Providing schools with drama performances and workshops educating students about the dangers of Going Missing & Child Sexual Exploitation.
SAFE@LAST is a charity providing services and support for children and young people who are at risk of harm before, during and after running away in South Yorkshire.
Each year around 100,000 children and young people in the UK run away from home or care. South Yorkshire Police received reports of 2,109 children going missing in 2014/2015.
Running away or going missing is a symptom that something is not well in a child’s life. When things go wrong young people do not always know how, or feel able, to ask for help. Instead, many of them run away from home or care and become exposed to great risks in order to survive. Children who run away are some of the most vulnerable children in our society.
SAFE@LAST provide support, advice and guidance to young people helping to ensure their safety and to give them the start in life that they deserve.
Since 2004 the charity has been delivering work with young people who face a range of different situations which have led them to running away or getting thrown out and the risks and dangers they faced while missing from home.
SAFE@LAST also has eight years experience delivering Education and Prevention work to young people in schools across South Yorkshire. Not only in relation to going missing but also many other current issues facing young people.
Rotherham's young people are facing a lot of very dangerous and risky situations within their communities. It is of huge importance that children and young people are educated around these risks and dangers and equipped with the knowledge to make safer choices.
Key issues and risks that have been identified in Rotherham are:
- Child Sexual Exploitation
- Drugs, alcohol & “Legal Highs”
- Social Media and Online Safety
- Anti Social Behaviour
To really engage and educate young people we have developed the Right Here Right Now Education Programme. This project delivers a hard hitting performance in school to an entire year group, this shows the story of a young person who is faced with the current issues, and the repercussions and dangers of not making safe choices.
Following the performance the qualified and experienced SAFE@LAST Education Officers deliver workshops that delve into more depth around the issues within the performance, educating young people to be able to see the warning signs, how to keep themselves and their friends safe and who they can go to for help and support if they do find themselves in one of these situations.
Young people who are identified as at risk by schools or parents can then be given the choice to attend workshops over a longer period of time, again going into more depth around the issues that those young people are facing.
If the funding target for this project is reached it will enable SAFE@LAST to offer this Education Programme to every school in Rotherham free of charge.
Not only are our full time One to One Project Workers on-site all day to support young people who may need to talk or access support, but we can also offer ongoing support to any young people who need it within the school.
This includes our 24hr, free to call helpline that is always available to young people.
We believe that all young people should be equipped with the knowledge that they need to make safer choices, and should have the ability and confidence to come forward and access help, support and advice whenever they need it.
This project successfully funded on 14th July 2016