We're supporting the new Don't Disrespect campaign, which highlights the issue of street harassment and violence against women and girls. This has had coverage from Meridian and the BBC. Click here to listen to D/Chief Superintendent Emma Banks talking about it on Radio Kent You will be seeing this on phone kiosks and buses around Kent and Medway. We (the VRU) have new Active Bystander materials coming out over the next few weeks too! If your role involves working with children, parents and/or professionals, we have a range of resources you should be signposting them to, which span across issues including crime, weapon usage, exploitation and VAWG. Find them at: #SaferTogether @Kent_cc @kent_police

It's great to be part of such a worthy cause. It is all linked into being an Active Bystander and "The behaviour we ignore is the behaviour we accept". Children and adults all have a part to play. To find out more about being an Active Bystander, visit our website (link in bio).

Great to see the work of Life Lessons spreading out to more young people via more schools across Kent and Medway 👋

Here are some highlights from our survey about the Ashford roadshows earlier this month. Feedback from young people is crucial. It demonstrates our commitment to listening and helps us and our partners tailor content to what matters to them. #SaferTogether

Will's sports coach story #safertogether via @YouTube

The Ashford Community Safety Partnership Year 9 School Roadshows 2025 have commenced with the first one taking place at the Highworth School today (8th January) where students got to learnt about: Mental health support and awareness Understanding bias and discrimination before it turns to hate Knife awareness the law and exploitation E-Safety, online advice and sextortion Healthy Relationships Speakers on these important community safety topics were from @kooth_plc , @Kent_cc Prevent Schools Team and their Family Hub, the Violence Reduction Unit, @kent_police Child Centred Policing Team, Uprising, Clarion and DaBase. The events are hosted by Sam Griffin from Ashford Radio, with performances from Robbie White who is a Netflix and Panto Star. A big thank you to the schools hosting the events, the students taking part and all the speakers and entertainers involved.

Did you know that the VRU commission Sports Connect CIC? They work in collaboration with other providers to deliver a Sports plus programme across Kent in areas of youth violence or vulnerability to harm. Why Sports? The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) have conducted a study to evaluate the positive outcomes of number of sports programmes. They concluded ‘Sports programmes could have a high impact on crime and violence’. The YEF explained they had found a number of positive factors helping to protect young people from crime: 1️⃣ Sport can support positive development. It can provide children with positive peer groups and influences, support them to develop social skills, and improve their physical and mental health. It can help children develop motivation and self-regulation through committed practice and relationships with positive role models like sports coaches. 2️⃣ Sport can play a role in direct prevention. Playing sport could reduce the time that children are exposed to negative influences and allow children to take risks in a safe environment. 3️⃣ Sport can be a platform to engage children in other helpful interventions. Many programmes use sport to connect children to other services and activities like education, counselling, and support for drug and alcohol problems. In these programmes, sport is used a ‘hook’ to engage children, but it is the other activities which are thought to drive positive development.’ There are sport offers across most Kent and Medway. You can find out more on our website. Make sure to check our event section to see where and when the offerings are (link in our bio). #SaferTogether

Did you know that we help fund Catch 22 to deliver both preventative and protective interventions? They support children and young people up to the age of 25, who are at risk of child criminal exploitation (CCE) and county lines in Kent and Medway. Focusing on each young person’s individual needs, and working alongside their close relatives and immediate support network, they put together a bespoke programme of support to reduce risk and help young people to cope and, as far as possible recover from the impact of exploitation. Delivered by their team of specialist caseworkers, their interventions take a holistic, trauma-informed approach that is appropriate to the age, risk and experiences of the young person. Depending on their individual needs and circumstances, young people receive support on subjects including (but not limited to) healthy relationships, choices and consequences, understanding relationships, knife crime and the law, sexual health advice, substance misuse and more. Their provision is not time-limited, so they are able to offer both short and long-term interventions where necessary. They also help young people to access other services where it is thought additional support would be beneficial. To find out more about Catch 22 and how you can access their service for a young person, visit our website (link is in our bio) #SaferTogether

Did you know that the VRU is heavily involved in funding, organising and taking part in various school roadshow events across the county? Thousands of young people have had the chance to learn about a range of issues to help keep them safe and make sure they have the right knowledge to make positive choices. Each district where they took place had it's own version tailored for the schools in that area, utilising local service providers including @KentPolice, @KCC to name a few. The roadshows are themed around Drug and Alcohol misuse, Prevent, Active Bystander and the Commitment Pledge and can be tailored around Positive Thinking, Online Safety, The Law and Positive Relationships. We also conduct participation surveys to capture the voices of young people. These are collated by us and fed back to local agencies to help tailor their work in those areas. You can find out more about the roadshows by visiting our website (link is in our bio). #SaferTogether

Did you know we have a new Safe Space scheme rolling out? Young people and adults feeling unsafe or vulnerable can now seek refuge in ‘Safe Spaces’ across Kent and Medway. Participating organisations, including shops, libraries and community hubs have displayed a 'Safe Space' sticker in their window and they will provide a welcoming, safe environment for those who need it. This may be someone who feels scared, unwell, lost or unsafe, or has been a victim of crime when walking to or from school, for example. By using the same name and logo, it allows people who are travelling across districts to recognise where they can go to be in a safe space. We are dedicated to ensuring our communities remain safe spaces for everyone and by working closely with local councils, police, and community organisations, we aim to prevent violence through early intervention and proactive safety measures. Initiatives like the 'Safe Space' project are integral to fostering environments where residents feel secure, whether in public spaces or local venues. You can find out how to become a 'Safe Space' by visiting our website (link in our bio). We are #SaferTogether

The VRU fully funded the @LifeLessonsRSE pilot which was undertaken with 30 secondary provisions across Kent & Medway and was to test a different delivery of PHSE. This was because of a study by the Youth Endowment Fund in 2022 with showed evidence based PHSE leads to 20% reduction in violence. Our funded pilot involved 9,716 school children and 750 Professionals. Life Lessons is an enhanced trauma-informed PHSE approach to aid a trauma-responsive whole-school culture, building resilience in young people which also supports positive messages around being an active bystander both inside and outside of the school gates. Schools from all sectors, Grammar, SEN, Faith and mainstream, are included and have shown to be keen to develop and enhance their existing PHSE, with an understanding that robust education in SEMH and contextual issues is valued as a key prevention strategy to risks of harm. The results in the pictures speak for themselves about how good the work was that Life Lessons completed. To find out more, visit our website (link in bio) #SaferTogether

Building on our previous post about the VRU Commitment Pledge, we are sharing two brief videos captured during separate Commitment Pledge signing events at Chatham and Gillingham Football Clubs earlier this year. The most effective way to ensure community safety is for everyone to acknowledge their role and for all of us to collaborate in making the community a more secure place to live, work and study. We are #SaferTogether

Did you know we have two versions of our VRU Commitment Pledge? 1️⃣ VRU Commitment Pledge (educational setting) states that the students promise to safely dispose of any weapon, not to use or carry weapons, to behave in a non-violent manner, to ask for help if needed, and to support their friends to act the same. It is presented to schools in either a classroom environment or a school assembly and is normally done by the Kent Police Child Centred Policing Team with support from the VRU and/or partner agencies. Once students understand the promises, the headteacher or staff member signs it on their behalf and it is displayed in a prominent location. Each school is also offered support from VRU, Police or partners to run an awareness campaign later in the year, to keep the pledge high on their agenda. 2️⃣ VRU Commitment Pledge (business setting) can be customised depending on the type of business. This is rolling out to local & national retail shops, fast-food premises and sports locations across Kent and Medway. The VRU, Kent Police and partnership agencies will visit the business, give advice to staff and present them with our Commitment Pledge poster to display to show they are doing their part to help keep the community safe. If your school, college, community group or workplace would like to take part and show the community that you care about people's safety, visit out website for more details (link in our bio) or contact us through our socials or our website. #SaferTogether

Our Reachable Moments A&E Navigator programme supports young victims of youth violence who have been admitted to the Medway Maritime hospital, Medway and William Harvey Hospital, Ashford. We strongly believe that this is a critical moment for these young people, where we can make a real difference by supporting them with intervention at the earliest opportunity. We understand that gang culture is a challenge that young people and our community face and the risks our young people have around county lines, child sexual exploitation, domestic violence, and substance misuse. The team have made around 148 referrals to support for people they have interacted with as part of this scheme this year. This work is in partnership with the safeguarding teams based at the hospitals and it is helping to build relationships with the local police and hospitals. To find out more about this project, visit our website (link in our bio). #SaferTogether

Everyone we know that has attended has thought its brilliant! A great way of getting the important messaging out to young people.

Have you heard that the VRU funds Buddi Tags and we have fitted 33 this year? These tags are utilised by the VRU to assist individuals who are vulnerable to gang or criminal exploitation or are recognised as high-risk offenders wishing to reduce their chances of exploitation or reoffending. Wearing a Buddi Tag enhances collaborative efforts and engagement with the individual, fostering stronger relationships and steering them away from criminal dangers. The success of the Buddi Tag has led us to establish and lead a national working group alongside other police forces and VRUs eager to understand the program's advantages. We've also trained personnel from @kent_police and @Kent_cc to efficiently tag, de-tag, and monitor the devices using specialised software. To learn more about our the VRU Buddi Tags, visit our website (link in bio). #SaferTogether

Did you know that the VRU collaborated in the creation of and then funded the VRU Street Aid initiative? In the past year and a half, close to 100 employees have been trained and provided with first aid supplies. Personnel from @kent_police Officers & PCSOs, @Kent_cc Early Help, Youth Justice, and Detached Youth services, among others, have gained the skills and tools necessary to ensure that young people know how to react if they or their peers suffer injuries. This knowledge extends beyond dealing with physical harm to include guidance on handling situations where someone may be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. These awareness sessions also encourage discussions with young people about the dangers of street violence and promote dialogue on becoming Active Bystanders in their communities, highlighting the crucial part everyone plays in their community. Visit out website to find out more (details in our bio) #SaferTogether