More than 114,000 young people reached through Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership’s positive interventions to prevent violence
15.07.24 - Merseyside
More than 114,000 young people have been supported through targeted interventions delivered by Merseyside’s Violence Reduction Partnership to prevent serious violence and build more positive futures.
The children and young people have been reached through dozens of programmes and initiatives since the MVRP team first began work in 2019, often focused in the areas which have seen the highest levels of violence and the biggest cuts to youth services.
All the interventions are designed to support and engage under 25-year-olds to prevent them from getting involved in harmful behaviours which could lead to serious violence, while giving them access to better opportunities and helping them to reach their full potential.
The interventions range from programmes designed to support babies and toddlers and their families to give them the best start in life, right through to young people who are already involved in the criminal justice system to try to break the cycle of offending.
It also includes programmes which are design to identify families where children may be vulnerable due to issues such as substance misuse, domestic abuse, or mental health crisis to provide therapeutic support and wraparound care.
The milestone achievement will be marked at a session of one of the MVRP flagship programmes - the Fire Champions course – which will be delivered at St Michael’s Catholic Primary School in Everton and attended by the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, the director of the MVRP, Supt Georgie Garvey, and MFRS Assistant Chief Fire Officer Dave Mottram.
First piloted in 2023, this six-week course has now been delivered in 13 schools to nearly 300 primary school pupils, who embark on a six-week programme delivered by Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue designed to keep them safe, increase their resilience, confidence and teamwork and build positive relationships with blue light services.
Some of the other key projects delivered over the past five years to support young people across the region include:
- Mentors in Violence Prevention – more than 1,120 secondary school pupils have now undertaken this training delivered by the Merseyside Youth Association which gives them the tools to challenge the behaviour, language and mindsets that can act as a trigger for violence.
- Navigators – operating in Merseyside’s three busiest Accident & Emergency departments, this pioneering project sees specially trained youth workers team up with hospital staff to identify young people affected by serious violence and put plans in place to help them to cope and recover and prevent further violence.
- Beacon – working with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, this alternative education and skills course has been delivered 65 times to 699 children who are identified as needing additional support with their development.
- Educational programmes delivered by charity Ariel Trust which are designed to support children to develop the skills to identify and protect themselves from harmful behaviours, such as grassing and grooming, online abuse and misogyny.
- Interactive drama sessions delivered in colleges and sixth form colleges to address the issue of violence against women and girls.
- Emergency first aid training through educational programmes and apps delivered through charities Knifesavers and StreetDoctors.
- Early years support designed to increase bonds between babies and their parents, encourage their development and reduce the impact of trauma.
- Whole family support – delivered by Crea8ing Community and the Young Person’s Advisory Services Flourishing Families this programme is designed to provide wraparound support for the entire family when a young person is identified by a social worker as in need.
- Time to Thrive – an early intervention scheme delivered by Time Matters UK which provides peer support groups and one-to-one mentoring for children, aged five to 18 years old impacted by the imprisonment of a parent of family member.
The MVRP has also reached thousands of youngsters by providing grants to a host of community and third sector organisations to deliver arts, culture and sports activities focused on unlocking the potential of young people in the areas by giving them access to better opportunities.
Merseyside’s Police Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, said: “Our Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership is determined to use every possible tool to prevent serious violence.
“A key part of that work is to protect young people and prevent them from falling into the clutches of criminals.
“It’s a huge achievement that in the past five years more than 114,000 young people have been reached through these positive interventions, all focused on keeping them safe and stopping them from going down the wrong path. This is more than the total number of people aged under 25 in Knowsley and St Helens combined.
“This support is life changing. It is building safer, brighter, more positive futures for those young people, their families and whole communities across our region.”
MVRP’s Director Superintendent Georgie Garvey said: “We firmly believe that violence isn’t inevitable - it’s preventable - and the best way to stop it is to get upstream and support young people to keep them safe.
“We are hugely proud that by working with a whole host of partners, charities, and community groups we have reached more than 114,000 young people in the five years we’ve been working together.
“That’s a staggering number of young people who are now more resilient, better equipped to protect themselves from harmful behaviours and have greater access to opportunities to unlock their true potential.
“Our goal is to help young Merseysiders to develop and thrive, making a difference for this generation and future generations and making our region safer.”
Find out more about the MVRP’s programmes and interventions at www.merseysidevrp.com