The coronavirus pandemic and current cost of living crisis have directly contributed to one of the most challenging times faced by vulnerable children and young people in recent history. In the year 2019/2020, The Office of the Children’s Commissioner identified 14,700 children’s social care assessments, which included concerns about County Lines gang involvement, a 124% increase from 2019. This rise is mirrored by an increase in knife crime across the country, with London alone seeing its worst-ever annual death toll from teenage homicides in 2021. These statistics, however, only illustrate part of the challenges faced by existing child protection structures. There are thousands more young people who are experiencing greater exposure to domestic abuse, addiction, parental mental ill-health and poverty. Education, CAMHS and care systems have struggled to cope with not only the demand for services but also to properly identify and address the complex, changing and intersecting vulnerabilities suffered by teenagers at risk, leaving too many falling through the gaps and unable to access the help that they so desperately need.

To address this serious and growing challenge, the Government announced the launch of The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care to develop a series of recommendations that will form a new approach to child protection that meets the scale and complexity of current need. Additionally, the Government has allocated £200m for the Youth Endowment Fund over the next ten years to prevent teenagers from becoming involved in violence. Whilst these initiatives are a positive move forward, they are not enough to bring about the systemic change that is needed to prioritise and safeguard vulnerable young people, improve multi-agency working and protect them from exclusion, violence and sexual/criminal exploitation.

This Policy Foresight live webinar offers a timely opportunity for key partners from education, social care, local authorities, police, youth offending, criminal justice, health, housing, third sector and other key statutory agencies to explore how to address the gaps exposed by the pandemic in existing early intervention frameworks, multi-agency working and violence reduction strategies. The webinar provides an ideal platform for participants to hear from experts and policymakers, learn from innovative best practice and share ideas with fellow participants to deliver lasting change that protects vulnerable teenagers from harm.

Why Attend?

Resource - The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care in England

Resource - The Children's Society Report: Youth Voice on School Exclusions (2021)

Resource - The Children's Society Look Closer Campaign

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