'Keep us safe': Insights from young people about the risks they face in London, England

In the UK, a recent high profile inquiry into child sexual exploitation has demonstrated that the risks and dangers encountered by young people are often poorly understood by those around them. New technologies, such as mobile... [ view full abstract ]

In the UK, a recent high profile inquiry into child sexual exploitation has demonstrated that the risks and dangers encountered by young people are often poorly understood by those around them. New technologies, such as mobile phones and social networking, can also present fresh risks that are poorly understood by policymakers and practitioners. These risks are often better understood by young people themselves, but research into young people’s perceptions has been quite limited.


2. Objectives:

The study’s principal aims are to:

• Explore the opinions of young people (11-18 years) who used to be subject to a child protection plan about what makes them safe.
• Explore the opinions of young people (11-18 years) in the general population about what makes them safe.

• Improve understanding of risk and identify key messages that can help local authority children’s service improve the safety of young people.


3. Method:

The study had two components:

• Focused interviews with young people in need of protection: Semi-structured interviews with young people aged 8-18 years who have been subject to child protection interventions (sample size 12).
• General population survey: Young people aged 11-18 years from the general population within London completed a survey (sample size 100).


4. Results and conclusions.

Data collection and analysis is on going but early analysis suggests young people can provide us with valuable insights into the risks they face. These challenge dominant discourses of risk within public services, which make implicit assumptions that simplify the complex and changing nature of the risks involved. The paper will also discuss the ethical and methodological challenges involved in the study. The implications for both policymakers and practitioners will be examined and the development of a more child-centred approach to research will be discussed.