Young people in Nottingham given the platform for a brighter future
A major new safeguarding drive is being launched across Nottingham’s transport network to protect vulnerable children and young people from exploitation and harm.
Railway Children is beginning the next phase of its Safeguarding Action Group, a three-year project designed to strengthen contextual safeguarding in and around transport hubs and along key routes in and out of the city.
The initiative brings together rail operators, youth specialists, local authorities and policing teams to create a coordinated response to crime, antisocial behaviour and child exploitation affecting young people travelling in and around Nottingham.
The charity recently received more than £66,000 of funding to deliver the next stage of the project from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Nottinghamshire’s Safer Nottinghamshire Together grants.
The funding supports a united effort to improve safety across stations, trains and surrounding communities by equipping partners to better identify and safeguard vulnerable young people using the transport network.
By building local capacity to provide trauma-informed support and increasing awareness across Nottingham’s transport system of how to spot and respond to vulnerability, the programme aims to create a more protective and supportive environment for all.
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Angela Kandola witnessed the work first-hand during a recent operation at Newark Northgate Station, where teams engaged with young people and shared information on the risks of exploitation.
The visit coincided with Railway Children’s East Coast Line Days of Action - two-day initiative running from Scotland to London.
Teams at multiple stations, including Newark, worked with passengers, station staff to raise awareness of county lines exploitation and provide guidance on recognising vulnerability and reporting concerns safely.
Deputy PCC Kandola said: “It is vital that young people know they are not alone and that support is always out there.
“This approach centres on contextual safeguarding, and recognises that the public spaces young people move through, including transport environments, can be locations where exploitation and harm occur.
“By working together across our transport network, we can spot the signs early, intervene quickly and show young people that there are adults who care about their safety, their wellbeing and their future.”
Contextual Safeguarding is an approach to understanding, and responding to, young people's experiences of significant harm outside of their home. It recognises that the different relationships that young people form in their neighbourhoods, schools and online can feature violence and abuse.
Among those helping to shape the programme are Chloe and Janet, two young people who were once identified as vulnerable and are now serving as Youth Ambassadors for Railway Children.
Chloe said: “There is light at the end of the tunnel. It might take months or years, but as long as you’re still here, that’s all that counts.
“I joined Railway Children in 2023 after being referred by British Transport Police because I spent a lot of time in and around stations.
“Now I’ve been given a chance to give other young people who can’t voice their words a way of expressing it for them.”
Janet said: “All the young people referred by British Transport Police get a personal project worker who supports you with whatever you need.
“I got involved in 2021 and since then, along with other founding members, I’ve helped shape the work we’re delivering today.”
Jim Rawcliffe, Security and Safeguarding Manager at LNER, said: “Children and young people are the biggest group of vulnerable people we come across day to day.
“We train our staff to look out for children and anyone who appears vulnerable, and having the backing of Railway Children, through their expertise and guidance, provides invaluable insight.
“Just going to speak to someone can make a massive difference to their lives, and often that first point of contact gives them a better opportunity going forward.”