Tackling Violence & Exploitation - Keeping Young People Safe including Children who go Missing

If a child is in immediate danger please call 999

Tackling Violence and Exploitation: Keeping Young People Safe Strategy 2023 -2026 ( to be published Autumn 2023)

We will be consulting and co-creating with children, young people and parents, key stakeholders, local community groups to develop our new Tackling Violence and Exploitation: Keeping Young People Safe Strategy 2023 – 2026 over the summer/autumn period. 

The strategy will be further informed by research and learning reviews, the work of London Adolescent Safeguarding Board and the strategic needs assessments being undertaken this year by the Combatting Drugs Partnership and Safer Communities Partnership in response to the government’s From Harm to Hope 10-year drugs plan to reduce crime and save lives and the Serious Violence Duty ( Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022).

The updated Tackling Violence and Exploitation: Keeping Young People Safe Strategy 2023 - 2026 is expected to be published in December 2023. 

Supporting Research, National and Pan London Guidance 

The complexity of tackling Youth Violence and Exploitation requires organisations, leaders, practitioners, families and the community to work together in a multifaceted approach that helps support not only the child and family but also the community. Meaningful change can only be brought about through; collaborative, ecological, rights and strength based approaches.

Over recent years there have been significant development of guidance which includes: 

The appendix lists local and national services that can be accessed by practitioners and parents/carers a full list of these can be found here:

Above is a copy of a range of services and, information sources and support that can be accessed by professionals, parents and young people. However it should be noted that there is no “silver bullet” that supports harm and risk reduction; exploitation is extremely difficult to disentangle children from, such is the fear, control and coercion that they are subjected to. The approach and quality of relationship with professionals supporting them may be more important than the services on offer.

This is set out in Firmin’s principles of contextual safeguarding. Children who have achieved positive outcomes, the following factors are present: 

• Children are engaged, and the risk of extra familial harm was picked up relatively early 
• Children and their immediate family networks were engaged and visited intensively 
• There is evidence of a ‘trusted relationship’ between a child and adult and how this has supported perceptions, reflection and has influenced positive choices     
• There is collaborative approach to working between the practitioner, family and child which promotes rights and builds autonomy 
• There are strong supportive familial networks around the young person, and carers/parents provide a secure base.  

If professionals require any further advice and guidance it can be sought through contacting CEAM@Barnet.gov.ukExternal link 

We have a joint partnership protocol for incidents of serious violence that occur in our borough and involve young people and adults up to the age of 25, it can be found here: Serious Incident Response ProtocolExternal link.

Serious Incident Response Meetings (SIRMs) provide a coordinated response to incidents of serious violence that occur in the Borough where the suspect or victim is in an incident involving a weapon or firearm discharge, kidnapping or serious assault, with the incident being potentially linked to gangs or exploitation. SIRM’s are held for all incidents involving young people up to the age of 19 years, or up to 25 years if they are care experienced, or if there is a child in the victim/suspect household.  

The meeting facilitates an immediate risk assessment of: 

• The risk management of potential incidents of reprisal due to the incident,
• The risk to immediate families/siblings and friends of both the victim and suspect,
• Safety and discharge planning if the victim is in hospital due to the injury,
• Community response actions

For young people missing from care or home our practitioners or partners are referred to our: