Specialist Derbyshire charity Safe and Sound has marked the first anniversary of its fundraising appeal with a three-pronged expansion of support for local young people and their families.
Safe and Sound supports children and young people across Derbyshire who are victims of or at risk of child exploitation which includes online grooming sexual exploitation, County Lines, Modern Slavery and trafficking as well as raising awareness of the issues in local communities.
The charity launched its Butterfly Appeal last summer as part of its bid to expand grassroots support for young people and their families.
Now, thanks to wide-ranging support from businesses, organisations and individuals as well as successful bids to several national trusts and foundations, Safe and Sound have appointed two more specialist support workers in new roles.
Helen West has been appointed as family support worker – providing emotional and practical to support to families of young people at risk of or victims of child exploitation.
Meanwhile, education awareness officer Angela Baker will work with young people – particularly those in hard to reach groups such as those with special educational needs and with professionals working with these young people to increase understanding of child exploitation.
Safe and Sound’s youth work team has also started a regular Friday evening outreach programme in parts of the city.
The team aims to engage with more young people, raise awareness of the dangers of child exploitation and signpost them to organisations for support and positive activities, including Safe and Sound.
Safe and Sound chief executive Tracy Harrison said: “We are so grateful to the local response to the Butterfly Appeal which is ongoing to ensure that we can support even more children, young people and their families across Derbyshire.
“The impact on the wider family of young people who have been targeted by perpetrators cannot be under-estimated and I am delighted that we now have a dedicated resource to support them.
“We already have excellent working relationships with schools and Angela’s focus will be on supporting and raising awareness amongst young people who are particularly vulnerable to grooming for a number of reasons.
“Thirdly, our new outreach programme takes Safe and Sound back into local communities with support workers visiting parks and particularly hot spots where we know from experience that young people tend to meet up and therefore attracts perpetrators who target them for their own criminal purposes.
“It is this grassroots knowledge and experience that helped lead to the successful prosecutions under Operation Retriever ten years ago and I am delighted that we now have the means to be able to get back out in local communities and proactively work with young people to highlight the dangers that they face at the hands of such individuals and groups.
“The first anniversary of our Butterfly Appeal therefore marks a milestone for Safe and Sound at an important time when young people have been more vulnerable than ever to online grooming during lockdown.
“Having these additional resources in place will mean that we can provide more face to face support as lockdown eases and increase our presence in local communities to give young people and their families the reassurance that we are here to support them with the dangers they face.”
Media enquiries: Sarah Jenkin-Jones, JJPR, Tel: 01332 515102/07951 945665; [email protected]
About Safe and Sound
Formed in 2002, Safe and Sound is an inspiring Derbyshire charity that transforms young lives affected by child exploitation with innovative, hands-on programmes.
The charity works at grass root levels delivering individual support to each child as well as families and carers. This vital support enables them to move not just to a place of safety, but emerge unshackled and undefined by their experience and enabled to reach their full potential.
The charity continues to specialise in child sexual exploitation and is now developing its services to support children and young people facing or at risk of wider exploitation which are often interlinked. These include physical and emotional violence, neglect, modern day slavery, radicalisation and human trafficking, domestic abuse, missing episodes and County Lines.
Safe and Sound is led by former police superintendent Tracy Harrison with the support of a specialist team; an experience board of Trustees and now a team of Ambassadors who are helping to raise the profile of the charity and the issue of child exploitation.
Safe and Sound’s expertise came to the fore during the 2010 landmark case – Operation Retriever – which was Derby’s first prosecution for child sexual exploitation and abuse. The charity’s specialist team supported every young person affected by the criminal actions of 13 defendants who were jailed in total for up to 22 years for 70 offences.
For more information about child exploitation, Safe and Sound Derby and how to support their work, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk
Derby business leader Helen Wathall MBE has become the first to sign up for a virtual cycle ride organised by specialist Derbyshire charity Safe and Sound.
Miss Wathall is managing director and the fifth generation of her family to head up Wathall’s funeral directors in Derby, Alvaston, Borrowash, Ashbourne and Burton-on-Trent. She is also board chair of St Peters Quarter Business Improvement District (BID).
Having recently re-discovered cycling as a pastime, she is planning to complete the 11-mile route around five Derby parks – Markeaton, Darley and Alvaston as well as Bass and Markeaton recreation grounds.
She has also set up a Justgiving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/helen-wathall1 to raise money to help the Derby charity support more young people across the county who are victims of or at risk of child exploitation.
Miss Wathall said: “I used to love cycling but haven’t done it – or indeed very much else – for several years since injuring my knees doing the Team Wathall charity walk from Derby to London.
“My friends and family are very surprised to hear that I am back on two wheels and they have promised to sponsor me to encourage me to do this challenge as the first step.
“It will also be a great way to get out and about back into Derby’s parks and enjoy the greenery that is on our doorstep across the city whilst supporting a great local charity.”
Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison added: “We are very grateful for Helen and the Wathall’s team’s continued support for Safe and Sound ,she is a great role model for re-discovering the joy of cycling as a fun and healthy sporting pastime!”
Everyone signing up and donating to the charity receives details of an easy to follow and cycle-friendly circular route, taking in the parks, which they can do whenever they want and at their own pace, either in one day or in stages.
The ride information pack also highlights the parks’ history and interesting landmarks to look out for on the way.
Sponsorship forms and online giving are available for those wishing to raise further money for the charity and everyone who completes the challenge will receive a certificate.
Money raised will go to the charity’s Butterfly Appeal which was set up a year ago to help transform the lives of children, young people and their families across Derbyshire whose lives are affected by child exploitation. This includes sexual exploitation, County Lines, trafficking and modern slavery.
Media enquiries: Sarah Jenkin-Jones, JJPR, Tel: 01332 515102/07951 945665; [email protected]
About Safe and Sound
Formed in 2002, Safe and Sound is an inspiring Derbyshire charity that transforms young lives affected by child exploitation with innovative, hands-on programmes.
The charity works at grass root levels delivering individual support to each child as well as families and carers. This vital support enables them to move not just to a place of safety, but emerge unshackled and undefined by their experience and enabled to reach their full potential.
The charity continues to specialise in child sexual exploitation and is now developing its services to support children and young people facing or at risk of wider exploitation which are often interlinked. These include physical and emotional violence, neglect, modern day slavery, radicalisation and human trafficking, domestic abuse, missing episodes and County Lines.
Safe and Sound is led by former police superintendent Tracy Harrison with the support of a specialist team; an experience board of Trustees and now a team of Ambassadors who are helping to raise the profile of the charity and the issue of child exploitation.
Safe and Sound’s expertise came to the fore during the 2010 landmark case – Operation Retriever – which was Derby’s first prosecution for child sexual exploitation and abuse. The charity’s specialist team supported every young person affected by the criminal actions of 13 defendants who were jailed in total for up to 22 years for 70 offences.
For more information about child exploitation, Safe and Sound Derby and how to support their work, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk
Derby-based Safe and Sound support children and young people who are victims of or at risk of child exploitation – including sexual, County Lines, Modern Slavery and trafficking – and their families.
A major part of the charity’s Butterfly Appeal to enable the expansion of services across Derbyshire has been a joint initiative with Sinfin-based Century Mobile and intu Derby shopping centre.
During the lockdown, households are being encouraged to dig out handsets and keep them until they can be dropped off at intu Derby or collected by Century Mobile who then arranges recycling with proceeds donated to Safe and Sound.
The appeal was recently promoted around Melbourne as part of the village’s inclusion in ‘Stay at Home Motor Show’ with classic car owners displaying vehicles in their driveway to be admired by passers-by.
Safe and Sound Head of Fundraising Tom Stanyard who is also a classic car owner, explained: “We put out a plea for people who are spending this time in lockdown clearing and tidying out their homes to donate their unwanted devices and we have had a great response – particularly from residents in Melbourne and the surrounding area.
“The ‘Stay at Home Motor Show’ was a particularly great ‘vehicle’ to promote the charity. As well as receiving pledges to donate unwanted devices, passers-by admiring the classic cars donated just over £100 to Safe and Sound which is much appreciated.”
For more information about Safe and Sound and how to support the charity’s work, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk and follow on social media channels.
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Media enquiries: Sarah Jenkin-Jones, JJPR, Tel: 01332 515102/07951 945665; [email protected]
About Safe and Sound
Formed in 2002, Safe and Sound is an inspiring Derbyshire charity that transforms young lives affected by child exploitation with innovative, hands-on programmes.
The charity works at grass root levels delivering individual support to each child as well as families and carers. This vital support enables them to move not just to a place of safety, but emerge unshackled and undefined by their experience and enabled to reach their full potential.
The charity continues to specialise in child sexual exploitation and is now developing its services to support children and young people facing or at risk of wider exploitation which are often interlinked. These include physical and emotional violence, neglect, modern day slavery, radicalisation and human trafficking, domestic abuse, missing episodes and County Lines.
Safe and Sound is led by former police superintendent Tracy Harrison with the support of a specialist team; an experience board of Trustees and now a team of Ambassadors who are helping to raise the profile of the charity and the issue of child exploitation.
Safe and Sound’s expertise came to the fore during the 2010 landmark case – Operation Retriever – which was Derby’s first prosecution for child sexual exploitation and abuse. The charity’s specialist team supported every young person affected by the criminal actions of 13 defendants who were jailed in total for up to 22 years for 70 offences.
For more information about child exploitation, Safe and Sound Derby and how to support their work, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk
A local charity is asking everyone to wear something purple on Wednesday March 18 to mark National Child Exploitation Awareness Day and focus attention on the dangers facing children and young people of being groomed both online and in local communities.
Safe and Sound is part of the NWG national network which spearheads the awareness-raising day every year and #CEADay20 aims to highlight the rising tide of child exploitation including sexual exploitation, coercion to run drugs through County Lines, trafficking and modern slavery.
Businesses, organisations and schools are being asked to pledge their support for Safe and Sound on the day – donating at least £1 each and wearing something purple.
Funds raised will go to the charity’s Butterfly Appeal to expand services that protect and support young people across Derbyshire who are victims of or at risk of exploitation and their families.
Safe and Sound is also offering training packs to schools for teachers to deliver in lessons and tutorials throughout the week to raise awareness of exploitation amongst young people.
Safe and Sound chief executive Tracy Harrison explained: “Child sexual exploitation – whether that is bribing young people to share indecent images online or grooming them to be raped and abused – remains one of the largest forms of child abuse in the country.
“Last year saw an all-time high of 18,000 children and young people being groomed and sexually exploited in the UK and research by the NSPCC also suggests that more than 200,000 secondary school children in the UK have received or been asked to send explicit messages or images online.
“The actual figures are likely to be so much higher as young people are often too scared to reveal what is happening to them and some even blame themselves for the abuse.
“Equally worrying is the rise in the wider criminal exploitation of young people such as County Lines with young boys and girls being forced into drugs operations and there is a growing incidence of trafficking and forcing young people into modern slavery.
“Whatever the motives of perpetrators, child exploitation can potentially destroy the lives of any young girl or boy – regardless of where they live, their family situation, cultural or social background.”
She continued: “As the local charity dedicated to supporting children and young people across Derbyshire who are vulnerable to or victims of grooming and exploitation, we always support National Child Exploitation Awareness Day.
“Over the past 18 years we have supported hundreds of young victims to understand what has happened to them, rebuild their confidence and move to a place of emotional safety – protecting themselves from further harm.
“We are therefore asking individuals, businesses and schools both to raise funds for our vital work in local communities and to raise awareness of the dangers that young people face.
“At the very least, I hope that #CEA2020 strikes a chord with both young people and their families that they particularly need to set stringent privacy settings and be careful of who they talk to online.
“However, everyone needs to be aware of the wider exploitation facing young people.
“This can start with a seemingly friendly chat in the local park on the way home from school then regularly meeting up and accepting gifts before spiralling out of control and being blackmailed into far more sinister activities.
“To make a difference, we need to share your knowledge and educate, speak out and encourage others to join us in the fight against exploitation.”
For more information about child exploitation, how Safe and Sound can help and how to support the local charity, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk or follow on social media.
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Media enquiries: Sarah Jenkin-Jones, JJPR, Tel: 01332 515102/07951 945665; [email protected]
About Safe and Sound
Formed in 2002, Safe and Sound is an inspiring Derbyshire charity that transforms young lives affected by child exploitation with innovative, hands-on programmes.
The charity works at grass root levels delivering individual support to each child as well as families and carers. This vital support enables them to move not just to a place of safety, but emerge unshackled and undefined by their experience and enabled to reach their full potential.
The charity continues to specialise in child sexual exploitation and is now developing its services to support children and young people facing or at risk of wider exploitation which are often interlinked. These include physical and emotional violence, neglect, modern day slavery, radicalisation and human trafficking, domestic abuse, missing episodes and County Lines.
Safe and Sound is led by former police superintendent Tracy Harrison with the support of a specialist team; an experience board of Trustees and now a team of Ambassadors who are helping to raise the profile of the charity and the issue of child exploitation.
Safe and Sound’s expertise came to the fore during the 2010 landmark case – Operation Retriever – which was Derby’s first prosecution for child sexual exploitation and abuse. The charity’s specialist team supported every young person affected by the criminal actions of 13 defendants who were jailed in total for up to 22 years for 70 offences.
For more information about child exploitation, Safe and Sound Derby and how to support their work, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk
A 32-strong group of fundraisers abseiled 80ft off Miller’s Dale Bridge in the Peak District to raise money for the local charity that supports children and young people in Derbyshire who are victims or at risk of child exploitation including online grooming, sexual exploitation and County Lines.
Fundraisers included representatives from Dains accountants, Threeguru marketing agency, University of Derby and Derby City Council as well as Safe and Sound ambassadors, BAFTA-winning actor Molly Windsor and child exploitation survivor Louise Murphy-Fairclough (18) who has been supported by the charity.
Safe and Sound chief executive Tracy Harrison took part in the abseil group dressed, appropriately, as Spiderman.
She said: “February 29 only comes around once every four years so we wanted to make this a day to remember for all of our brave supporters as well as raising a lot of money for the charity.
“We have raised more than £10,000 so far with more sponsorship coming and this will all go towards our Butterfly Appeal which will help us expand the work we do to support young people and their families and to raise public awareness of child exploitation.”
She continued: “It was a terrifying experience to step backwards off the bridge but once you got going it was an amazing and exhilarating experience and the trainers from Abseil Derbyshire were so encouraging.”
For more information about child exploitation and how to support Safe and Sound’s work, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk and follow on Facebook and Twitter @safeandsoundgroup or email [email protected]
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Media enquiries: Sarah Jenkin-Jones, JJPR, Tel: 01332 515102/07951 945665; [email protected]
About Safe and Sound and the Butterfly Appeal
Safe and Sound was launched in 2002 and is the only local charity that is totally focused on transforming the lives of thousands of children and young people who are victims or are at risk of child sexual exploitation across Derbyshire.
Safe and Sound’s expertise came to the fore during the 2010 landmark case – Operation Retriever – which was Derby’s first prosecution for child sexual exploitation and abuse. The charity’s specialist team supported every young person affected by the criminal actions of 13 defendants who were jailed in total for up to 22 years for 70 offences.
Safe and Sound’s specialist team provides individual support for children and young people from as young as eight up to the age of 18. They also raise awareness of the issue and the dangers facing children and young people through awareness programmes for schools, organisations, businesses and community groups.
Safe and Sound has launched the Butterfly Appeal #Buildingstrongwings to bring to fruition its vision for expanded services to support young people, families and wider community.
The charity’s future vision is extensive and includes:
– A new outreach programme to provide hands-on support where young people are at their most vulnerable
– Wider support for the families of victims and those at risk of CSE
– Youth work programmes with new activities from music to sport to build young people’s confidence and resilience
– Specialist psychological therapy programmes to tackle trauma, anxiety and depression
– Longer term support for survivors moving into adulthood enabling them to mentor younger victims
– An expanded community education programme to increase public awareness of CSE and the dangers facing young people
Supporters and ambassadors include the Chief Constable of Derbyshire who has chosen Safe and Sound as one of his chosen charities.
For more information about child sexual exploitation, Safe and Sound Derby and the Butterfly Appeal please visitwww.safeandsoundgroup.co.uk and follow on social media. A powerful video outlining young people’s experiences and why local people and businesses should support Safe and Sound is online at https://youtu.be/xjcb1y2cfGE
About CSE
In the UK today, one in 20 children suffer sexual abuse which includes child sexual exploitation. That means that in every classroom in Derbyshire, there is at least one vulnerable young person in need of help.
Child Sexual Exploitation (commonly referred to as CSE) is a form of child sexual abuse and takes many different forms from rape and sexual assault to online grooming and encouraging children to share inappropriate images of themselves.
CSE is a particularly manipulative form of abuse and is also linked to wider child exploitation issues such as County Lines, gangs, trafficking and modern slavery.
The key factor is that individuals or groups take advantage of young people by manipulating or deceiving them into sexual activity in exchange for something the victim needs or wants. This could range from money and alcohol to less tangible things such as the attention that they crave at a vulnerable time in their lives.
Local people in Littleover, Mickleover and Chellaston have helped Rotary Club of Derby raise £2,500 for specialist Derby charity Safe and Sound.
Volunteers and Rotary Club members took their Santa Sleigh across the local communities – collecting donations from generous residents.
The money will go towards Safe and Sound’s Butterfly Appeal which is raising money to expand the work that the charity does to support children and young people who are victims of or at risk of exploitation.
Safe and Sound Chief Executive Tracy Harrison said: “We are extremely grateful to Rotary Club of Derby for choosing to support our charity this year.
“Santa Sleigh brings so much joy to families across Derby and we are heartened by people’s response through their generous donations.
“This will help us to support many more young people in our local communities to stay safe and to continue to raise awareness of the increasing dangers of online grooming and exploitation facing boys and girls as young as eight.”
For more information about child exploitation, how Safe and Sound can help and how to support the local charity, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk or follow on social media.
Ends
Media enquiries: Sarah Jenkin-Jones, JJPR, Tel: 01332 515102/07951 945665; [email protected]
About Safe and Sound
Formed in 2002, Safe and Sound is an inspiring Derbyshire charity that transforms young lives affected by child exploitation with innovative, hands-on programmes.
The charity works at grass root levels delivering individual support to each child as well as families and carers. This vital support enables them to move not just to a place of safety, but emerge unshackled and undefined by their experience and enabled to reach their full potential.
The charity continues to specialise in child sexual exploitation and is now developing its services to support children and young people facing or at risk of wider exploitation which are often interlinked. These include physical and emotional violence, neglect, modern day slavery, radicalisation and human trafficking, domestic abuse, missing episodes and County Lines.
Safe and Sound is led by former police superintendent Tracy Harrison with the support of a specialist team; an experience board of Trustees and now a team of Ambassadors who are helping to raise the profile of the charity and the issue of child exploitation.
Safe and Sound’s expertise came to the fore during the 2010 landmark case – Operation Retriever – which was Derby’s first prosecution for child sexual exploitation and abuse. The charity’s specialist team supported every young person affected by the criminal actions of 13 defendants who were jailed in total for up to 22 years for 70 offences.
For more information about child exploitation, Safe and Sound Derby and how to support their work, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk
About Rotary Club of Derby: The Rotary Club of Derby meets regularly and welcomes new members from all walks of life who want to make new friends while getting involved in charitable work in the community. Rotary International connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work impacts lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit Rotary
