Works What for Us Young Peoples’ Advisory Group Annual Report 2010-2011 ‘It makes you feel like you’re not exaggerating your problems.’ ‘Young people get to meet other young people who have gone through similar experiences.’ ‘It makes you feel like you’re not alone.’ 2 Contents Page Background 4 Achievements and influence 5 Young people and projects 9 Feedback and group development 10 Looking back 11 What Works for Us – related activities 16 How we work 17 Keeping young people safe 18 Background How we started together to share their views about ‘what works for them’. With an initial grant of In 2009, the Government Department for £9500 from Awards for All (Big Lottery Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), Fund) the group was set up and What produced guidance to help adults who work Works for Us began. with children and young people who are affected by sexual exploitation. The report The groups aims talked about how services for young people must be, ‘child-centered’, and ‘the wishes and The What Works for Us group is based feelings of children and young people should be upon the belief that children and young people sought and taken into account in reaching any have a right to be involved in decisions which decisions about the provision of services which affect them and have knowledge and expertise affect them’. about their own lives. The group’s aims are: Despite this commitment, it was not possible n to develop a safe and supportive to consult children and young people on consultation forum for young people, aged writing the guidance. As a result, the final 16-25 years with experience of receiving guidance did not include any thoughts and support from sexual exploitation services views of young people, or reflect their knowledge or experience of accessing support n to work in partnership with young people around these issues. to provide a young person’s perspective on current practice around child sexual From this came the idea of developing ‘What exploitation, to help inform the development Works for Us’: a national consultation of relevant practice and policy group for children and young people with experience of receiving support on these n to support other organisations to issues. It was hoped that by developing this consult with young people on issues group we could help to make sure that, in the relating to improving support around future, young people’s voices fed into relevant sexual exploitation policy developments, and that researchers, n to support young people to gain skills and practitioners and policy makers could tap into confidence through their contributions to the knowledge and expertise of young people the group and a programme of activities. using services. Four organizations agreed to work to develop this project: Barnardo’s, ECPAT UK, the National Working Group for Sexually Exploited Children and Young People (NWG) and the University of Bedfordshire. Staff from these organisations started to look for ways to bring young people 4 Achievements and influence Since beginning in June 2010, organisations who was the most important quality for a project have benefited from meeting with or consulting worker. Similarly the most important What Works for Us (WWFU) include: CEOP, the thing that a project worker should not do Association of Young People’s Health, BBC Comic was ‘tell others about their business’, break Relief, The University of Bedfordshire, and the confidentiality or give out their details Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England. without consent. Many young people made comments about how trusting relationships Questionnaire Project with project workers had helped them, but that trust had to be earned. Early on in the project, the group identified the value of hearing from other young people across 3. Listening. ‘Being listened to’ was the most the country that were, or had been, using sexual important type of support received from exploitation services. The group recognised that a project, and being a good listener was an only a small number of young people would be important quality for project workers. ‘Talking able to travel to attend the national WWFU with young people’ and ‘listening to them’ were meetings but that others may also want to share the top answers to the question, ‘how could their views on improving services. In response to professionals help young people at risk?’ this, the questionnaire project developed and has heard from over 35 young people who weren’t 4. Specialist services. Learning about otherwise involved in WWFU. sexual exploitation and the process of grooming was also very important to Some key findings from this report are young people. Young people also noted the outlined below. importance of support when going through court cases. While only a few respondents Key findings from mentioned help with court cases, all those questionnaire project that did rated this one of the most important types of support their project offered. Both Confidentiality, trust and listening were of these types of responses highlight the the most important things for young people need for services or workers with a specialist seeking help. We also found that there was a understanding of sexual exploitation who can need for specialist services, that fear support children and young people. created a real barrier to young people getting help, and that people appreciated 5. Fear. Comments from the questionnaire support from other young people who illustrated how much the fear of both shared similar experiences. exploiters and losing relationships affects young people’s choices. Young people were 1. Confidentiality. Nearly everyone who scared both by someone threatening them, responded to the questionnaire had spoken and scared of losing ‘the person you think to someone confidentially at their project. understands and loves you’. The power that This was regularly highlighted as both one of exploiters have makes young people feel the most important types of support received trapped and stops them seeking help. from a project, and one of the things young people liked most about their project. It was 6. Peer support. A lot of young people clear that young people understood the limits spoke about how they could help each other, of confidentiality, but it was important that for example through group work. Respondents if information was to be passed on this was noted that it was helpful to be with others who discussed with them first. understood what you were going through, but that it was also important that you could trust 2. Earned trust. The results showed that others in a group. trust is highly important. Being trustworthy 5 Eastenders/Comic Relief – the government’s national action plan on awareness raising campaign tackling sexual exploitation . The launch of the report was attended by a young woman representing WWFU who posed questions In December 2011, three young people, to the panel. including members of What Works for Us, attended a meeting at BBC Elstree ‘The What Works for US group were fantastic to discuss an Eastenders storyline which in giving CEOP the opportunity to consult featured the character Whitney experiencing with young people who had experienced sexual exploitation. The storyline was part sexual exploitation and get a much better of the 2011 Comic Relief campaign. It helped understanding of their experience of the police both to raise awareness of the issue and to and court system. It has had a really powerful raise vital funds for Comic Relief’s ongoing impact on our thinking and understanding of work in this area. the problems.’ Zoe Hilton, Head of Safeguarding ‘The Eastenders production team, the cast (CEOP) and the writers were all deeply affected by the bravery and openness of the young ‘I am hugely grateful for the time and women we met when planning Whitney’s commitment that you gave us at CEOP. I am sexual exploitation storyline. Their input aware that our report is much stronger as a transformed the story, making it more result of the insights that we gained that day.’ authentic, more informative, and more Peter Davies, Chief Executive CEOP moving for our audience.’ Toby Bentley, BBC Development Editor, Eastenders ‘It made all the difference having young people who really knew about the issue first-hand advising on the Eastenders storyline. The ‘It’s hard to speak script writers took what they said seriously and I believe that made the finished result out, but I wanted believable and realistic. Millions of people to help Comic Relief watch Eastenders and I am sure a lot of people understood something about sexual and Eastenders. It’s exploitation of young people that they didn’t the best opportunity realise before.’ I’ve got to make the Debbie Walmsley, Comic Relief, UK Programme Manager biggest difference.’ ‘It’s hard to speak out, but I wanted to help Comic Relief and Eastenders. It’s the best opportunity I’ve got to make the biggest difference.’ Member of What Works for Us CEOP – Research on policing and prosecution The What Works for Us Group were invited to discuss their views and experiences of policing and prosecutions. Findings from this formed a central chapter in CEOP’s ‘Out of Sight: Out of Mind’ report which recieved lots of attention in the news and informed 6 University of Bedfordshire further and share progress on the on-going Research on Safeguarding work of the OCC in this area. In October 2011, the University of Bedfordshire ‘I want to give my personal thanks and published its research about preventing sexual heartfelt appreciation to the young people exploitation and the role of safeguarding who I had the pleasure of meeting. They services across England. Members of What showed great courage and determination Works for Us took part in a focus group in talking openly and honestly about their to feedback on the findings of the report and experiences.