Jun 21, 2023 | News, Press Releases
Media opportunity: Darley Abbey Mills, Derby; Thursday June 22 starting at 5pm
Derbyshire-born actor Molly Windsor will be among more than 20 people who will tackle an evening fire walk tomorrow (Thursday June 22) to raise money for the county’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound.
Molly, who lives in Breaston, has starred in several film and television dramas including ‘Three Girls’ which highlighted the manipulative methods used by perpetrators targeting vulnerable children and young people in Rochdale. She connected with Safe and Sound whose expertise particularly came to the fore during
the 2010 landmark case – Operation Retriever – which was Derby’s first prosecution for child sexual exploitation and abuse. Safe and Sound’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.
Over the past six years, Molly has worked to raise awareness of child exploitation, raised vital funds and met with many of the young people and families whose lives have been affected by exploitation and who are supported by Safe and Sound and she is now an official ambassador for the charity.
She, members of the Safe and Sound team and representatives from local businesses and organisations, including Logic Barn and Derby Homes, will tackle the fire walk at Darley Abbey Mills from 5pm tomorrow evening.
The challenge is part of a three-part ‘Earth, Wind and Fire’ fundraising event and intrepid fundraisers can also join a 5k walk around Darley Park tomorrow afternoon as well as an 80ft abseil at Millers Dale on Saturday June 24 with spaces still available for all three elements.
The challenge aims to raise thousands of pounds to support Safe and Sound’s work across the county to protect and support children, young people and families whose lives are affected by child exploitation.
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.
The charity heavily depends on fundraising to pay for its specialist 121 and group support, outreach and positive youth activities programmes.
Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison explained: “We are delighted that Molly is joining us for the firewalk having joined our ‘Leap of Faith’ abseil fundraising three years ago. As one of our ambassadors, she works tirelessly to support our work in a number of ways.
“We have had a great response to the ‘Earth, Wind and Fire’ challenge and welcome last minute sign ups as well as donations on our Just Giving platform
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/earthwindfire.”
For more information and to sign up for the ‘Earth Wind and Fire’ adventure challenge, please visit https://www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk/earth-wind-and-fire-adventure-challenge/
Jun 15, 2023 | News, Press Releases
The CEO of Derbyshire charity Safe and Sound Group, which supports children, young people and families affected by child exploitation, will receive an honorary degree from the University of Derby later this month.
Tracy Harrison spent 32 years in the police force, rising through the ranks from Constable to Superintendent. She received five Chief Constable’s Commendations as well as the Police long service and good conduct awards, the National British Association of Women in Policing nomination for mentoring, and the Queen’s Jubilee and British Olympics medals.
When she retired from the Force in 2019 she became CEO of Safe and Sound as she wanted to work for a local charity supporting children and young people. Under her leadership the charity has become widely valued for its work in local communities in Derby and Derbyshire.
Tracy will receive an Honorary Master of the University (HonMUniv) at the University’s awards ceremony in Buxton on Friday 30 June, in recognition of her work. She will receive her award alongside hundreds of University of Derby graduates at the ceremony at the Buxton Campus in the Devonshire Dome.
Tracy said: “I am incredibly humbled to receive this honorary degree from the University of Derby and this is testament to the high regard with which the charity and everyone associated with it is held across the county.
“Child exploitation is an issue that is easier to ignore but this recognition from the University will hopefully further raise awareness that this can happen to any child and young person in our local communities and is a real and present danger that we all need to be alert to.”
The University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE DL, added: “We are delighted to be celebrating with all of our students graduating at Buxton and to be awarding this important honorary degree as part of the ceremony. Tracy Harrison’s work for Safe and Sound follows an exemplary career with the Police, and her passion for people and leadership have transformed the charity and ensured its long-term future. It is a pleasure to recognise her hard work and commitment to young people’s safety and wellbeing with this honorary degree.”
Find out more about the Buxton Awards Ceremony.
Jun 1, 2023 | Fundraising, News, News, Press Releases
By Tracy Harrison, CEO of Safe and Sound
The voluntary, or third sector as it is also known, is crucial to the health, wellbeing and safety of our local communities and, as the name suggests, volunteers are the backbone of such organisations.
As the head of Derbyshire’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound, and someone who has personally volunteered for numerous charities all of my adult life – I was particularly pleased that the King’s Coronation weekend focused heavily on putting something back into local communities through the Big Help Out.
This has given extra resonance to this year’s Volunteers Week (June 1-7) which recognises the fantastic contribution that volunteers make and a chance for organisations such as ourselves to thank them for their commitment and support.
Safe and Sound is fortunate to have a team of fantastic people who give up their time voluntarily and unpaid to enable us to protect and support young people and their families whose lives are affected by child exploitation.
Our volunteers support us in a number of ways. For example: parents of children targeted both online and in person by perpetrators have progressed to become peer mentors – supporting other families through their journey.
Our youth work and outreach teams are supported by volunteers with an array of life experience to ensure that we can reach out and engage with young people across the city and county.
We also have a wide range of professionals who provide support for the charity – taking on roles as trustees and ambassadors and also providing their expertise to us free of charge.
I however want to highlight that volunteering is also a great opportunity for individuals, and particularly young people, to gain the valuable work experience that opens doors on new and exciting job opportunities.
This is exactly the case for two university students who both came to us as volunteers and have now been appointed into full time roles.
One young person worked with our SEND case worker supporting children, young people and families with special educational needs which is vital work as these challenges greatly increase a young person’s vulnerability to grooming and exploitation. Having proved her worth as a placement student, she has now finished her degree and recently accepted a full-time role at Safe and Sound as a case worker and outreach worker.
Another young person volunteered at Safe and Sound whilst also studying at university. She supported the outreach team, was heavily involved in youth activities over the summer as well as helping to raise awareness in schools of the dangers facing young people. She too will soon be joining the Safe and Sound team in a full-time role as a case worker and outreach worker.
Volunteering is therefore a win/win for both individuals and the organisations that benefit from their energy, commitment and enthusiasm.
With this year’s national celebration week under our belts – I appeal to individuals and to businesses to consider how they can incorporate volunteering into their working and home lives. Their input really can make a positive difference to the lives of so many people in our local communities.
May 24, 2023 | News, Press Releases
Derbyshire’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound, has recruited more local people to help raise awareness of the dangers facing vulnerable children and young people. Entrepreneurs Persha Ward and Nadia Jane Asamoah as well as University of Derby lecturer Bev Crighton and marketing specialist Claire Morrison have become official ambassadors for the charity.
Mother-of-two Persha Ward runs her own business administration business & Management and was supported by Safe and Sound as a teenager. Nadia Jane Asamoah runs Nadia Jane Performing Arts in Green Lane, and Derby, where hundreds of young people – boys and girls – have trained over the years in a wide range of dance and performing arts disciplines.
As well as lecturing in Business Management at the University of Derby, Bev Crighton is currently employability lead in the education department at Derby County in the Community Trust (DCCT) as well as deputy chair of Erewash Partnership and an active member of the DCFC women’s board. And Claire Morrison helped Safe and Sound raise its social media presence whilst previously working for digital marketing agency, Creationz. They join the existing team of ambassadors: Derbyshire actor Molly Windsor, local business woman Amanda Strong and child exploitation survivor Louise Murphy-Fairclough.
Safe and Sound chief executive Tracy Harrison said: “Our ambassadors have an important role in our work to raise awareness of the dangers facing children and young people both online and in our local communities. Talking about child sexual exploitation is not an easy conversation but our ambassadors doing an incredible job to spread the word about the issue and the work of Safe and Sound in their own networks.
“We are extremely grateful for their support and I also hope that raised awareness will also encourage more groups, businesses and individuals to support our Butterfly Appeal so that we can further expand the range of support available for young people across Derbyshire
and their families.”
Nadia Jane Asamoah continued: “Our dance and performing arts school is one big family and many of the young people feel able to talk to me about things that are happening at home or at school. Parents also confide in me about any concerns for their own children’s wellbeing.
“We have so much synergy with Safe and Sound and I jumped at the chance to become an Ambassador. As well as raising awareness, it is good to have access to an established network of professionals who can offer additional support to young people that we come in contact with if needed.”
Bev Crighton added: “I firmly believe that everyone – but particularly those in education and business leadership – need to understand the issues that affect our local communities and know about the support that is available. Having been an active member of the local business community for many years, I hope that
more people will feel comfortable to engage in talking about these issues so that, together, we can make even further inroads into creating a greater understanding of the dangers that face children and young people.”
And Persha Ward, who was groomed as a teenager concluded: “The support I had from Safe and Sound was amazing. They helped to open my eyes to what was going on, taught me to respect myself and gave me the support and strength to realise that I deserved better. I have been determined that my experiences as a teenager would not define my whole life. When I was 13 I didn’t think I was worth anything and certainly would not have thought that I could have gone onto have two wonderful children and my own business. Those days were a chapter in my life and now I have turned that page.
“My message to young people – whatever their experiences – is therefore to listen to the people who can help – which in my case was Safe and Sound.”
Picture shows, from left: Molly Windsor, Claire Morrison, Louise Murphy-Fairclough, Tracy Harrison, Nadia Jane Asamoah, Bev Crighton and Amanda Strong.
Apr 20, 2023 | News, News, Press Releases
I have written before about the devastating consequences that victim blaming has on young people’s lives and how ill-informed judgements, words and actions can potentially lead to them not getting the support they need to move forward with their lives.
In this column, I want to focus on online grooming and the damage that victim blaming can have on young people experiencing these crimes. The vast majority of the young people we work with have initially been targeted by perpetrators through social media and online gaming channels.
Online grooming usually starts with a connection and the perpetrator works hard to build a relationship – exploiting the vulnerabilities that a child or young person may have. Most commonly, the perpetrator’s goal is to persuade and even bribe a young person into sending inappropriate images of themselves or agreeing to meet with them in secret. When this comes to light, it is very common for friends, parents and even professionals to slip into victim blaming – saying: ‘why did you accept that friend request’ or ‘why didn’t you just ignore it’?
By, even unwittingly, putting the onus on the young person and then taking away phones or laptops – we are essentially blaming and even punishing the young person – not the adult
who has perpetrated these crimes.
It is important to remember that we live in an increasingly technological world which most young people embrace but which we, as adults, may not completely understand. Therefore, as parents and family members, please try to research and better understand the world of social media and online interaction that your child wants to do. Most importantly, please try to keep conversations open and non-judgemental so that, if they are in danger of online grooming, they are more likely to talk to you about it. My final plea is to work alongside your young person to maximise online privacy settings and explain why it is important to do so.
Apr 13, 2023 | Events, Fundraising, News, News, Press Releases
Derbyshire’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound, is inviting people to spend the King’s Coronation bank holiday tackling an action-packed fundraising challenge.
Monday May 8 has been declared a Bank Holiday following the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and people are being encouraged to join the Big Help Out and make a change in their local communities.
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.
The charity heavily depends on fundraising to pay for its specialist 121 and group support, outreach and positive youth activities programmes.
Safe and Sound’s ‘Earth Wind and Fire’ adventure challenge starts with a morning walk around the Peak District or Darley Park. This will followed by a 80ft abseil off Miller’s Dale Bridge in the Peak District and the day will finish with a late afternoon fire walk on burning coals at Darley Abbey Mills.
Participants can join individual challenges or all of the activities and the sponsorship money raised will go towards supporting Safe and Sound’s programmes for young people and families.
Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison explained: “We have been planning our ‘Earth, Wind and Fire’ adventure challenge for several months and when the Big Help Out was announced as part of the Coronation weekend, we thought it would be the perfect day for our three-pronged fundraising event.
“We last did the ‘Leap of Faith’ sponsored abseil on February 29 2020 when 39 brave supporters helped us raise more than £10,000 so we hope to smash that target this year.
“I will of course be joining in and I look forward to welcoming many others who are keen to put something back into their local community, help support our work and raise awareness of the growing dangers of exploitation facing young people both online and in our local communities.”
For more information and to sign up for the ‘Earth Wind and Fire’ adventure challenge, please visit https://www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk/earth-wind-and-fire-adventure-challenge/
