Safe and Sound Group help tackle child sexual exploitation by providing high quality tailored one-to-one support to victims and young people at risk in Derby and Derbyshire.
From 2019, while maintaining their specialism in sexual exploitation, the charity has expanded its services to include all forms of exploitation. Their vital work ensures that individuals receive the support they need to move forwards in their lives.
Through delivering innovative, hands-on programmes, Safe and Sound enables children, young people, families and carers, whose lives are affected deeply by their experience of child exploitation, to move not just to a place of safety, but to emerge unshackled and undefined by their experiences and enabled to reach their full potential.
In 2020 the Randal Charitable Foundation provided grant funding to support 22 vulnerable and socially-disadvantaged children who are at risk of exploitation and abuse. This includes supporting a young person’s full journey to recovery, youth sessions and a mobile Support Worker for 12 Months.
By raising awareness of risks and adjusting potentially harmful behaviours at an early stage, Safe & Sound Group can prevent exploitation ever happening – avoiding a devastating experience for the child and their family.
Where potential issues are identified that need further support, their specialist workers will give direct one-to-one support to the child and family to address them, typically over 6-9 months. This can include a wide range of problems from low self-esteem, school absenteeism, going missing from home or talking to strangers online.
Positive, safe activities for young people to get involved with beyond Safe & Sound Group’s intervention work include a mixture of sports, arts, music, gardening and everything in between. These sessions give young people the opportunity to socialise safely with their peers, build their resilience and develop new skills.
They also provide next steps support beyond exploitation issues which can help young people adjust to life as an adult, including life skills work such as cooking, exercise or budgeting and finances, alongside support into work or education such as interview preparation, CV writing or job applications.
For more information visit the Safe & Sound website here
