A specialist Forward Leeds team that helps young adults with alcohol and drug issues is seeing strong results.
The 18–24 team works with people at a key transition point in their lives. Many are leaving school, starting work or moving into higher education. A period often marked by uncertainty.
They are more likely to face housing instability, changes in relationships and financial pressure. For some, existing support falls away almost overnight. The team often works with people exiting the care system who can suddenly face a high degree of insecurity in their life
Despite the challenges, the team is meeting almost all of its performance targets and building new ways to engage with this age group.
Lead Practitioner Liv Goodwill says early adulthood can be a turbulent time.
“There’s clear evidence substance use rises sharply between 17 and 23. That makes this a crucial window for intervention.
“Many of the people we support are still working out who they are,” she said. “It’s common to see poor mental health, people questioning their gender or sexual identity, or people who are neurodivergent.”
Turning 18 can mean losing long‑standing help. Family support may reduce. School pastoral care ends. Specialist services such as CAMHS are no longer available.
Alcohol and drugs can become a way of coping with anxiety, low mood, trauma or loneliness.
The team’s approach is deliberately different.
“Traditional clinical models can feel stigmatising or hard to relate to,” Liv said. “We try to meet people where they are both physically and mentally.
“That might be a café, a community space, or even a walk and talk. Somewhere that feels safe and doesn’t increase their anxiety.”
Support plans by the team are shaped by what the person wants to achieve.
“For many, it’s not about stopping completely,” Liv said. “It’s about regaining control. Students in particular often want clear information and education so they can keep themselves, and their friends, safer.”
The team is also seeing different patterns of drug use compared to older adults accessing the service.
Alcohol and cannabis remain common. A small number need support around heroin or crack. But many are using ketamine, vapes containing spice or using a range of different substances.
“The profile of the people we support can look quite different to the older cohort at Forward Leeds,” Liv said. “It shows why age‑specific services really matter.”
For the team, the work is about recognising that early adulthood brings its own risks and also opportunities for people to get in control at a key time in their lives.
By offering flexible, age‑specific support, the 18-24 team aim to step in before problems become entrenched. For many young people in Leeds, that early help can make the difference between struggling alone and finding a safer, more stable way forward.
From left to right: Kat Payne, Benediti Manuel, Becks Handley and Liv Goodwill