Guide for practitioners
Key work session ideas for young people: a practical guide
What a good key work session looks like, 21 practical session ideas, and how to record what happened. For keyworkers, support workers, mentors and anyone planning one-to-one time with a young person.
What key working is
Key working is personal, one-to-one support. A keyworker builds a trusting relationship with a young person, helps them set goals that mean something to them, and works towards those goals session by session. A keyworker also keeps the people around the young person, such as family, school and social worker, informed and involved.
Good key work sessions are planned but flexible. The plan is a guide: if the young person arrives upset, the session becomes about that.
A simple session structure
Check in
How are they today? Use a scale or a few words. Notice anything that has changed.
Focus
One goal or one activity, linked to their plan. Keep it small and achievable.
Reflect
What went well? What was hard? Use their words, not yours.
Next step
Agree one thing before next time, and when you will meet again.
Record
Write it up the same day, factually, and pass on any concern straight away.
Before the first session
- Read the referral and any plan, and know who to contact if you are worried.
- Agree where you will meet: somewhere the young person feels safe and comfortable.
- Explain what you will share and with whom: you cannot keep a secret that puts them or someone else at risk.
- Ask what they enjoy. The first sessions are about trust, not targets.
21 key work session ideas
Pick ideas that fit the young person's goals and mood. The activity is a way in: the conversation around it is the key work.
Getting to know each other
- Interest map. Draw the young person's name in the middle of a page and add what they like, who matters to them and what they are good at. It gives you topics for later sessions.
- Walk and talk. Many young people find it easier to talk side by side than face to face. A walk to a shop or a park takes the pressure off.
- Table tennis, pool or a game. A shared activity builds rapport. Short conversations happen naturally between points.
- Music swap. Each of you picks a song and says why. It opens up feelings without asking about them directly.
Feelings and wellbeing
- Feelings check-in. A 1 to 10 scale, colours or emoji cards at the start and end of each session. Over weeks it shows patterns.
- Trigger mapping. Together, list the situations, places or people that lead to arguments or shutdowns, and what happens in the body just before.
- A calm-down plan. Agree three things that help (breathing, music, a walk, a sensory object) and where the plan will live: a phone note or a card.
- Sensory break. For young people with sensory needs, a quiet space, soft light or a fidget toy can come before any talking.
Life skills
- Cook a simple meal. Plan it, shop for it on a budget and cook it. Reading, maths, planning and confidence in one session.
- Plan a journey. Use a journey planner to get to college, a job centre or a GP surgery, then do the journey together.
- Money basics. A weekly budget, what a payslip shows, how to spot a scam message.
- Forms and ID. Practise filling in a form: a bank account, a provisional driving licence, a library card.
Education and work
- Strengths before CV. List what the young person has done (caring for siblings, sport, a hobby) and turn it into skills. Then build a short CV.
- Visit a college or training provider. Seeing the building and meeting someone makes the next step less frightening.
- Accredited units. Short, accredited units (for example AQA Unit Awards) recognise learning done in sessions, with a certificate for each unit.
Relationships and staying safe
- Healthy or unhealthy?. Sort short scenarios about friends, partners and family into healthy, unhealthy or not sure, and talk about why.
- Online safety. Privacy settings, what to do about pressure or threats online, and who to tell.
- Saying no. Practise responses to peer pressure in role play. Keep it light and let the young person write the lines.
Creative sessions
- Arts and crafts. Drawing, painting or making something to keep: a calm way to talk, and something to be proud of.
- Journal or vision board. Where they want to be in a year, in pictures and words. Revisit it at the review.
- Make something for someone. A card or a small gift for someone important builds empathy and gives a reason to plan.
Adapting sessions for complex needs
- Use visual timetables or picture cards to show what will happen and in what order.
- Keep instructions short and give extra time to answer.
- Plan for sensory needs: lighting, noise, a quiet space, something to hold.
- Keep the same day, time and place where you can. Predictability lowers anxiety.
- Ask the family and the young person's other professionals what already works.
Recording a key work session
A useful record is short, factual and written the same day. Include:
- the date, length and place of the session;
- what you did and how the young person engaged;
- what they said, in their own words where it matters;
- progress towards their goals;
- any concern, and who you told and when;
- the next step you agreed.
Avoid opinions you cannot back up, and follow your organisation's policies on recording and sharing information.
How key working works at YPR
At YPR, councils commission one-to-one key working for young people known to children's social care. We typically support a young person for 13 weeks: befriending, gathering information with the social worker and family, a tailored plan, then review. Many sessions take place at our hub in Deptford, with activities like cooking, table tennis and arts and crafts, our sensory room, and AQA Unit Awards.
Frequently asked questions
What is a key work session?
A planned, one-to-one meeting between a young person and their keyworker: a trusted adult who helps them work towards their own goals, and who links with their family, school and social worker.
How long should a key work session be?
There is no fixed length. Match it to the young person's age, attention and the activity: a short check-in can be as useful as a longer activity session. Consistency matters more than length.
How often should key work sessions happen?
Often weekly, at a regular time, so the young person knows what to expect. The plan agreed with the social worker or placement sets the frequency.
What should I write after a session?
The date and length, what you did, what the young person said in their own words, progress towards their goals, any concerns, and the agreed next step. Keep it factual and follow your organisation's recording policy.
What if a young person tells me something worrying?
Listen, do not promise to keep it secret, and pass it on to your safeguarding lead the same day, following your organisation's procedures. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
Need key working for a young person?
Councils, schools and youth offending teams can refer to YPR. Keyworkers can join our team.