In response to the demand for a better framework for adolescent risk, research conducted at Bedfordshire University has produced a new model known as ‘Contextual Safeguarding’, which has shaped the information and tools provided in this practice guide.
In brief, the ‘Contextual Safeguarding’ framework:
• Recognises the weight of peer influence on adolescents’ decisions
• Extends the notion of ‘capacity to safeguard’ beyond the family
• Provides a framework for referrals for contextual interventions to complement work with individuals and families (Firmin, 2014)
The child protection system was designed to protect children from the risks posed by their families and/or situations where family members do not have the capacity to safeguard children. Risks outside of the family – from peers and wider social groups – can reduce the capacity of families to safeguard adolescents, and in this sense these risks are not addressed by our existing child protection system (Fermin 2017, p6).
An alternative approach to dealing with risks outside of the family is for practitioners to support change within the contacts of peer groups, schools and neighbourhoods. Often, parents cannot influence what happens in these contexts, but agencies and practitioners who deliver services in these contexts may have more capacity to change things. This alternative approach extends what we mean by ‘capacity to safeguard’ beyond families and includes individuals and agencies who manage settings outside the family in which adolescents encounter risks (Ibid, p6).
Contextual Safeguarding in everyday practice
All practitioners have opportunities in everyday work with adolescents to identify risks outside the family home:
The role of trusted adult is to build a relationship so that adolescents feel able to talk. This approach should not be used to pry into adolescents’ personal lives.
Many adolescents go through a period where they need independence and personal space and may seem to communicate less. They may be reluctant to provide details about their friends or about places where they are spending time, they should not be pushed by intrusive questions.
Instead, this approach should be used to safeguard adolescents who are already identified as vulnerable or at risk of harm.