Viewpoint

Helping you, and vulnerable children too

As organisations across the rail industry work to meet the obligations of the government’s Safeguarding on Rail Scheme, Emma Halewood UK Partnerships Manager for Railway Children explains the difference it can make to young people.

Railway Children is an international charity that has changed the lives of more than 325,000 children over the last 25 years. The charity fights for children around the world that have no one else to protect and care for them. Children who are forced to survive on the streets and around the railways in India, Africa and here in the UK where they often find themselves in danger using public transport to run away from home. These children may be desperate to escape difficult homes – faced with poverty, neglect, violence and abuse – or being lured away by traffickers and those looking to groom or exploit them. Some are suffering through bullying, loneliness and poor mental health and even considering suicide as a way out of their problems. Transport hubs are a magnet to these young people – they offer a chance for escape and adventure, a place to hide or disappear into a crowd and a meeting point to access networks that can transport people, drugs or money across the country. They attract as many vulnerable people as they do those looking to abuse and exploit them and that’s why we make sure to reach them first. Wherever the charity finds these children, and whatever they are facing, they use the same approach to make sure they are safe from harm – always trying to reach them as soon as possible – before a predator does and before they are lost to a life of trauma and despair.

Children like Lily, who was referred to us by British Transport Police as she kept running away from her care home and being found on the railway. The 14-year-old was in extreme danger travelling alone and had been exploited in the past – but still kept trying to get back to the place she had been moved away from for her own safety. Our team worked with Lily to help her understand the risks she was exposed to and now she is safe and settled and hasn’t run away since. Without Railway Children having trained stakeholders and officers at the station, Lily may well have not been spotted and her future could have been a very different one. The more people who can identify and respond to a child that needs help, then the more young people we can protect together. Making sure our public transport system is a safe place for all those who use or work within it is everyone’s responsibility, and in recognising this the government has introduced the Safeguarding on Rail Scheme (SRS) to enforce that obligation.

The SRS is an opportunity for

organisations operating on the UK rail network to demonstrate how they are working with partners to play a proactive role in safeguarding vulnerable people on the network. The objectives within it align perfectly with Railway Children’s strategic

We can’t do this alone – and that’s where you come in We work with partners and stakeholders across the rail network in the UK to train them so they can be our eyes and ears, joining us in looking out for those at risk.

aim for our UK Safeguarding on Transport programme which is to create a safety network for vulnerable people across the UK transport system’ ensuring they are identified and offered the support they need. So it is a natural fit for the charity to be leading the way in training and supporting rail colleagues to achieve those objectives.

What we can offer We have recently had the privilege of working with GWR through our Safeguarding on Transport Programme and supporting them to become the first to achieve the full SRS Accreditation. Now we’re working with several other top names in the industry to help them do the same and share our knowledge and expertise with colleagues and partners. In the last year alone we have provided our Safeguarding on Transport training to 5,147 rail colleagues, with outstanding feedback from the rail industry, and life changing stories of intervention involving vulnerable children.

We have an established a suite of online safeguarding training programmes specifically designed for frontline rail staff and safeguarding champions in the rail industry. The impact of completing this training cannot be underestimated – the difference it can make to reach a vulnerable person quickly and appropriately can change and sometimes even save lives. Our programme helps empower frontline, support, and station staff to identify potentially vulnerable people and enable to respond appropriately so interventions, with the support of BTP, can happen quickly, potentially changing and saving lives for young, and making the network a safer place for everyone – young people, colleagues and customers.

At the same time our Safeguarding on Transport programme will help businesses in the rail industry meet your SRS requirements whether as committed obligation or voluntarily. We can help you meet the assessment criteria in the following areas: 1. Senior Leadership and Commitment –

We can help you create and implement a safeguarding strategy that complies with the Safeguarding on Rail Scheme and provide ongoing safeguarding consultancy and support. 2. Safeguarding Communication – Our team will develop and implement an effective communication plan relating to safeguarding and vulnerability for both your employees and customers. 3. Responding to Vulnerability – We will be able to advise on local safeguarding initiatives to mitigate issues at high vulnerability locations. 4. Staff Recruitment, Roles and

Responsibility – We can review current policies and procedures to ensure they meet safeguarding requirements. 5. Training – Our team will write and deliver an effective safeguarding training plan to enable staff to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to support vulnerable people. as many vulnerable young people as possible over the past twelve months we also have built a network of Safeguarding Action Groups. These bring people together to actively identify, respond and report vulnerability or safeguarding concerns that may happen at a station, on a train, depot or on the tracks. It creates an active group of people who engage in various activities such as training, briefings, events at the station and who will champion the needs of vulnerable adults and children. Being part of a SAG is not about just attending a meeting it is playing an active role in promoting the wellbeing and safety of others, challenging perceptions and stereotypes and encouraging discussion. The more eyes and ears we have, and the more people engaged in conversations around vulnerability and safeguarding the better. Railway Children have identified key stakeholders in SAGs and would encourage all members of the station community to be involved from Station Managers, BTP Officers, BTP Designing Out Crime teams and Intelligence Officers, Ticket Staff, Barrier Staff (from various TOCs) Retail Assistance, Cleaning Management Teams, and Security Staff to come together. The more eyes and ears we have, and the more people engaged in conversations around vulnerability and safeguarding the better.

To learn more about our Safeguarding on Transport Programme or to discuss how we can help you meet your SRS obligations and training needs, please get in touch at: e.halewood@ railwaychildren.org.uk