SOS+ North Yorkshire is an early intervention and prevention service working throughout the City of York and North Yorkshire. It supports children and young people aged 10 to 25 who are at risk of criminal or sexual exploitation, and who also may have been repeatedly missing from home.
Once a young person has been referred in, the team offers long-term one-to-one support, interventions and group sessions tailored to their individual needs. The aim is to keep them safe, build space to recognise risk and give them the tools to make positive choices.
Comprising a team of four, some of whom have lived experience of the complex issues faced by the children and young people they support, the team have worked with over 62 young people since May 2024 in educational settings, community and the home.
In addition to one support, the team facilitates sessions in schools and for professionals. Tailored to each audience, these sessions help to educate on the signs and risks of exploitation. During Safeguarding Week, the team were delighted to deliver in a school and give young people the safe space to learn about how they can be equipped with the tools to contribute to keeping themselves safe.
Kellie Karamanos – Service Manager for St Giles North Yorkshire said:
“It has been eye opening to see how high the need is in North Yorkshire for this type of service, it is so important that we get out there and reach the young people at risk and provide this support to them in the hope of preventing risk and harm. It feels important to be a part of this and to be driving the team forward to continue making a difference to those that need us. My team consistently go above and beyond to ensure the needs are met of the young people and I am proud to see how far we have come already and excited to see just how far we can go and how big a difference we will be able to make.”
SOS+ North Yorkshire is funded by The York & North Yorkshire Office for Policing, Fire, Crime & Commissioning (OPFCC) part of the York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Connect with St Giles
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
X (formerly known as Twitter)
National newsletter sign-up
Yorkshire newsletter sign-up
See More from St Giles Yorkshire