Contextual Safeguarding is a way of understanding, and responding to, young people’s experiences of significant harm outside of their family. It recognises that the different relationships that young people form with peers and adults, in their neighbourhoods, schools and online can feature violence and abuse. Parents and carers often have little influence over these relationships and contexts, and young people’s experiences of harm outside the home can undermine parent-child relationships.
Children’s social care practitioners, child protection systems and wider safeguarding partnerships need to engage with professionals in sectors and community members, who do have influence within schools, neighbourhoods and other contexts. Assessment of, and intervention with, these spaces is a critical part of safeguarding practices. Contextual Safeguarding expands the objectives of child protection systems in recognition that young people are vulnerable to abuse beyond their front doors.
When we work collaboratively with this in mind and pay attention to our language – the young person, the important people in their family and community become crucial in developing safety plans that consider peers, places and spaces – their friends, the places they hang out and the people they trust.
Consider risk of sexual & criminal exploitation, radicalisation, missing from home and care and grooming both online and in the real world. Relationships and patience are key to ensuring good information sharing and communication – working with young people and reframing our lens and looking to disrupt perpetrators working with multi-agency partners.
The Contextual Safeguarding Research Programme
The Contextual Safeguarding Research Programme includes resources such as its history, vision and mission, team, current suite of projects and key publications. You can access the policy and practice resources created through this programme and hear from practitioners and decision-makers who are using a Contextual Safeguarding approach in response to abuse in extra-familial settings.
Related documents
Please note that some of the documents on this page were not created by DSCP and may not be fully accessible. Contact us if you need an accessible format.
Countering Extremism (PREVENT)
Becoming radicalised can happen to anyone anywhere for numerous reasons, for example it might be triggered by a traumatic event, or a skewed ideology. It has a strong link to safeguarding because vulnerable adults and children can be susceptible to radicalisation and recruitment into terrorist organisations. No matter the reason, there may be warning signs that can help identify those people that may be at risk. If we can refer these individuals early enough into suitable interventions and support, we may be able to prevent devastating life changing incidents from occurring.
The Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 placed the Prevent strategy on a statutory footing and local authorities and their partners have a core role to play in countering terrorism at a local level and helping to safeguard individuals at risk of radicalisation.
For more information visit the Safe Durham Partnership website.
PREVENT
Prevent is about safeguarding and supporting those vulnerable to radicalisation.
Prevent is one of the four elements of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy CONTEST. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
Counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST)
The aim of CONTEST is to reduce the risk to the UK and its citizens and interests overseas from terrorism, so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence.
The strategy is based on four themes:
- prevent: to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism
- pursue: to stop terrorist attacks
- protect: to strengthen our protection against a terrorist attack
- prepare: to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack
For more information regarding the government’s Counter-terrorism strategy visit Gov.uk: Counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST) 2023.
Useful websites
The following links are provided by the Safe Durham Partnership. You may find these websites useful to understanding and supporting efforts toward countering extremism.
- Protect young eyes – app reviews
- Counter Extremism Project: Terrorist and Extremist Groups
- Anti-Defamation League: Hate on Display – Hate Symbols Database
- Action Counters Terrorism: Prevent Radicalisation and Extremism by Acting Early
We also have information in the parents and carers section on the Online safety page.