Intensive Support for High Risk Youth (Day or 16-24 hours)
The Safety Box ® Intensive support plan for young people works with youth that are currently being exploited on county lines, entrenched or have recently been released from prison. Working alongside the local authorities, social services, police and Youth Justice we help to re-integrate young people back into society, keep them safe and away from a life of crime.
We use a refined system of training and development in helping young people at risk and vunerable young adults develop important life skills such as leadership, communication, team work, presentation, conflict resolution, violence de-escalation training, personal development and problem solving. We recognise that these are some of the essential keys to their success. They open doors to learning, to life in addition to work. They are a platform on which to build employability skills and the gateway to future well-being and prosperity. Another key aspect of our wraparound intensive support program is helping individuals secure employment and develop career opportunities. We assist with job applications, interview preparation, and skill-building to ensure they are well-equipped for the workforce. Our support extends to essential documentation, including passport applications and professional photographs.
Additionally, we provide guidance on business development for those looking to start their own ventures, as well as housing assistance to help them find stable accommodation. We facilitate driver’s license applications and introduce participants to experiences that they would never had seen before, we introduce individuals and industry contacts, particularly for those pursuing opportunities in music.
This program is designed to offer comprehensive, individualised support, addressing multiple aspects of a person’s journey toward stability and success. The financial impact of our intervention is significant for example rescuing a young person from a potential path toward incarceration can save the public millions, with reports indicating an estimated £3 million per individual diverted from prison for murder. For a detailed breakdown of our financial impact, please refer to the 2024 Impact Report.
Safety for Habitual Knife Carriers
For individuals involved in knife-related crime or those who habitually carry knives, we have integrated into this program a specialised knife defence program into our broader initiatives. This program is rooted in gross motor functional movement techniques, ensuring practical, effective self-defence strategies that prioritise safety and de-escalation.
In our tailored intensive support programs we aim to improve the levels of safety in a young persons life and with wider strategic priorities for reducing re-offending and addressing the poorer outcomes experienced by young people and adults who don’t normally engage in employment or education. We use a combination of evidenced based methodologies which compliment each other and have a proven track record of working within the custodial setting and within the community. All young people are different and we therefore assist them by tailor making each project.
The Process
We meet them in the community or in prison towards the end of their sentence, to conduct a client needs and risk assessment or via the YJS after they have been released on mandatory orders from the court.
We assist them on a full in depth program involving personal development, life skills, conflict resolution, addiction assistance, cognative behaviour therapy, knife crime intervention strategies and trauma therapy.
We help them break bad company
We engage them in business, employment or education
We work with the families to strengthen relationships
We train social workers & police in the terminology and culture of gangs that are in regional areas outside of London and major cities.
Example intervention
A 16 Year old has been released from prison for a knife and drugs charge, the young person is deemed high risk.
Client is referred to The Safety Box for a 3 - 10 month intervention program.
Facilitator/s meet the client in a social environment to explain the program and gain insight into the young persons needs. At this point a thorough risk assesment is conducted to get a baseline of how deep the intervention needs to go.
16 Year old likes to play football and has an interest in sport, suffers from anxiety about knife crime so he carries a knife, he vapes, he sells drugs locally to make money, and goes missing to work in the “bando” (drug house).
Program is tailor made for the young person to include sports, and drug and knife intervention strategies.
Scheduling and timetabling is arranged around school, college or holidays of times and dates to meet weekly.
Facilitators work for 3-6 hours with the client 3 days a week (less or more depending on requirements from the social services or authority)
The work for this young person would involve a full wrap around service, eg. taking to college or school, doing activities together including sports, entertainment and food, drivers licence applications, passport applications or housing.
During the interaction the facilitators on one or two of the days would run an accredited AQA program in Life Skills and Personal
Development program and a Leadership program, deliver one-to-one support, deliver knife crime intervention strategies, provide mentorship or trauma therapy, assist or arrange further learning of a new skill they want to engage in, for this client a FA Coaching Qualification would be sought and engagement in a sporting activity.
Pathway is then used to train as a football coach and with a case worker the young person can start a football based business charging £15 / head for 10 potential players.
REAL CASE STUDY - ALISTAIR 2008 - TRACKED OVER 16 YEARS.
READ ALISTAIRS TESTIMONIAL
THE STAFF
80% of The Safety Box have lived experience of prison or serious violence they are international experts in delivering programs for young people at risk and have evidenced data on violence reduction. All the support work and workshops are delivered by highly skilled, dynamic facilitators and the workers are labelled as being “credible messengers” (those with experiences of achieving great success after formally being involved in violence, gang affiliation and or offending behaviour). This allows for a cognizant connection with many of the participants and an approach which leads to a potent peer led program.
TEAM EFFORT
We believe that the greatest impact is found when the entire support community understands the intervention and works in partnership. We therefore encourage a multi-agency approach working with Youth Justice teams, Social Workers, Probation, the Police and the family.
GETTING THE JOB DONE
We recognise that we can draw the expertise of a multi-agency approach and therefore work in partnership with a number of organisations that have evidenced data in assisting youth out of crime and violence. Along with our partners Tenacity management, Syrus Consultancy, Wipers and Above and Beyond Average we have collectively over 60 years of experience, “under one umbrella” we teach in depth effective tactics to reduce violence and avoid threat, help youth re-engage in employment and education, we awaken their potential and above all keep aim to keep them safe.
