Safe and Sound is delighted to announce that The Butlers Pantry is our April supporter of the month. Take a read below as to how they will be supporting us:
Overview of what your company/organisation does:
Derbyshire catering and events business, established in 2003. Providing catering and event management for corporate & private events from 8 to 300 guests, from a small meeting or canape reception to a gala dinner. Buffets, canapes, BBQ’s, formal dinners.
Why have you supported Safe and Sound as an anniversary sponsor?
We are celebrating our 20th year in business in April, and are delighted to be an anniversary sponsor for Safe & Sound. We look forward to working with the charity to raise valuable funds and awareness for their support to victims & young people of exploitation in Derbyshire.
Are you planning any special fundraising or awareness-raising events as part of your sponsorship?
In collaboration with Marketing Derby, we will be hosting a ‘20th Year in Business’ celebration event, where we will be raising funds for Safe & Sound on the evening with games provided by Groovy Events.
What would your message be to the young people and families that Safe and Sound support?
Safe & Sound are a recognised trusted and caring Derbyshire charity that works tirelessly to ensure support is there when needed. Through various channels, they will offer you support to feel valued, positive & confident in your future.
Derbyshire’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound, is marking a national day next week with a challenge to everyone to re-think how they talk about young victims.
National Child Exploitation Awareness Day falls on Saturday March 18 this year and Safe and Sound has decided to focus on the issue of victim blaming.
Last year, Safe and Sound supported a record 343 children and young people aged eight and above who had been victims of or at risk of child exploitation including online grooming sexual exploitation, County Lines, trafficking, modern slavery and radicalisation. The charity also supported 40 families whose lives had been affected by exploitation nearly 30% of the children and young people supported by the charity have learning disabilities.
Safe and Sound CEO, Tracy Harrison has highlighted the harm caused by blaming victims.
As well as potentially discouraging young people from disclosing what has happened to them and bringing perpetrators to justice; it can cause further long-term damage to young people’s self-confidence and self-esteem.
Mrs Harrison explained that victim blaming was any language or action that implied (whether intentionally or unintentionally) that a person was partially or wholly responsible for abuse that had happened to them.
For example, until recent years, young girls who were groomed, trafficked and raped were sometimes referred to as ‘child prostitutes’ which implies that they were complicit in their own sexual exploitation.
More recently, young boys and girls who are targeted by County Lines gangs to distribute drugs around communities, are commonly treated as drug dealers rather than the victims of criminal exploitation who are in fear for their safety and that of their families if they don’t do as they are told.
And young people who accept a stranger’s friend request online and who are then coerced into sending inappropriate images of themselves are often blamed for their naivety and not recognising the dangers of online grooming.
Mrs Harrison said: “Child Exploitation Awareness day is an important date in the calendar as it opens the conversation about what is happening across the UK – and beyond – including in our local communities in Derbyshire.
“As well as raising awareness of the growing dangers of online and in person child exploitation, we want to expand the conversation to challenge people’s perceptions of young people who are groomed by perpetrators for their own ends.
“Child exploitation perpetrators are highly manipulative, controlling and extremely skilled in getting young people to do what they want.
“Whilst it should be a given that these criminals – whether operating as individuals or in groups – are the guilty parties – all too often, the ‘blame’ for this abuse can be directed at the young victims themselves.
“So, saying something like ‘it was the way she is dressed’; ‘he was just a loner with no friends’; ‘she stayed out until all hours’ or ‘he was a streetwise lad’ is actually far more damaging than a misguided judgement.”
Mrs Harrison continued: “Young people who have been groomed and exploited are often scared that they will not be believed so are reluctant to disclose what they are going through and seek help.
“Victim blaming also normalises and reinforces what these young people have been told by their manipulative perpetrators that they are ‘worthless’ and ‘deserve what happens to them’ – making their recovery from trauma an even more complicated process.
“The Sexual Offences Act (2003) recognised children as victims of – and not participants in -exploitation. However, it takes a lot more than legislation to change culture and perception and we all have a part to play in this.
“Young people need our help but also our understanding.
“A lot of work is underway with professionals working with young people to address victim blaming but I ask everyone to think about what you say when you hear or read about such cases in the media and challenge what someone else says to you about this.”
For more information about this issue, please watch this short video https://vimeo.com/159372082 and for more information about child exploitation and how to support Safe and Sound’s work across Derbyshire, visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk
Local Charity Committed to Transforming Young Lives
Derbyshire’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound, is expanding its programme of inclusive youth activities and therapies as part of its commitment to supporting children and young people to move forward positively with their lives.
Last year, Safe and Sound supported a record 343 children and young people aged eight and above who had been victims of or at risk of child exploitation including online grooming sexual exploitation, County Lines, trafficking, modern slavery and radicalisation.
The charity also supported 40 families whose lives had been affected by exploitation and a further 77 families were supported through the pilot year of Family Group Conferencing which is a new service in the city to help families stay together with support from their wider family.
Figures released this week also reveal that nearly 30% of the children and young people supported by the charity have learning disabilities.
As well as specialist 121 and group support, young people directly targeted by perpetrators and a growing number of siblings whose family live has been affected by exploitation have taken part in a wide range of positive and therapeutic activities.
The growing programme of youth activities has included sport and creative activities as well as cultural and educational trips which, in school holidays, are run in conjunction with the Government-funded HAF project to help families with the rising cost of living.
Furthermore, the charity has recently launched a fortnightly youth club; lunchtime sessions at several local schools and continues to engage with young people with evening outreach projects in Derby city and South Derbyshire every week.
Therapeutic services have also been expanded including person-centred creative art therapy to help them rediscover their confidence, re-establish their self worth and re-connect with those around them by formulating health relationships with other people.
Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison explained: “Our workload increases year on year both with young people directly affected by exploitation as well as the wider family.
“Although our primary focus is to ensure young people are safe from exploitation and work with them to recognise and come to terms with their experiences, we have a growing emphasis on organising positive activities to build their self confidence and esteem to ensure they can move forward with their lives.
“It is equally as important to support the wider family who have been affected by exploitation – particularly with siblings to reduce their own vulnerabilities to grooming and exploitation.
“This work is particularly important for the young people and young adults with learning disabilities who are particularly vulnerable to exploitation.
“These young people or three or four times more likely to be targeted by perpetrators both online and in person for many reasons. Young people with learning disabilities often find it difficult to make friends of their own age and spend more time online where grooming and exploitation is rife.
“We are therefore ensuring that the activities we organise are fully inclusive to give all children, young people and young adults the opportunity to participate and enjoy.
“Our team are doing an amazing job to organise our own activities and to link up with the other fantastic young people focused charities and organisations to share resources, facilities and opportunities.
“As the demand for our services continues to grow, we are committed to finding new and innovative ways to transform young lives so that they can move into adulthood as strong, confident people rather than being defined by what they have experienced in their youth.”
The importance of youth activities was highlighted by the mother of a 12-year-old boy from Derby.
She said: “My son has a EHCP and has hidden learning difficulties and complex needs. He has experienced bullying in his local community and been groomed online making the world he experienced very small and reduced to his bedroom.
“He really struggles with socialising and with relationships, especially with peers. He could not string two words together when in contact with new people, lacked confidence and simply couldn’t speak to young people his own age.
“He has been attending the Safe and Sound weekly table tennis club for six months and has really benefitted from this support.
“He has very slowly grown in confidence and maturity and this activity, in tandem with 1:1 support from a mentor also provided by Safe and Sound, has given him the focus he needs.
“This support and his development also helped him to attend his new college placement with more confidence and he is slowly but surely going from strength to strength after the positive outcomes and experiences he has had with this group activity.”
For more information about the work of Safe and Sound and how to support them, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk.
NK Motors Derby, Kia Business – one of UK’s limited Kia Business Specialist Dealers is our 20th Anniversary supporter for February.
Who are NK Motors
NK Motors, a trusted and long-established family business is the approved Business Specialist Dealer for the Derby and Nottingham areas and one of
the largest Kia retailer in the UK.
They are uniquely positioned to offer you all the benefits of using Kia cars in your business.
Why have you supported Safe and Sound
We have supported Safe and Sound as they are a unique charity to the local Derbyshire area and one of its kind, that helps make a real difference to young people who are at risk.
Every young person deserves a childhood free from abuse and at NK Motors, we want to help and support Safe and Sound where we can carry out all their crucial work, which unfortunately is much needed and to help make a positive difference.
Are you planning any special fundraising or awareness-raising events as part of your sponsorship?
For every Kia Car sold, we will purchase a Hope Box for a young person at Safe and Sound. The Hope Box is given to a child or young person at the end
of their journey and is filled with calming and mindful activities. We will also be supporting Safe and Sound at our Marketing Derby event with a raffle to raise vital funds to support vulnerable young people in the community.
Have you appointed a Safe and Sound Champion within your company?
Abigail Whitt – Business & Fleet Sales Specialist
My main goal with being a Safe and Sound champion is to promote awareness of all of the incredible support they provide for vulnerable young people and help Safe and Sound to achieve their goals.
What would your message be to the young people and families that Safe and Sound supports?
That you are never alone and there is always help and support even when you feel like there is nowhere or no one to turn to.
Derbyshire’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound, has been presented with a Community Respect Award as part of the city’s celebrations to mark the national Dignity Action Day.
The Community Respect Awards recognise community and voluntary sector organisations across the city for their ongoing commitment to promoting and delivering services in a safe, dignified and respectful way.
The presentation to Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison and charity trustee Sonia Rafferty was made by the Mayor of Derby Cllr Robin Wood and the independent chair of Derby Safeguarding Adults Board Allan Breeton which leads on the awards.
Safe and Sound were recognised for their robust safeguarding procedures to ensure that young people, vulnerable young adults and families whose lives are affected by exploitation are protected and supported in a safe environment by highly trained staff and volunteers. The charity supports more than 200 young people every year who are victims of or at risk of child exploitation as well as their wider families and see first-hand the devastating effects of
both online and in person grooming and abuse.
Tracy Harrison explained: “We take very seriously our responsibilities to protect and support young people and families whose lives have been affected by exploitation and we are honoured that the high quality of our work has been recognised in this way. Any child or vulnerable young adult can be the victim of exploitation – whether that is sexual, county lines, modern slavery, trafficking or radicalisation and we are proud to be the city and county’s specialist charity helping those at risk and victims to move forward with their lives.”
“As well as supporting young people and families, we are committed to giving them a voice within our organisation and across our network of partners to raise awareness of the issues and effects of exploitation in our local communities.”
For more information about the work of Safe and Sound and how to support them, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk.
A family-run print, design, signage, web and workwear business has partnered with Derbyshire’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound, to support their efforts in raising awareness of the dangers facing children and young people both online and in person.
Melbourne Print have chosen Safe and Sound as one of its main charities to support this year.
As well as providing design and print support, the Melbourne-based company is also planning to give young people the chance to develop their own creative skills with T-shirt design and print activities as part of the charity’s summer programme.
Company Director Paul Wilson explained: “As a family-run local business, we were keen to do what we can to support Safe and Sound’s really important work in the local communities that we too serve and we look forward to using our expertise to support the charity’s fundraising and awareness work.
“It will also be great to welcome some of the young people that Safe and Sound support into our premises for fun and creative activities that will give them an outlet to express their creativity and hopefully help to build their confidence and self-esteem.”
Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison concluded: “This is an exciting partnership and we are extremely grateful to the team at Melbourne Print for their support.”
For more information about the work of Safe and Sound and how to support them, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk. For more information about Melbourne Print visit, https://www.melbourneprint.co.uk/
Picture shows, Tracy Harrison with Melbourne Print’s Paul Wilson, left, and Business
Development Manager Rob Moore.
