What is contextual safeguarding?

Contextual Safeguarding is an approach to protecting young people from harm, which acknowledges that young people are vulnerable not just in their home environment, but also in the wider community and social contexts in which they live.

Contextual Safeguarding was developed by Dr. Carlene Firmin and her colleagues at the University of Bedfordshire. It was first introduced in 2015 as a response to concerns about the limitations of traditional child protection systems, which often focus solely on protecting children within their families.

Contextual Safeguarding aims to address the wider social and environmental factors that can contribute to a young person’s vulnerability to harm, such as peer group pressure, online risks, and exploitation by gangs or criminal networks.

The approach involves working with a range of professionals and agencies, including schools, police, social services, and youth services, to identify and respond to risks to young people in their wider social contexts. This might involve developing targeted interventions, such as community-based support programmes, or working with local businesses and organisations to create safer environments for young people.

Overall, the goal of Contextual Safeguarding is to create a more holistic and inclusive approach to protecting young people from harm, which recognises that they are influenced by a wide range of factors beyond their immediate family and home environment.

Contextual Safeguarding is a relatively new approach to protecting young people from harm. The concept was developed by Dr. Carlene Firmin and her colleagues at the University of Bedfordshire in 2015. Since then, it has gained significant traction and has been adopted by many local authorities and organisations as a key approach to safeguarding young people.

Traditionally, safeguarding measures have been focussed on protecting children within their families. However, this approach can be limiting, as it does not consider the wider social and environmental factors that can contribute to a young person’s vulnerability to harm. Contextual Safeguarding aims to address these wider factors and to create a more holistic and inclusive approach to protecting young people.

The University of Bedfordshire’s Contextual Safeguarding Team defines contextual safeguarding as “an approach to understanding, and responding to, young people’s experiences of significant harm beyond their families. It recognises that the different relationships that young people form in their neighbourhoods, schools and online can feature violence and abuse, and that these can be additional to the abuse that occurs within their families” (University of Bedfordshire, 2021).

Contextual Safeguarding recognises that young people are not only vulnerable within their homes but also in the wider community and social contexts in which they live. Factors such as peer pressure, online risks, and exploitation by gangs or criminal networks can all contribute to a young person’s vulnerability to harm. Contextual Safeguarding aims to address these wider factors and to create a more comprehensive approach to protecting young people.

One of the key strengths of the Contextual Safeguarding approach is that it is designed to be multi-agency. This means that it involves working with a range of professionals and organisations to identify and respond to risks to young people in their wider social contexts. These might include schools, police, social services, and youth services. By bringing together different agencies and organisations, the Contextual Safeguarding approach is better able to address the multiple and complex factors that can contribute to a young person’s vulnerability to harm.

Key principles that underpin the Contextual Safeguarding

There are several key principles that underpin the Contextual Safeguarding approach. These include the following:

Recognising the importance of wider social contexts: The Contextual Safeguarding approach recognises that young people are vulnerable not just in their homes but also in the wider social contexts in which they live.

Focusing on harm: The approach is focussed on understanding and responding to the harm that young people experience, rather than solely on the behaviour of the young person or their family.

Being multi-agency: The Contextual Safeguarding approach involves working with a range of professionals and organisations to identify and respond to risks to young people in their wider social contexts.

Being evidence-informed: The approach is based on research and evidence of what works to protect young people from harm.

Being young person-centred: The Contextual Safeguarding approach prioritises the voices and experiences of young people, and involves them in decisions that affect their lives.

The Contextual Safeguarding approach has been applied in a range of settings and contexts across the UK. For example, it has been used to address sexual exploitation and grooming, gang involvement and youth violence, and online risks such as cyberbullying and sexting.

Examples of Contextual Safeguarding

One example of the Contextual Safeguarding approach in action is the Safe and Connected Communities (SaCC) programme in Luton, which was developed by the University of Bedfordshire’s Contextual Safeguarding Team in collaboration with the local authority and other partners. The SaCC programme is a multi-agency approach to addressing youth violence and gang involvement in the town. It involves working with schools, youth services, the police, and other organisations to identify and respond to the multiple factors that contribute to young people’s involvement in gangs and youth violence, including family issues, poverty, and social exclusion.

The SaCC programme has been successful in reducing youth violence and gang activity in Luton. According to a report by the University of Bedfordshire, the number of young people referred to the SaCC programme decreased by 50% between 2017 and 2019, and there was a 62% reduction in the number of knife-related injuries in the town during the same period (University of Bedfordshire, 2021).

The success of the SaCC programme highlights the effectiveness of the Contextual Safeguarding approach in addressing complex social issues. By bringing together different agencies and organisations, the approach is better able to identify and respond to the multiple factors that contribute to young people’s vulnerability to harm.

Another example of the Contextual Safeguarding approach in action is the Virtual Action Research Network (VARN) project, which was also developed by the University of Bedfordshire’s Contextual Safeguarding Team. The VARN project is a multi-agency initiative that aims to address online risks to young people, including cyberbullying, sexting, and online grooming.

The VARN project involves working with schools, police, and other organisations to develop and implement effective strategies for addressing online risks to young people. These might include educating young people about online safety, providing support and guidance to parents and carers, and working with social media companies to improve their child protection measures.

The VARN project has been successful in raising awareness of online risks to young people and providing effective strategies for addressing these risks. According to a report by the University of Bedfordshire, the VARN project has reached over 150 schools and 25,000 young people across the UK, and has contributed to a significant reduction in online harm to young people (University of Bedfordshire, 2021).

The success of the SaCC and VARN projects highlights the importance of the Contextual Safeguarding approach in addressing the complex and multi-faceted issues that young people face. By bringing together different agencies and organisations, the approach is able to provide a more comprehensive and effective response to young people’s needs.

Contextual Safeguarding has now been widely adopted by local authorities and organisations as a key approach to safeguarding young people. According to a report by the University of Bedfordshire, 90% of local authorities in England and Wales have now adopted the Contextual Safeguarding approach (University of Bedfordshire, 2021).

This widespread adoption of the Contextual Safeguarding approach is a testament to its effectiveness in addressing the complex and multi-faceted issues that young people face. By recognising the importance of wider social contexts, and by being multi-agency led, evidence-informed, and young person-centred, the approach is able to provide a more comprehensive and effective response to young people’s needs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Contextual Safeguarding is a new approach to protecting young people from harm in the UK, which recognises the importance of wider social contexts and brings together different agencies and organisations to identify and respond to risks to young people. Developed by Dr. Carlene Firmin and her colleagues at the University of Bedfordshire in 2015, the Contextual Safeguarding approach has been widely adopted by local authorities and organisations across the UK, and has been successful in addressing complex social issues such as youth violence, gang involvement, and online risks. The success of the Contextual Safeguarding approach highlights the importance of a comprehensive and multi-agency approach to safeguarding young people, which recognises the multiple factors that contribute to their vulnerability to harm.