drugs and
substance abuse

relationships and
domestic violence

knife crime

teenage pregnancy
and sexual health

consequences of
offending

skills for independent living

restorative
justice

bullying and emotional literacy

primary to
secondary
transition

alcohol misuse

exploring diversity and community cohesion

FLAT BROKE
Skills For Independent Living

Flat Broke was commissioned by LAW FOR LIFE (previously PLENET) and was launched by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice in November 2010.

The programme results from youth-research commissioned by LAW FOR LIFE which highlighted significant shortfalls in young people's knowledge and skills when managing commonplace legal issues, and ultimately, their readiness and capabilities with respect to their impending independent living.

Links To National Curriculum

Flat Broke will help to equip young people with an awareness of the rights and responsibilities associated with day to day life, as well as empowering them with a toolkit (to include interpersonal and communication skills) of measures to enable them to survive and thrive as an independent adult.

The programme seeks to support the KS 3 & 4 PHSE and Citizenship Curriculum by addressing aspect of: Financial Capability, Law & Justice and Identity and Society.

By tackling the urgent problems of housing and homelessness, Flat Broke seeks to demonstrate the importance of effective financial management and the impact of legislation on everyday living.

Target audience

Flat Broke is broadly targetted at young people from 14-24 years old, to include:

Mainstream Education: Students from 14+ - to aid the transition into more independent living as they enter higher or further education, or employment.

Vulnerable Young People: Those for whom the challenges of independent living may be greater, to include those within the Referral System (or Short-Stay Schooling); those with particular educational needs; those within the Criminal and Youth Justice Systems; the unemployed.

Further Education and Beyond: Those attending FE Colleges, Universities etc.; plus those who are undertaking employer-based vocational training, and those recently entering the work-place.



Objectives

- To reduce the prevalence of housing-related problems and the risks of homelessness for young people, by improving awreness of housing rights and obligations.

- To promote positive and effective financial management skills by engendering a greater awareness of the pitfalls of poor budgeting, over-spending and misuse of credit and debit.

- To empower young people with the skills, knowlege and confidence to enable them to function and thrive within a society that is routinely influenced, defined and protected by legal rules.

- To promote a realistic and practical understanding of how the law (legal issues) routinely impacts on everyday life, and to enable young people to effectively manage and prevent disputes by accessing accurate, credible and reliable sources of help and advice.

- To to promote effective communication and mediation skills and a greater emotional confidence and literacy, enabling young people to effectively address and minimise situations of dispute and conflict.

- To promote critical thinking about the role of the justice system and the extent to which it reflects young people's concerns.



Programme Approach and Content

Flat Broke is a 2 hour, highly interactive and dynamic learning experience.

The programme comprises a short performance, designed to provoke and activate participants by showing them a scenario where likeable and identifiable characters make decisions and undertake behaviour that ultimately leads to a course of events that 'go wrong'.

An extensive interactive de-brief session uses elements of facilitated discussion and 'hot seat' and role play forums to encourage participants to analyse, discuss and reflect on what they have just seen. By sharing information, ideas and opinions, participants are encouraged to explore the issues at hand, seek to problem solve and to discover for themselves solutions to the issues and dilemmas just presented to them. The programme is a highly effective experiential, self-discovery learning tool.

An accompanying resource detailing key sources of reliable advice, information and support, along with structured work plans to support the issues raised within Flat Broke will soon be available.