Working alongside partners across the city, we support young Londoners who have, or are being criminally exploited, including criminal exploitation related to County Lines activity.
Safer London is a key delivery partner on the Rescue and Response project. Through this project we provide specialist support that enables young Londoners to break free from County Lines.
By working on a one-on-one basis, we’re able to advocate for them and ensure they receive the support they need and deserve.
Making a referral
We welcome referrals from all areas of the community whether directly from young Londoners, their families, friends or community groups, as well as professionals in statutory or non-statutory services.
We can work with children and young Londoners children and young Londoners aged 11 to 25, who fit one or more of the following criteria:
- Known, or suspected, involvement in county line activity
- Known, or suspected, association with others who are involved in county line activity or being coerced and controlled
- Known, or suspected, experiences of Child Sexual Exploitation, Sexual violence and/or coercion, control or victimisation in the context of county line and/or gang activity
- Missing episodes suspected to be linked to any of the above
As our services are voluntary, we can’t work with a young Londoner without their consent and this must be sought before a referral is made.
Once a referral is received the Front Door team will contact the young Londoner to confirm their consent. Unfortunately, we will have to close the referral if the consent isn’t confirmed.
When working with young Londoners we ask that an agreement to access services declaration is completed. This is so the young Londoner understands the nature of the intervention, and that they are happy to go ahead with the support. The agreement to access services declaration is completed with support of the young Londoner’s Caseworker in their first session.
To make a referral for a young Londoner affected County Lines complete the online form.
This online form is only for young Londoners affected by County Lines. To make a referral for our other services and support please visit the relevant service page:
- Young Londoners affected by violence and criminal exploitation
- Young Londoners affected by sexual exploitation
- Families affected by violence and exploitation
- County Lines: Rescue & Response
- The Pan London Housing Reciprocal
If you have any queries please contact the Front Door team at referralandassessmentteam@saferlondon.org.uk
Frequently asked questions
Young Londoners referred to our services are allocated a dedicated support worker on a one-to-one basis.
The intervention is tailored to meet the young Londoner’s needs including support surrounding safety awareness, improving health and well-being, improving relationships with peers and family dynamics. Sessions are delivered in a place that is safe for that young person, whether this by at home, school or elsewhere in the community.
Interventions can last anywhere between 6 to 12 months dependent on the young Londoner’s needs. The length of the intervention is decided on a case-by-case basis and is reviewed regularly throughout the programme of support.
As an organisation Safer London is not a Housing Provider and we don’t have preferred access to any housing stock.
Our housing offer is that of support. We raise awareness of housing options available to young people in London and provide advice on how best to access that resource. We can advocate on behalf of the young Londoner, referring them to housing providers and speaking on their behalf.
In extreme circumstances where the risk of serious imminent harm is evident and verified, we will seek to assist the most vulnerable to find places of safety. However, it must be noted that decisions about who is deemed vulnerable and therefore in priority need is not determined by us but by the definitions contained within the Housing Act 1996 s189 and the interpretations of that made by Housing Needs departments.
Make sure you are using Google Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge when accessing the link. Other issues not allowing the form to open could include:
- An unstable internet connection.
- Firewall protection set up by your organisation – in this case please speak to your IT department/provider.
If you are asked for a log in to access the form this is because you either have bookmarked the referral link or copied and pasted the link from your browser window.
Every time you wish to put in a new referral, you must do so by coming back to this page and clicking the link to the online form.
Please check the ‘How to Make a Referral’ section on this page. If you need further assistance in completing the form please email our Front Door team referralandassessmentteam@saferlondon.org.uk at or call them on 0207 021 0301
If your form won’t submit it’s likely that your session has timed out. This can happen:
- due to a loss of internet connection,
- if you have had the form open for four hours and not submitted.
Unfortunately, the form doesn’t save information as you go. You will need to start the application again from the beginning. To do this click this link
We aim to get back to you within two working days of submitting a referral. If you haven’t heard from us and the timeframe has passed, please email the Front Door team referralandassessmentteam@saferlondon.org.uk.