The initial Engagement tends inevitably to be the period of greatest intensity of staff input - perhaps even requiring two KeyWorkers to be present, especially if there is a risk of violence (see Violence) and before basic trust has been established. Remember that a core task is to try to establish some form of Secure Base phenomenon in the relationship between young person and KeyWorker. Frequency of contact and Reliability are two powerful aides to this.

What frequency of contact hours are expected, when?

This is dictated by feedback from the young person and the KeyWorker's own assessment of risk, etc.

When would you move from two KeyWorkers to just one?

As soon as the situation is sufficiently predictable the KeyWorker s should move towards providing lower level supportive contact - and this aim should be made clear from the very start, in order to:

1. Reduce the likelihood of claustrophobic Anxiety and the paradoxically increased aggression that this can trigger.
2. Set the scene for building Self-efficacy within the young person and their existing network (one of the Core Features of AMBIT is a focus on Scaffolding existing relationships.)