Our research has shown that response plans are often dominated by:
- attempts to change the motivation or thinking of young people to create safety
- efforts to reduce crime
- a focus on addressing ‘anti-social behaviour’ and increasing punishment
- the dispersal or surveillance of young people
None of these align with a Contextual Safeguarding approach but they do often feature in work outside of the home. If you are leading a context assessment and response plan you will likely need to repeatedly remind partners of the importance of the values underpinning the Contextual Safeguarding framework – namely that we are working to increase safety and meet needs. Using the outcomes framework for extra-familial contexts will support you in this, because you will have a set of welfare-based goals to guide discussions with partners about any proposed action.
The resources below are designed to help align a multi-agency team around Contextual Safeguarding values.
