2020 – During the Covid lockdown, much of the support moves online. The teams act quickly to source laptops for clients through St Giles’ emergency Covid appeal. This helps caseworkers keep young people connected with education and provide continued support through the challenges of lockdown.
By this point, St Giles has increasingly moved away from the terms SOS and SOS+, as the work has grown into a national programme that no longer fits neatly within two distinct project definitions. The term ‘gang’ has also become less widely used because it can obscure the acute vulnerability of many of the children and young people receiving support.
Junior Smart, founder and first caseworker of the original SOS Project, is awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours for services to children and young people, including his work in support, advocacy and education.
2021 – Despite continuing Covid restrictions, violence and exploitation persist in changing forms, including growing online harms and the increased use of taxis and couriers in criminal exploitation. Caseworkers continue to support young people online and, where necessary, in person with social distancing measures in place.
In October 2021, St Giles marks 15 years of work tackling violence and exploitation through an online event featuring criminology and gangs expert Professor Simon Harding and NHS England’s Violence Reduction Lead, Martin Griffiths.
2022 – In the West Midlands, Expect Respect supports girls and young women involved in, or at risk of, violence and exploitation. The programme builds on a smaller-scale project previously delivered in London.
2023 – The Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV) begins delivery in the West Midlands. Funded by the Youth Endowment Fund and delivered in partnership with the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership, CIRV brings caseworkers and police navigators together to identify young people at greatest risk of violence. Caseworkers then provide intensive, tailored one-to-one support to address the complex issues affecting each young person.
2024 – The Youth Endowment Fund announces two years of funding for St Giles’ trusted adult mentoring programme, which aims to prevent young people from becoming involved in violence, crime and criminal exploitation. The funding enables the existing programme to expand to 20 schools across five regions in England and Wales. The violence reduction team is also shortlisted for the Children and Young People Now Awards.
2025 – A pilot project in North Yorkshire supporting girls and young women at risk of exploitation becomes an established service. Recognising the particular challenges of rural and suburban exploitation, it provides drop-in support from a mobile van, offering a safe and accessible place to seek guidance on a wide range of issues.
St Giles’ hospital-based violence reduction work at The Royal London Hospital is featured in a landmark BBC documentary on knife crime presented by Idris Elba.
