When safeguarding doesn't stop at 18
We’ve published a new evidence summary that explores the evidence on transitional safeguarding and what it means for supporting young people as they transition into adulthood.
For some young people, reaching adulthood doesn’t mean the challenges they face come to an end. Our latest evidence summary explores transitional safeguarding, highlighting how services can better respond to the strengths, needs and vulnerabilities of young people as they move into adulthood.
Keeping young people safe as they transition into adulthood
The transition from childhood to adulthood can be an exciting time, but it can also bring challenges.
Research suggests that young people can continue to experience significant risks and vulnerabilities beyond the age of 18. However, support often changes or becomes more limited when they move from children's to adults' services.
Our new evidence summary explores:
- why safeguarding needs do not stop at 18
- how the impact of childhood trauma can continue into adulthood
- the challenges created by the transition between children's and adults' services
- why a young person may be both vulnerable to harm and involved in harmful behaviour.
What is transitional safeguarding?
Transitional safeguarding recognises that young people's lives don’t fit neatly into the categories of "child" and "adult". Instead, it sees adolescence and young adulthood as a distinct stage of life with unique opportunities, risks and support needs.
The evidence highlights how young people may experience:
- abuse and neglect
- criminal, sexual or other forms of exploitation
- homelessness
- poor mental health and self-harm
- substance misuse
- involvement with the criminal justice system.
It also shows how these experiences are influenced by wider factors, including:
- family relationships
- education and employment
- communities and peer groups
- poverty and inequality
- discrimination and social exclusion.
Why does it matter?
For example, some young people involved in criminal activity may also be experiencing exploitation, coercion or abuse. Transitional safeguarding encourages services to recognise and respond to this complexity.
Supporting the workforce
The evidence summary also highlights:
- relationship-based practice
- professional curiosity
- understanding the wider context of a young person's life
- supportive organisational cultures
- opportunities for reflection and learning
- manageable workloads and effective supervision.
Find out more
Read our evidence summary to explore the research and learn more about how transitional safeguarding can help services better support young people as they move into adulthood. Transitions: transitional safeguarding, on our Insight Collective website.
This is the fifth publication in our series of evidence summaries exploring different aspects of transitions from children's to adults' social care services.
Other evidence summaries in the series include:
- Transitions: perspectives of young people and their families
- Transitions: co-production and supporting care leavers
- Transitions: advocacy for young people with learning disabilities
- Transitions: supporting young people to understand adult services
This series responds to our research priority setting exercise, to find out what barriers, problems and uncertainties young people face as part of transitions from children’s to adults’ social care.