Guest Author: Dr Amy Grosso
Serious violence (SV) involving young people remains a critical issue, driven by a range of complex factors. In the London borough of Haringey alone, hospital admissions related to knife crime in under 25s averaged over 500 per annum between 2012-2021. This issue is not isolated to urban areas however, in Northumberland which comprises 70% rural areas and much sparser population, the admission rate for knife crime in under 25s averaged a relatively high 33 p.a. from 2012-2021.
To tackle this challenge, the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) released a research report in 2023 introducing its system mapping approach: a visual representation that shows the structure and relationships within the system of support for children and young people around SV. This framework was developed through extensive interviews with national and regional policymakers, funders, practitioners such as teachers, as well as children and young people themselves.
An interactive version of the systems map can be accessed here, which serves to highlight the level of complexity of the processes and bodies involved in addressing SV nationally. However, the findings revealed that the risks faced by children and young people extend beyond complexity, involving a wide range of organisations and systems.
The five core components of the SV mapping approach
The system mapping approach divides the issue into five core components, offering schools, local authorities, and policymakers a clearer perspective on the interconnected causes of youth violence. It also identifies key opportunities for intervention, where tools like CPOMS StudentSafe can play a crucial role in prevention and safeguarding efforts.
1. Community, Family and Peer Contexts
A young person’s environment outside school significantly shapes their experiences and behaviours. Peer conflicts, bullying or unaddressed tensions can quickly escalate into harmful situations which may place the young person or their families at risk of serious harm.
By flagging peer-related concerns in real time, schools and families can act before situations escalate, fostering healthier relationships and reducing community tensions that contribute to violence.
2. The School Environment
Schools and colleges are uniquely positioned to detect and respond to early warning signs of troubling behaviours. They can provide stability and support through trusted relationships with teaching and non-teaching staff, which can be crucial in safeguarding children. However, research from YEF highlights that environments marked by exclusions, poor behaviour management, or delayed interventions can exacerbate risks for vulnerable students.
By reducing reliance on exclusions and promoting positive school climates, schools can address concerns before they become significant problems. Groups of secondary schools within a local authority area may also work together (and with other agencies such as the police) to discuss and address SV within the school environment.
3. Services and Support
Collaboration across education, safeguarding and social care systems is essential for reducing risks of serious violence. Gaps in communication between professionals, however, can undermine these efforts and lead to the focus being on reacting to SV as opposed to being proactive.
Information sharing between schools, safeguarding leads and multi-agency teams, such as Youth Offending Teams or social care services, allows for more informed decisions. This data-driven approach assists in filling the gap between education and safeguarding systems.
4. Policing and Criminal Justice
While funding has been identified as a major source of difficulty in policing SV, the report identifies that fostering collaboration between schools and police community support officers could allow for positively addressing low level indicators of SV risk.
Education professionals and safeguarding practitioners also play a vital role in monitoring and documenting safeguarding issues and their responses. This type of documentation assists in managing issues proportionately and avoiding overly punitive measures where earlier support might suffice. Together, this strengthens the broader ecosystem of violence prevention.
5. Policy and Leadership
System-wide change requires leadership that understands and acts on data to craft effective policies. Safeguarding data collated by schools, early help teams, alternative provisions and other settings working with children can inform local authority policies and school trust strategies for violence reduction.
It empowers decision-makers at every level to leverage insights for targeted, impactful solutions.
Creating safer futures
The factors contributing to youth violence are interconnected in a variety of complex ways, but they are not insurmountable.
Tools like CPOMS StudentSafe, when aligned with frameworks like the YEF system mapping approach, enable schools, families and policymakers to build safer, more supportive environments for young people. From monitoring trends in an individual student’s chronology, to providing detailed incident reports and case management, StudentSafe supports a data-driven approach to fostering safer communities both within and beyond the school environment.
With CPOMS Engage, education settings and agencies at the local authority can be linked together and securely share essential safeguarding information for individual students. From providing domestic violence notifications to supporting dual-registered pupils, Engage provides a holistic approach to safeguarding, ensuring that no child falls between the gaps in systems.
To find out how CPOMS solutions can support multi-agency approaches to tackling youth violence, book a demo today.
