NDTi Secures National Lottery Funding for Time to Talk Next Steps

Time to Talk Next Steps will support 210 young people with additional needs who are aged between 16 and 25, offering strength-based support to build confidence, provide motivation and make plans for the future. The programme will also help families, carers and professionals to raise aspirations and encourage independence for the young people they support. Thanks to National Lottery players, £36 million is raised each week for good causes throughout the UK and distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

NDTi, who developed the programme during the start of the COVID pandemic, will be delivering the Time to Talk Next Steps in partnership with national disability charity, Contact, young people and their parents and carers. The programme will provide both support and signposting, building on the success of the original Time to Talk project which ran for six months from September 2020.

Speaking about Time to Talk, Ikra – who is one of the young people that helped design the project – said:

“I have gained a lot of confidence from it. I still have lots to offer and also have dreams to come true and get somewhere in life as a normal person. I know there will be lots of challenges in life to get where I want to be, but I never give up”.

Young people and their families are at the heart of Time to Talk Next Steps; they are directly involved in developing and coproducing the programme. They will be at the centre of training for young peer supporters, as well as involved in training for professionals working across England on how to build effective, strength-based support.

Parents and carers have also spoken positively about the project and its aims. Khilna, who is a parent carer said:

“This project fills a really important gap. There isn’t anything else where young people like my daughter can talk to someone independently about their interests and plans, map out their future and decide on small steps they can take to reach their goals”.

Alice Mccoll, who is NDTi’s Development Lead for Children and Young People and will oversee Time to Talk Next Steps, is equally delighted, saying:

“We’re so thrilled to be in a position to develop this important work with young people. They and their families have told us that this programme will be so helpful to young people, enabling them to be heard, develop their aspirations and build emotional resilience for whatever lies ahead. We will also provide information for professionals on how to build effective, strength-based support following the pandemic”.

Anybody wanting further information on how to submit a Request for Support, should visit the Time to Talk Next Steps webpage and complete an Expression of Interest form.

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For further press information, please contact:

Drew Edwards, Marketing and Communications Manager: Drew.Edwards@ndti.org.uk / 07960 844571

Notes to editors:

The National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi) is social change organisation working to enable people at risk of exclusion, due to age or disability, to live the life they choose. Through our change and development work, research and evaluation and best practice examples, we inspire and support policymakers, services and communities to make change happen - change that leads to better lives.