Early Interventions with Young People

Our approach centres around preventive intervention in the lives of young people who may be vulnerable, prioritising early support rather than addressing issues later on. At Hope After Harm, we collaborate with children and families from the earliest stages to empower them in building brighter futures and enhancing their life outcomes. Our unwavering mission is to eradicate situations where the absence of guidance, care, and opportunities at the right time could hinder a young person’s path in life

For numerous young people, their familial, personal, or social circumstances, beyond their control, can expose them to an elevated risk of becoming involved in crime or engaging in anti-social behaviour at a very young age.

Moreover, certain situations, like the transition from primary to secondary school, can prove to be critical and distressing for some young individuals. Small difficulties, when left unsupported during their early years, can often lead to a progression towards truancy, exclusion from mainstream school, losing their way, and eventually getting involved in criminal activities later in life.

Fortunately, with appropriate mentoring and timely intervention, this negative trajectory can often be halted.

Working Restoratively in Schools

Children often have “fall outs” or arguments with their peers but occasionally, this can become a bigger more serious problem, if it is not dealt with quickly and thoroughly. If no resolution is found,  not only can  the problem grow but others can also be drawn in and the situation can quickly escalate.  Adopting the basic principles of restorative approaches to crime our Restorative Justice Responders in Schools project is currently running in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

What are the benefits?

Our trained facilitators enable disputes to be dealt with swiftly and in a school environment, rather than in a police setting.  There are many benefits to resolving issues in this way.  It encourages empathy and accountability in the children and has become more common in recent years as an effective way to resolve disputes and deal with challenging behaviour – offering an effective alternative to punitive responses to wrongdoing.   It helps avoid young people entering the criminal justice system where it is not necessary, frees up local policing so they can focus on other community issues, generally avoids escalation of the issue and can result in a more harmonious outcome for all concerned.   The service is run by our experienced team on our TVRJS programme.