VCS Briefing Session – Harm Outside the Home

by Leona

SCVO, on behalf of the VCS Children and Young People Forum Steering Group would like to invite you to this briefing session being facilitated by Sandwell Children’s Safeguarding Partnership (SCSP).

Why This Matters

Young people can experience significant harm in places beyond their family home—through peer groups, schools, neighbourhoods, and online spaces. These environments can expose them to violence, exploitation, and abuse, often beyond the control of parents and carers.

Contextual Safeguarding helps us understand and respond to these risks by recognising the importance of the wider social context in which harm occurs. It calls for a collaborative, multi-agency approach that includes schools, community organisations, and voluntary sector partners.

What You’ll Learn

  • What is HOTH?
  • Understanding the Harm Outside the Home framework and its purpose.
  • The Strategic Plan
  • How HOTH fits within Sandwell’s broader safeguarding and violence prevention work.
  • The Role of the Voluntary Sector
  • Why your involvement is vital in identifying and responding to harm.
  • Your Place in the Picture
  • How your work contributes to safeguarding children and young people.
  • Developing Safety Plans
  • Practical steps to create effective, context-aware safety plans that consider peers, places, and trusted adults.
  • Key Areas of Focus

We’ll explore how HOTH addresses:

  • Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
  • Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)
  • Missing episodes (home, care, education)
  • Serious Youth Violence (SYV) and knife crime
  • Gang involvement and County Lines
  • Radicalisation, modern slavery, trafficking, and domestic abuse

Together, we can build safer environments for young people—wherever they are.

Being held on Tuesday 23rd September 11.00am – 12.00noon through Teams.

To book a place please view – https://buytickets.at/scvo/1793644