Bath and North East SomersetViolence Reduction Partnership

B&NES VRP
Long-termvision

The B&NES VRP believes that intervening and preventing issues early is the best way to ensure children, families and communities lead lives free from violence and trauma.

We aim to divert children and young people at risk of violence (either as a victim or offender) away from that risk, and to manage the risk of serious violence in the community.

People who have experienced trauma can have trouble identifying, expressing, and managing emotions. This can lead to anxiety and potentially violent behaviour.

We aim to educate local communities about the impact of trauma on individuals. Creating an environment and culture that effectively supports victims of trauma and rehabilitates individuals to prevent future violence.

A trauma-informed community can then work together to help current victims of trauma, and also help to prevent trauma for future generations.

B&NES VRP2023-24 achievements

Delivered 7 tailored interventions: 

• Conference and parental engagement eventsC
• Contingency Fund
• Detached Youth Work
• Education Inclusion Project
• Lived Experience Mentoring
• Social Media and Youth Violence
• Street Doctors
  

• 322 professionals’ attended a B&NES VRP conference and/or interventions such as street doctors training, education inclusion work and contingency funding activities. 

“Great event, very thought provoking, it’s the first one I have been to, but hopefully not the last.”

• 2,290 young people participated in a variety of B&NESVRP supported interventions, including detached youth work, lived experienced mentoring and education inclusion work. 

“Young person Y has engaged well, and his dad said his behaviour has improved at home.”

B&NES VRP 2023/24initiatives

Conference and Parental Engagement Events:

A series of parental knife awareness events to support and educate parents and carers, using a harm reduction model, was delivered to 112 parents/carers .

B&NES VRP hosted their third annual VRP conference, which 90 local  professionals attended.

Contingency Fund

This fund provided access to education, training and employment, positive activities or specialist support for individuals who were discussed at the Operational Partnership meeting.

The partnership supported 8 young people and worked with 110 professionals.

Detached Youth Work

The partnership delivering detached, outreach sessions across identify areas where children and young peopler were believed to be at risk of serious youth violence.

Positive activities were offered, which enabled the development of strong  working relationships.

The Detached Youth Workers reached 2,214 young people under the age of 24 years.

Education Inclusion Project

This work aims to prevent children from being PEX’ed through the offer of an out of school provision with study and support for the young person to gain a qualification. The project finishes with a managed return to school.

A total of 36 young people and 9 professionals engaged in this intervention date.

Lived Experience Mentoring

Local lived experience mentors support and positively influence the behavior of children and/or young people who have been exploited, involved in serious violence or who have been identified as being at risk of involvement in serious violence.

Five young people have engaged in this project.

Social Media and Youth Violence

The B&NES VRP supported the delivery of workshops and training focused on the effects of social media on youth violence to 28 professionals.

Street Doctors

This interactive training sessions provided 85 professionals with the harm reduction tools of what to do when somebody is bleeding and what to do when somebody is unconscious. They not only recieved the much needed skills and knowledge but also built up their confidence for how to act in a real medical situations. Attendees are encouraged to pass on this knowledge to children and young adults.
Alongside this, 33 group sessions are being provided for children and young people, including 100 downloads of a suggested app on the phones of individuals that are unable to engage in groups.

B&NES VRPplans for 2024-25

Alternative Route (AR) Programme

This comprehensive all-round approach to youth violence is aimed at children, their parents/carers and professionals who work in the school.

The programme has a particular focus on conflict in educational settings, with adaptability, emotional resilience, encouraging children and young adults to make positive choices when faced with life dilemmas, with long-term impact at its core.  

Children will be mentored in groups or one-on-one in school, with a view to empowering, supporting, and guiding, alongside engaging with parents and carers to educate. 

This programme uses the latest research and practical knowledge in psychology, criminology, and youth work, blending our providers’ expertise to help combat the complex issue of youth violence and conflict in educational settings.    

Detached Youth Work (DYW)

A collaborative partnership delivering detached, outreach sessions across B&NES in identified areas, including known ‘hotspots’ where children could be at risk of serious youth violence.
Detached Youth Workers go out in the local community and engage with young people in the places they socialise, offering positive activities, building purposeful interactions and developing relationships over time. They work with the young people on a range of issues including being at risk of or involved in serious violence.

Lived Experience Mentoring 

The Lived Experience Mentoring (LEM) Scheme aims to support and positively influence the behaviour of children who have been exploited, involved in serious violence or those who are at risk of involvement. Local lived experience mentors provide positive experiences for young people who later act as peer mentors, empowering them to support others within their local community. 

Parent/Carer Events

B&NES VRP are planning a series of parental awareness events, focusing on knife and bladed article crime,  exploitation and grooming. These closed awareness events provide parents and carers the opporuntiy to ask questions in a non judegemental enviroment. 

Professionals Training

Training specifically for professionals who work with children and young adults at risk of serious violence. B&NES VRP will devise and commission a programme of training and educating for professionals to better support them in their work with children.

Due to the sizable gap in understanding how and what impact social media has on youth violence and given children’s access to social media and the internet, increasing the focus of this year’s professionals’ training may continue to focus on this area.

Reporting a concernwithin the B&NES area

The B&NES Community Safety and Safeguarding Partnership website has an online reporting a concern form for either a child or an adult. The website also has information and advice on local services and organisations.