Our services Mentoring Mentoring Safeguarding Safeguarding is centralised within the organisation; it is essential that we prioritise the safeguarding of our staff and volunteers, as well as the young people we support. All staff are inducted and trained in safeguarding theory and practice and are equipped to identify concerns that could indicate safeguarding issues. We ensure they understand vulnerability and risk, forms of abuse, signs and symptoms, responding to disclosure (including not probing), record keeping and reporting procedures (including differentiating between fact and opinion) and working with other agencies to ensure that incidents are managed professionally, compliantly and in a way that ensures that risk is minimised. All activities are risk-assessed. All staff are supervised by competent and suitably trained people and all engage in training, especially in core subjects such as safeguarding, diversity, equity and inclusion, communication, trauma-informed practice and ACEs, etc. We are in the process of aligning our safeguarding policies to the London ACEs Hub, which associates trauma-informed safeguarding. All young leaders are supported by an adult and all appropriate ratios are applied in all instances. We ensure that staff and volunteers are clear about who is the Designated Safeguarding Officer and our safeguarding policy is a ‘live’ document, that staff and volunteers refer to. It is standard procedure that staff and volunteers engage in a rigorous recruitment process, including enhanced DBS and a risk assessment process in the instance where a potential staff member or volunteer has disclosed previous convictions, with an understanding that there is value in lived experience, balanced by ensuring safety of young people. We integrate any complaints and compliments into our service improvement and affirmation and operate on a ‘no complacency’ basis. Please click here to see our Safeguarding policy please safeguardingpolicy.pdf One-to-one mentoring We have a number of mentors who engage with young people who are not currently accessing any support through their schools or social services. Referrals to our mentoring programme come from local schools, prison, social services, community organisations, parents and self-referrals. Aim: The aim of the programme is to build a relationship with the young person and identify the root cause of a young persons behaviour. Addressing issues at the earliest stages of a Childs life, to ensure they do not head into the wrong direction, How do we work? We work on a one-to-one basis and in small groups, large group PSHE lessons/Assemblies and street-based interventions. Our one-to-one mentors have supported young people who are deemed as high risk to offending behaviour and crime. Many of the young people are affiliated or associated with local gangs, therefore, there is an increased risk of being involved with knife crime. Our team have a wealth of experience having worked in crime prevention, young offenders institutions, as outreach workers in identified risk areas and in alternative curriculum education. Our programmes have relied upon our staff engaging with young people who are disengaged and identified as being at risk of being involved/or, who are involved in knife crime. Once the young person has engaged with the outreach worker we start to challenge the attitude toward knives, gangs and the associated risks. When appropriate we have partnered with other agencies to further help in reducing the risk of knife crime (Kent Police, Social Services, Kenward Trust - drug and alcohol awareness, Counselling services). U CHOOZ Project Our "U CHOOZ" project has been running for 4 years in Kent. We have identified an increase in gang culture and young people portraying risky behaviour. We have been assisting schools by intervening where the young people are heavily involved in gangs, crime, negative behaviour or drugs. We aim to increase our early intervention services to break the cycle earlier with young people. The service is being currently being delivered by two members of staff, we aim to train volunteers to become peer educators in order for us to re- engage with more young people. Our key aims against which we measure our success are: Increased attendance and interaction • Reduce offending behaviour by breaking cycles • Increase self-worth value and emotional well being • Increase positive role models from different ethnic backgrounds and experiences • Increase self-awareness about negative behaviour and find solutions for the future • Divert young people from crime by giving informative and educational workshops • Increase support for young people on drugs and alcohol issues • Enable young people to stay in school, training and employment by making informed choices • Reduce the proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET)