It’s important that all practitioners feel confident to support children and young people at risk of, or who are being harmed, outside the home. Some practitioners, such as teachers, sports coaches and youth workers may see the child/young person regularly, and you may be an important person in their life. You may be the first person to notice if something is not right with the child/young person, or the first person that they share their worries with. Knowing how to respond in these situations is crucial to helping the child/young person stay safe and well.
The approach to take
Trusting relationships are key to supporting children, young people and their parents/carers, so that they are more likely to share any worries with you and allow you to help them. You can support children, young people and their parents/carers by:
- seeing the child/young person as a child first, who needs help and protection rather than someone who can manage risks to themselves
- listening and asking curious questions to understand what is happening to the child/young person
- working ‘with’ children and parents/carers rather than ‘doing to’ them
- thinking about why a child/young person might be behaving in a certain way – be trauma informed
- noticing the child and family’s strengths and doing more of what already works
- helping to create a safe space at home, in school, in the community and online for children and young people.
- noticing any discrimination or inequality and challenging this