Youth services mutual to take on child protection work

Epic CIC, which became the first youth services mutual in the country when it separated from Kensington and Chelsea Council in 2014, will support children and young adults who have been affected by parental alcohol or substance misuse.

The project, called Hidden Harm, will involve staff providing one-to-one support to some of the most vulnerable five-to 18-year-olds in the borough.?

Lee Morphew, Hidden Harm manager, said the project will initially work with around 20 children and young people.

He said the goal is to improve young peoples' confidence, self-esteem, and ensure they don't feel alone or that it is their fault for what is happening within the home.

Young people will also gain support through group activities, such as visiting a cinema or playing football games.

“There is currently no structured national approach to the provision of hidden harm services and many hidden-harm-related professionals and services focus on the adult and the family, but not the children," Morphew said. ??

“Our project will offer intensive support solely for the children whilst also contributing to the multi-agency professional networks who engage the extended family.”

"You need to be sensitive to who the children are and where they're coming from, their experiences, and their ages so they need to be grouped appropriately together," Morphew said.

Brendan O’Keefe, managing director of Epic CIC, said that although an estimated 2.6 million children are affected by parental or familial alcohol misuse in the UK, there is relatively llittle support on offer.

"The project allows Epic to offer something extremely meaningful and original," O'Keefe said.

"It operates within the realms of child protection and enables the children to have a voice in very difficult and constrained circumstances.”

??Earlier this month, Ofsted stressed the value of local authority children's services departments utilising youth workers in social work, suggesting that councils should consider the approach to improve outcomes.