Community-based support
Since 2006, St Giles has been at the forefront of helping vulnerable young people who are involved in gangs, serious violence and offending.
Our approach of using people with lived experience of the issues facing our clients has led us to become one of the leading charities in this area. The insights and expertise of our staff – all of whom have personal backgrounds which relate to these issues – makes them highly sought after to work with young people who often fall through the gaps.
Addressing county lines exploitation
We first became aware of this issue in 2010, through our existing gangs intervention work when young people would go missing for periods and sometimes later present in police custody many miles away from their home areas.
Over time, young people started to confide in our caseworkers and we began to uncover the full extent of the serious exploitation they were involved in.
London Alliance
St Giles is working with Safer London, New Horizon Youth Centre and Anna Freud to support young Londoners involved in county lines exploitation.
Working closely alongside other Alliance partners, we support young Londoners referred to the service, ensure their safety and help them rebuild their lives away from exploitation.
This work is funded by the Mayor of London.
Cardiff County Lines Support
We have developed a specific project helping children and young people in Cardiff being exploited through county lines as the city and surrounding area working with local partners to proactively address an early identified need for this type of work in the city.
Integrated work with local authorities
Our staff are embedded in local authority Integrated Gangs Units to provide tailored support for young people and their families.
They are credible and accessible, able to engage young people that statutory agencies may find difficult to reach. Our teams work closely with partners to address local needs and priorities.