About SafeCall

SafeCall is a confidential and anonymous helpline and support service for young people and family members that are affected by missing, county lines and criminal exploitation.

Aso provides confidential support and advice for professionals in relation to their work with an exploited young person or family.

Each worker has professional experience in supporting young people and families who have been affected by exploitation.

The support that we offer is service user led, individuals can choose to remain anonymous, receiving totally confidential emotional support, discussion around options available to them and next steps as well as signposting to other services to support them with any specific or identified needs.

This anonymous support can be through our helpline or chat

 

 

 

Individuals can contact the service by phone, text or online chat. The Helpline is accessible from 9am to 11pm.  The support service is available from 10am – 8pm Monday to Friday, 11am – 5pm on weekends.

Our one to one chat service was created following requests from young people, this service provides an additional layer of confidentiality, young people using this method are fully anonymous, their number is not visible to us through chat.

Any individuals who would benefit from more in depth, practical support and who are happy to be ‘known’ and share some information with us, can receive support from the SafeCall team in the form of advocacy or casework. .

Where young people or family members feel that they would like further support, in this form, they will them be referred by the Helpline into the SafeCall support service or we would refer young people to Catch22 where the child is in the right region.

This could be, for example, help with developing positive relationships and promoting communication between the individual and the professionals involved in their care, such as social workers or police, support with accessing education, training, housing help or having their wishes and views heard in meetings or in relation to their care and safety planning.

SafeCall can also refer parents, carers, family members and young people to our specialist and bespoke counselling service, this is free to the service user and includes 6-12 sessions which can take place by phone or Zoom.

SafeCall also offer two different platforms for peer support, there is an online Family Forum which is a private message board where family members can share and get advice and support. There is also a monthly Safe and Social peer support group which takes place online.

We can also provide parents and carers with access to online skills sessions which focus on reducing violence and harm.

SafeCall is also available to provide advice and support to professionals – for example, around safety planning for a young person, training on the links between missing and exploitation, working with families in safeguarding and support around promoting effective communication with young people who are experiencing the issues of missing, or exploitation.

The service will also support any family member(s) of a child or young person affected by exploitation or county lines, including but not limited to, parents, kinship carers, siblings, and foster carers. SafeCall supports professionals from all statutory agencies, including the police, social work, residential care workers, Education, the NHS and other third sector organisations.

There is no threshold for a referral into the service, which is open to anyone affected by criminal exploitation through County Lines, many of whom are also affected by related issues such as sexual exploitation and missing. There is no limit to the length of time we can support someone – we are available for as long as we are needed, which could be from as little as one phone call to months of support.

How to Refer into SafeCall

Who SafeCall is for

Are you a professional who thinks a child or young person that you are working with is being made to sell or transport drugs, or is at risk of being exploited?

Are you working with a parent or carer of a child or young person that has found themselves caught up in this form of exploitation?

Our dedicated, specialist Safecall service can help.

How it works

This exploitation is commonly referred to as “county lines” or child criminal exploitation (CCE). We offer a non-judgemental, safe space for those affected to talk about their experiences in confidence. We can provide reassurance, support them to explore their choices, and help them formulate a safety plan.

The SafeCall service will also reach out to a child or young person’s parent or carer, offering them a chance to debrief, access emotional support and be guided on how to keep their family safe in  future.

Contact us to talk through your concerns and receive advice:

• Advice and guidance from the SafeCall team
• Specialist advice around the issues of missing and exploitation
• Confidential case discussions and support
• Training sessions provided by SafeCall
• Research and guidance from Missing People

How to use SafeCall

Please fill out the form below, including how we can best support you.

If you are unsure about making a referral, please feel free to contact us on 020 8392 5710.

Request SafeCall