Wendy Shepherd, who is the full-time children's services manager at Secos, is in no doubt that the project's 20 volunteers have enabled it to reach more young people in need than it otherwise would have done.
They accompany full-time staff on the project's "Sooty" van, which goes out to areas where women are working on the streets. They could have to confront abusive pimps and deal with harrowing situations like the aftermath of sexual assaults. Some nights they might work until 3am.
"Historically, Middlesbrough has always had prostitution because it's an old port," says Shepherd. "But what became apparent was the number of young people involved."
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