We work with young Londoners who are at significant risk of harm from violence in the community, at risk to themselves, or who pose a risk of harm to others. We work alongside young Londoners, and through intensive one-to-one support we make sure they are safe and that they stay safe.
For anything up to 2 years, young Londoners will work with our Specialist or Expert Caseworkers who will work alongside them around areas including around safety awareness, improving health and emotional well-being, as well as improving relationships with peers and family dynamics. As part of their support, they will also have access to in-house specialists and experts on the areas of Education, Training and Employment, Emotional Wellbeing and Housing and Resettlement.
Safer London Specialists and Experts
We understand girls and young women experiences of violence and exploitation are different to that of young men and boys. We have Specialist Caseworkers who work specifically with girls and young women affected by violence, and who have and understanding of the impact violence and trauma has on girls and young women.
Mental health is just as important as physical health. Our Specialist Wellbeing Caseworkers alongside young Londoners and our team to make sure they can access the right support, at the right time.
Accessing mental health support can be challenging for young Londoners. Our Our Specialist Emotional Wellbeing Caseworkers are here to help. By providing advice and guidance, as well as working alongside other services – they ensure that young Londoners’ emotional wellbeing is positive and healthy.
We work with young Londoners to seek opportunities to access stable educational and training. These opportunities can set them on a path to achieve their potential.
Our Specialist Caseworker enables young Londoners to move onto the next steps in their lives by providing support for young Londoners to find for jobs, training, education or distant learning opportunities, as well as volunteering opportunities.
Our offer of education, training and employment support is only accessible for young Londoners who are already using our services and support and who at risk of violence or exploitation.
The area where a young Londoner lives greatly impacts on their safety. At Safer London we have Specialist Caseworkers who work alongside young Londoners, raising awareness of their housing options, assisting them with applications and supporting them in settling in once they have moved to a new area.
Safer London is not a Housing Provider. Our Specialist Caseworkers raise awareness of housing options available to young Londoners. They provide advice on how best to access housing, assist by referring them to housing providers and can speak on their behalf where otherwise their voices may not be heard.
Our offer of housing and resettlement support is only accessible for young Londoners who are already using our services and who are at risk of violence or exploitation.
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.
When a young Londoner is referred into Safer London, our Front Door team screens and processes each referral. The team then allocates a dedicated Specialist or Expert Caseworker to a young Londoner, taking into consideration each child or young person’s individual circumstances and needs.
We can work with children and young Londoners living in any London borough, aged 15 to 24 (up to 25 for those with neurodiverse needs/conditions) who are at significant risk of harm from violence in the community, at risk to themselves, or who pose a risk of harm to others. As well as those who have been affected by criminal exploitation.
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.
When making a referral it is important you complete each section of the form with as much detailed information as possible. This will allow us to effectively process the referral and get the young Londoner the support they need.
Once you have submitted your referral, we will confirm receipt within 2 day working days. In this we will also include any requests for additional information, this may also include a request for any documents that may be needed to support the referral. Although we do understand sometimes this isn’t possible, we do politely ask you respond to any requests within five working days, as this significantly speeds up the process of allocating a Caseworker to the young Londoner.
To make a referral for a young Londoner affected by violence or sexual exploitation please complete the online form.
This online form is only for young Londoners affected by violence and sexual exploitation. To make a referral for our other services and support please visit the relevant service page:
- County Lines: Rescue & Response
- Families affected by violence and exploitation.
- Emotional Support Service: CSA Navigators
- The Pan London Housing Reciprocal
Please note: our online form is not compatible with Internet Explorer. We recommend using a different browser such as Google Chrome.
If you have any queries please email the Front Door at referralandassessmentteam@saferlondon.org.uk
Frequently asked questions
Young Londoners referred to our services are allocated a dedicated Caseworker who works with them 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 Londoner, whether this be at school or elsewhere in the community.
Interventions can last anywhere up to 2 years 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.
Safer London has prison-link workers from Catch 22 who, dependent on circumstances, may visit people within the last 12 weeks of their sentence who would like to be referred to the service. However, the intervention will commence in the community upon their release.
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.