where the relationships with those partners are quite important. I refer to people in schools who are aware that a person has not come in. In many cases, it might be social workers who might get in touch. There is capacity, subject to resources, among youth workers to reach out and make a connection in a way some other agents of the State cannot.