Contextual Safeguarding

Contextual Safeguarding is 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. Parents and carers have little influence over these contexts, and young people’s experiences of extra-familial abuse can undermine parent-child relationships

These partnership groups are key to ensuring the HSCP has a clear, strategic approach to contextual safeguarding, ensuring all key agencies and services work together effectively and respond in a coordinated manner to improve outcomes for all children and young people at risk.  Membership of both groups is wide and varied and includes police, early help services, safeguarding, hull city safe, Leisure services/parks and open spaces, education settings, adult social care, representatives from the voluntary and community sector, neighbourhoods, and housing services and more. 

The partnership groups bring together the strategic commitment and multi-agency approach to develop an effective response to Child Exploitation and Missing and Vulnerable Children.  This includes our Missing Children Protocol, and links to structures which address Serious Organised Crime, led by Humberside Police.  The Strategic Group is currently leading on the development of a city-wide strategy for Contextualised Safeguarding with a clear and simple Delivery Plan which will be published in the autumn.

The early identification, effective intervention and safeguarding of children and young people at risk of extra-familial abuse is at the centre of all the work of these groups and there is a commitment to learn from best practice and ensure collaboration with our geographical neighbours in the east riding of Yorkshire.