Press Releases Archives - SAFE AND SOUND

Woodcraft Club Pledges Support For Local Charity

Mar 11, 2025 | News, Press Releases

Partnering With Derbyshire Dales Woodcraft Club

Derbyshire Dales Woodcraft Club has forged a new partnership with the county’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound.

The club, whose members meet monthly in Wyaston, will be donating funds raised throughout the year to the charity and also plans to share their heritage skills with young people as part of Safe and Sound’s youth activity programme at its community hub in Allenton.

The popular club was first established in 1996 to keep woodcrafts alive including wood turning, carving, pyrography, scroll saw and marquetry.

As part of their busy programme, members regularly hold workshops – particularly for young people with special educational needs – and pass on donations made by schools to their charity of the year.

Graham Legg, safeguarding officer at the club, explained:

“We always support a local charity and this year have chosen Safe and Sound because of the amazing work that they do to support young people and families across the county.

“We are particularly looking forward to welcoming Safe and Sound to our open day at Wyaston village hall on Saturday June 7 and to holding workshops for young people supported by the charity.”

Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison added:

“As well as being very grateful for the financial support of Derbyshire Dales Woodcraft Club, I hope that our relationship will inspire some of our young people to embrace the skills that they will be given the chance to develop which will greatly help to boost their self confidence and esteem and may even open doors to a career in the future.”

For more information about Derbyshire Dales Woodcraft Club visit: https://www.ddwc.uk/

Pennine Healthcare Choose Safe and Sound For Fundraising Support

Mar 5, 2025 | Press Releases

Staff at a well-known Derby company have chosen to raise funds this year for the county’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound.

Pennine Healthcare is one of the UK’s leading, employee owned, medical device manufacturers – marketing and distributing products in over 50 countries worldwide and employing around 180 people at purpose-built premises on London Road.

Staff choose a charity of the year and have a packed programme of events in the coming 12 months from a sporting challenge to smaller events to bring people together.

Dan Wilson, Head of Marketing and Communications at Pennine Healthcare explained: “Our purpose as a business is to protect life, empower colleagues and enrich communities.

“Safe and Sound were nominated by various colleagues and, when we researched the charity, it was evident that they too share our purpose and values and were therefore the perfect fit for this year’s charity fundraising efforts.

“We became an employee-owned trust in 2021 which further strengthened our colleague’s input within the business, and we know the fantastic work that Safe and Sound do across Derbyshire to protect and support young people and their families whose lives have been affected by child exploitation.

“We hope to raise a good amount of money throughout this year and look forward to learning more about the work of the charity and the issues facing children and young people in our local communities in the coming months.”

Tracy Harrison is CEO of Safe and Sound which works with hundreds of children a year from as young as seven, young people and their families whose lives have been affected by online grooming, child sexual exploitation, County Lines, trafficking, modern slavery and radicalisation.

She said: “Any child, regardless of their age, sex, family or cultural background, is at risk of grooming and exploitation both online and in person.

“Referrals for our specialist one to one and group support increases every year, and we are only able to cope with rising demand through the generosity of individuals, groups and businesses such as Pennine Healthcare.

“We are extremely grateful for this commitment for the coming year and, as our core focus is to build relationships, I particularly welcome the opportunity to raise awareness across the company of the dangers facing young people and what we can all do to mitigate some of those risks for our own families.”

Protecting Young People with SEND Online

Nov 26, 2024 | Press Releases

By Tracy Harrison, CEO of Derbyshire’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound

“As parents, we are constantly checking where our children and young people are going and who are they meeting but most do not have the awareness or skills to recognise the ‘stranger danger’ that young people are increasingly facing online.

These dangers are particularly heightened for children and young people with special education needs (SEND) and the reality is that online grooming and exploitation isn’t happening in dark, hidden corners of the web but in plain sight.

According to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), children with vulnerabilities including SEND are seven times more likely to experience online harm in their lifetime and children with a disability are at least three times as likely to experience sexual exploitation.

Due to communication challenges and difficulties in making positive friendships, children and young people with SEND often feel isolated.

They also tend to become fixated on something and, when this is online, through gaming and social media, their vulnerabilities to grooming and exploitation are heightened.

They can be coerced into sharing self-generated child sexual abuse content in many ways, from aggressive demands to a friendly message telling them what they want to hear.

Education is another particular factor in the increased risk. A large proportion of those at risk of criminal exploitation have special educational needs, primarily ADHD and autism, and are often at risk of exclusion, or already excluded, from mainstream school – increasing their vulnerabilities for being targeted by drugs gangs both online and in person.

These national figures are reflected locally. Of the 385 children and young people we supported last year, 41% were either diagnosed or awaiting assessment for SEND.

It is therefore vital that parents and carers are aware of the dangers online and have a greater understanding of how to help keep children and young people safe online, particularly if they have special educational needs.

IWF has an excellent set of resources available to families around their TALK campaign and encourages families to talk to children about online grooming; agree ground rules about the way they use technology; learn about platforms and apps and take an interest in what children are doing online: https://talk.iwf.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Parent_Resource_UpdatedJuly2023.pdf

If you are concerned that your child is already a victim of or at risk of online grooming and exploitation, please talk about concerns with teachers, support workers, social care and even the police.

There is a growing recognition of these increased dangers amongst professionals working with children and young people with SEND and you should not be scared to seek help.

As Derbyshire’s specialist child exploitation charity, these child services professionals will probably refer you to us but you can also contact us direct.

Our website has many useful resources and we also have specialist support workers with SEND experience who can help young people and the whole family.

The important thing is not to ignore the red flags. There is help and support available and our collective mission is to keep children and young people safe and help them and the whole family move forward with their lives.

Safe and Sound Launches Wider Exploitation Programme

Nov 20, 2024 | News, Press Releases

The pioneering work by Derbyshire’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound, has been further recognised with Big Lottery funding – enabling the charity to provide specialist support to more young people and families across the city and county.

The three-year funding will enable the charity to expand its ‘Transforming Young Lives’ programme – helping children and young people who are at risk or are victims of child exploitation and their families move forward with their lives.

This is in response to the increasing demand for its services and support which has grown from 100 cases in 2019 to supporting 385 children and young people in 2023/4. Thanks to the funding, Safe and Sound will provide:

Specialist one to one and group support for young people affected by child exploitation including online grooming, sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation (including County Lines), trafficking, modern slavery and radicalisation.
Specialist support for families where a child has been affected by exploitation.
Specialist support for young people and families through work in those communities that need a bespoke approach such as new arrivals.
Engagement with schools and community groups to raise awareness of the dangers facing young people online and in person.
Coordination and training for a growing volunteer base who support in a wide range of youth and outreach provision, fundraising and administrative work.

Child exploitation is a rapidly growing problem. During 2021 in England and Wales there were 17,486 crimes logged by police where children had been sexually exploited – an average of 48 offences a day.

Around 75% of child sexual abuse and exploitation offences related to crimes committed directly against children with around 25% relating to online offences of indecent images of children and online grooming.

In 2023, there were 7,432 referrals relating to children to the National Referral Mechanism – the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery of criminal exploitation – an increase of 45% since 2021.

All the agencies involved in child protection acknowledge that the true scale of exploitation is unknown as many cases are not reported or not identified as exploitation.

The national picture is reflected locally and Safe and Sound has 22 years’ expertise in working with children and young people across Derbyshire who are victims of or at risk of child exploitation.

Nearly 50% of the young people they work with are affected by child sexual exploitation and 40% are affected primarily by child criminal exploitation with the remainder of both young men and women affected by both crimes.

The charity supports children as young as seven but the majority are 13 to 18 and 32% of young people have special educational needs and/or disability with support available to them and those leaving care until the age of 25. Safe and Sound also supported 88 families in the past two years.

Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison explained: “It is important to remember that any boy or girl is at risk of exploitation – regardless of their age, family circumstances, social or cultural background. Their experiences are not only devastating to them but to the whole family.
“We are therefore grateful for the continued support from the Big Lottery to enable us to expand our ‘Transforming Young Lives’ programme particularly as we redefine our community hub in Allenton and move forward with our plans to open a new city centre base next year.
“This funding is testament to the positive impact that our multi-faceted one to one and group support for young people, families and our outreach and awareness raising work in local communities is having on helping people in their darkest times to move forward positively with their lives.
“This funding will have a positive impact on our organisation, enabling us to build on the work we have done so far, expand our focus on wider exploitation and further develop our expertise in this area of work.”

For more information about the work of Safe and Sound and how to support the charity, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk and follow on social media channels.

Safe and Sound Welcomes Enthusiasm Trust Into the Fold

Jun 14, 2024 | News, Press Releases

Derbyshire’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound, has taken on the staff and activities of fellow Derby organisation, the Enthusiasm Trust, to expand the range of support available for some of the most vulnerable young people and their families in the city and county.

From the 14^th June Enthusiasm will formally no longer operate as a separate charity and staff at Enthusiasm will be part of the wider Safe and Sound team in Darley Abbey.

Safe and Sound is currently working to refurbish and open a city centre base in Bold Lane. In the meantime, Enthusiasm’s current youth hub in Cotton Lane will be the base for the majority of engagement with young people and families currently supported by both charities.

Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison explained: “Both Safe and Sound and Enthusiasm have elements of a shared common vision to support vulnerable young people and to provide activities and services that help to transform the lives of young people in our local communities by building self-esteem and confidence.

“When the Trustees of Enthusiasm reached out to us about transferring their charity into the Safe and Sound fold, we recognised the benefits that this would bring to the young people and families we both work with and to the staff and supporters of our two charities.

“Coming together and moving forwards under the Safe and Sound banner will enable us to expand the breadth and reach of our support for young people and their families and build further resilience into our business model in this ever-challenging financial climate.

“This is an exciting time for Safe and Sound and our partners with plans forging ahead for new premises to open early next year.

“We have always been committed to working in partnership with like-minded organisations who support some of the most vulnerable people in our local communities so the merger with Enthusiasm is definitely a positive move for everyone concerned.”

This was echoed by Enthusiasm Chair Gary Parkin who continued: “We are proud of the work that Enthusiasm has achieved in our local communities.

“It has always been rewarding to watch many of the young people we support go on to make great life choices and improve their lives thanks to the support they have received from our amazing staff and volunteers.

“Under the Safe and Sound banner and, although the name Enthusiasm will not continue, our ethos will be upheld and the services we provide will go from strength to strength.”

Formed in 2002, Safe and Sound works with children as young as seven, young people and their families across Derbyshire whose lives have been affected by child exploitation including online grooming, sexual exploitation, County Lines, trafficking, modern slavery and radicalisation.

Last year, Safe and Sound supported a record 343 children and young people who had been victims of or at risk of child exploitation. The charity largely works with 7-18 year olds but includes up to 25 if there are special educational needs and or disability (SEND) issues or children leaving care.

The charity works with boys and girls. Around 30% of the young people have SEND and 29% did not identify as White British. Workers also regularly support young people who identify as gay, non-binary and trans.

Safe and Sound offers a range of innovative, hands-on programmes to help young people understand what has happened to them, rebuild their confidence and move onto a place of emotional safety, protected from further harm.

Support services include:

– 121 and group support

– Outreach work in local communities

– Practical support for families including parents and siblings

– Positive activities for young people

– Support through the criminal justice system

– Longer-term support to transition into positive outcomes such as education and employment

– Specialist support for New Communities and young people with special educational needs.

Enthusiasm has been helping thousands of children from disadvantaged backgrounds reach their full potential since the charity was launched in 1992 and was re-launched in March 2022 under the leadership of new CEO April Allman and a board of trustees.

This enabled the charity to expand its work reaching out to young people providing clubs, workshops, homework support, one-to-one mentoring programmes, delivering programmes in schools for those young people at risk of exclusion and working with parents and families to offer opportunities to gain skills, employment, knowledge, and experience from a variety of activities.

Children who attend Enthusiasm are primarily drawn from Osmaston, Allenton and Alvaston with smaller numbers from Chellaston, Sinfin and Shelton Lock. They are usually aged between 11 and 18 years old and are often referred to the centre by schools, police and other agencies if they are deemed to be at risk of exclusion, offending or anti-social behaviour, including the influence of negative peer groups and gangs.

For more information about Safe and Sound, the work it does and how to support the charity, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk

Charity’s Plans For New City Centre Safe Space

May 13, 2024 | News, News, Press Releases

Derbyshire’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound, is forging ahead with plans to create a safe place in Derby city centre for young people and families where they can engage with an expanded range of support services and activities to help them re-build their lives.

The charity has secured the purchase of 8 Bold Lane, a former restaurant in Derby’s Cathedral Quarter, which will enable the specialist team to support more young people and families and provide a broader range of services. The charity will also make space available for other charities and organisations to deliver their services.

Safe and Sound works with children as young as seven, young people and their families across Derbyshire whose lives have been affected by child exploitation including online grooming, sexual exploitation, County Lines, trafficking, modern slavery and radicalisation.

The charity is currently based in rented offices in Darley Abbey and rents further space for activity and therapy work.

Thanks to £250,000 funding from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Community Ownership Fund, plans are now being drawn up for the restoration and refurbishment work required to make the three-storey building fit for purpose. Work is due to start imminently and take around six months to complete.

The vision is to provide safe and welcoming ground-floor space for a community hub and a wide range of activities delivered by both Safe and Sound and other youth and family-focused organisations including YMCA, Derby County Community Trust and Umbrella.

The flexibility of the space will enable activities and therapies to be expanded ranging from arts and crafts and music to drama and sport.

The other two floors will include space for 121 and group support, meetings and workshops as well as office accommodation for Safe and Sound’s team and volunteers who are based there.

Fundraising for equipment and specialist facilities will continue under the charity’s Butterfly Appeal banner with the first donations secured including the donation of office equipment from Geldards solicitors and a £4,299 grant from Toyota Manufacturing UK to pay for youth activities equipment at the centre.

Support services include:

– 121 and group support

– Outreach work in local communities

– Practical support for families including parents and siblings

– Positive activities for young people

– Support through the criminal justice system

– Longer-term support to transition into positive outcomes such as education and employment

– Specialist support for New Communities and young people with special educational needs.

Safe and Sound chair Mark Richardson, who is a director of BBJ Commercial, has been working with fellow trustees, CEO Tracy Harrison and key partners in the city to bring the vision to reality.

He explained that the purchase of 8 Bold Lane was the culmination of two years’ discussions and site visits and was a milestone moment for Safe and Sound, the wider voluntary sector and for the vibrancy of the city centre.

“We have outgrown our rented offices in Darley Abbey Mills and there has always been a desire to have city centre premises to provide a safe and welcoming space for the young people and families that our specialist team supports.

“I am delighted that we have found the premises that will be the long-term home for everyone who works at and is supported by Safe and Sound as well as providing much needed accessible space for other organisations supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our local communities.

“The property has been vacant for some time and is in disrepair so this is an excellent opportunity to see it brought back to life. Its location next to the Electric Daisy environmental social enterprise further brings new cultural diversity and community to the area

“I am particularly grateful for the support shown by fellow professionals in the commercial property, construction and legal fields who have recognised the value that Safe and Sound brings to our city and county and who have provided us with their expertise to enable us to secure this purchase.”

CEO Tracy Harrison outlined the importance of upscaling facilities and capacity to support young people and their families whose lives had been affected by child exploitation.

She explained that child exploitation was a rapidly growing problem:

Almost 34,000 online grooming crimes against children were recorded in the past six years
6,350 Sexual Communication with a Child offences were recorded in 2022/23
In 2021/22, there were 17,486 crimes logged by police in England in Wales where children had been sexually exploited – an average of 48 offences a day.

She said: “Referrals for our services have doubled since the pandemic – reflecting the reality that any child, anywhere – regardless of their age, sex or family background – is at risk of child exploitation.

“However, we have been constricted by having to rent premises not only for our team but to provide an expanding programme of activities, support and therapies which are so vital to help young people and their families affected by exploitation to move forward with their lives.

“The Bold Lane premises will be an amazing community asset that will increase our impact by providing a centrally located safe and welcoming space for children and young people who are at risk of exploitation as well as their families.

“Our youth participation and parents as peers groups will continue to be heavily involved in the project plan – advising us on the facilities they want and we will continue to consult with our Youth Alliance partners throughout the process to ensure that this facility will benefit everyone.”

Mrs Harrison continued: “With the purchase secured, the Community Ownership Fund grant has enabled us to move quickly on the renovation of the property and we hope to be ready to open our doors in early 2025.

“We still have a long shopping list of equipment that we want to buy and special features that we want to include in the community hub so will be stepping up our efforts through the Butterfly Appeal to make this a reality.”

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