The Adolescent Safety Framework : Plymouth’s approach to supporting older children and young people experiencing harm outside the home.
The Adolescent Safety Framework (ASF) is a way of responding to and supporting older children and young people aged 11 – 18 (aged 25 for care leavers). It aims to understand the different needs of this age group and is designed to respond to harm experienced outside the family home. Existing safeguarding systems were developed to protect children and young people from harm mainly from within the family. However there has been an increasing recognition of the different risks young people face outside the family home. This could be in their communities, within a peer group, online or in school. These risks can be described as ‘contextual’ and so the ASF is based on the principles of ‘contextual safeguarding.’ The sorts of contextual risks and threats to young people’s safety can be:
– Child sexual exploitation
– Peer exploitation
– Child criminal activity
– Gang Activity
– Online Exploitation
Plymouth’s ASF is based on the work of Devon Children and Families Partnership’s model which is in turn based on the national Safer Me approach, the work of Hackney Children’s Services and research from The Contextual Safeguarding Network. It provides a way of assessing, planning and supporting at an early help, child in need, child protection and child in care level where concerns are from outside the home. In support of the ASF Plymouth Safeguarding Children Partnership has developed it’s Safeguarding Adolescents Strategy which you can find below.
The ASF is based upon an assessment called Safer Me. We have recent;y reviewed and updated the Safer Me Assessment and so as of February 2025 the below version is to be used. The review streamlined the assessment making it more focused for professionals as well as young people and families.
Safer Me Assessment
ASF Flowchart
We also have developed an Adolescent Strategy, Practitioners Guidance and Toolkit to support you in your wider work with young people. You can find these by clicking the link below: