2017 – SOS+ delivers 379 sessions to more than 24,000 young people, establishing itself as a nationally recognised programme. The team works across the country, combining group sessions for whole schools or year groups with one-to-one support for students identified as being at heightened risk. County Lines in Cymru (CLIC) also begins delivery, supporting vulnerable young people who are involved in, or at risk of, criminal exploitation and harm.

2018 – Findings are published from St Giles’ first dedicated county lines intervention project in Kent, following a year-long pilot. During the year, 38 children receive support; 85% either leave county lines activity or make substantial progress towards doing so. None is in education at the point of referral. By the end of the pilot, five have re-engaged with mainstream education, one has returned to a pupil referral unit, one has gained two GCSEs and another has secured a job. Kent Police estimates that the reduction in missing episodes alone saved more than £250,000 over six months, before accounting for avoided local authority care costs of £3,200 to £8,000 per week. The evaluation receives national media coverage, including a BBC Countryfile feature examining rural county lines exploitation.

St Giles also begins work as part of Rescue and Response, a Mayor of London-funded multi-agency service providing dedicated support to young people in London affected by county lines exploitation.

Junior Smart, founder of the original SOS Project, receives an honorary doctorate from the University of Greenwich in recognition of his contribution to tackling youth violence. He later completes a formal academic doctorate in Policing, Crime and Security at the University of West London.

2019 – St Giles’ hospital-based violence reduction work features in BBC One’s London’s Bleeding, a documentary examining knife crime in the capital and the experiences of people affected. In the same year, SOS+ delivers more than 1,000 sessions, with nearly 96,000 attendances. St Giles also begins work in two West Midlands hospitals, supporting young people admitted to A&E as a result of serious violence.