Caring for children and young people since 1870 St Christopher’s Safe Steps Project

Caring for children and young people since 1870 St Christopher’s Safe Steps 1.Who is Safe Steps for: client group and current provision 2.What are we aiming for: vision 3.How have we got here: set up and funding 4.What’s going to be different: the Safe Steps approach, including staffing and buildings 5.How will we track progress: evaluation 6.What happens next: next steps

Caring for children and young people since 1870 Safe Steps: Client group  Girls aged at admission, who have experienced CSE or other community risks such as gangs or trafficking.  Likely current placements: o Secure children’s homes. Right place for some, but not all need 24/7 supervision. o Distant placements. Right place for some, but risks disrupting positive relationships eg with school or siblings. o Community children’s homes – finding it hard to keep children safe within the current Regulations & Guidance.

Caring for children and young people since 1870 Safe Steps – the vision  Community-based children’s homes which keep children safe, help them learn how to keep themselves safe, and support them to choose to do so.  Specially tailored support to help girls keep safe, especially at vulnerable times, within the existing Regulations & Guidance.  Communities which recognize the reality of CSE and address the causes, rather than sending the victims away.

Caring for children and young people since 1870 Project set-up and funding DFE Innovation Fund Project  Funding to update and adapt the homes  Subsidy for first year of pilot  Part of a group of projects addressing CSE with a shared evaluation programme  Two children’s homes in London. Four-bed and five-bed, commissioned by the West London Alliance and the North London Children’s Efficiency Programme.  Draws on St Christopher’s experience of running children’s homes, specialist CSE 16+ services and runaways services.

Caring for children and young people since 1870 The Safe Steps approach A community children’s home with additional or special provisions in the following areas:  Therapeutic approach  Staffing  Proactive relationships with local agencies  Risk assessment  Activity plans  Using existing legal powers to restrict liberty, backed up by physical adaptations

Caring for children and young people since 1870 The Safe Steps approach (1)  Therapeutic – understand and address the trauma of the past, and help the girls move on. Building positive relationships that enhance self-esteem.  Using social pedagogy – responding to the individual, using reflective practice within the team, and a “head, heart, hands” approach.  Staffing: high levels and high quality Experienced and resilient Home Managers & deputies Experienced CRWs Double Waking Nights & ability to have more staff on at evenings and weekends Additional project resource to support relationships with commissioners and DFE

Caring for children and young people since 1870 The Safe Steps Approach (2)  Proactive relationships with local agencies: Projects developed with commissioners Proactive engagement (before opening) with LSCB, MASE groups, SNT etc.  Risk Assessment Home risk assessment, including locking the door to keep a safe home Individual risk assessments agreed with LA Staff team assess risk daily to understand risk and behaviour  Activities which pull away from exploiters – and which can be continued after the placement ends.

Caring for children and young people since 1870 The Safe Steps Approach (3)  Willingness to use existing powers to restrict liberty proportionately when the child is at risk - and to allow the work to be done. Para 9.52 “There may be circumstances where a child can be prevented from leaving the home – for example a child who is putting themselves at risk of injury by leaving the home to carry out gang related activities, use drugs or to meet someone who is sexually exploiting them or intends to do so. Any measure of restraint must be proportionate and in place for no longer than is necessary to manage the immediate risk”  Additional safeguards beyond the Guidance  Physical adaptations to ensure that decision to restrict liberty while a child is at risk can be enforced. This means a homely environment, but with extra attention to safety and care.

Caring for children and young people since 1870 Tracking Progress: Evaluation  DFE funding an evaluation of the four CSE Innovation Fund project sites.  Likely to look at:  reduction in CSE risk (Uni of Bedfordshire)  reduction in missing & incidents  successful planned moves  progress in Q-Pack assessment (SDQ/ASI)  Will also look at views of young people, staff and stakeholders.

Caring for children and young people since 1870 Challenges and questions 1.Can we keep the girls safe, and improve their outcomes, without sending them out of their community? 2.Can we deliver safe homes confidently within the existing legislation? 3.Can we demonstrate these services are value for money without IF funding? 4.Can we demonstrate outcomes in nine months?

Caring for children and young people since 1870 How to keep in touch…  We have plans for a bulletin on progress, and are hoping to put together a day conference in the Autumn  To keep in touch with the progress of the project  You can also follow the latest news at or through Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.