Experts by Experience

For millions of people in the UK, drug taking is a normal day of everyday life, from drinking alcohol or caffeine, to taking a paracetamol for a headache. For some though, drug taking is a serious problem, often having a devastating effect on the individual’s life and the lives of those around them. Latest statistics show that over 20% of people the age of 16-24 have taken an illicit drug. Around 7% are known to have taken a Class A drug, deemed to be the most dangerous, and around 18% have taken cannabis, a Class B drug. 

In today’s discussion we explore how much of a problem substance misuse is amongst young people. We ask what can be done to support young people struggling with substance misuse, and how the often conflicting messages in the media about what is and isn’t harmful can cause challenges when tackling drug and substance misuse. 

Joining us for this discussion is Julie Poling, Service Manager for Hampshire 24/7 Young People’s Substance Misuse Service, and Katy Bumstead, Service Manager for Surrey Young People’s Substance Misuse Service. 

Join in the conversation at #catch22minutes and visit our website at catch-22.org.uk 

How Catch22 can support:

In this episode of Catch22Minutes, we take a look at how we can rethink the approach to young people's mental health services through one of our own services, The Hive. The Hive is a free mental health and wellbeing service that supports all young people age 16-24 in London. Based at The Hive building in Camden, they support young people with mental health, personal development, health and wellbeing, sexual health, employment and education, and substance misuse. The Hive delivers support in a combination of 1 to 1 sessions, group work, a sexual health clinic, and crucially, through a social hub. Essentially, the Hive delivers mental health support to young people in a very different way. 

To explore The Hive model and to discuss its effectiveness, we are joined by Krystal Donaldson, Service Manager at the Hive, and Katie Clayton, Clinical Team Lead for Camden and Islington NHS Trust. 

Join in the conversation at #catch22minutes and visit our website at catch-22.org.uk 

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In this episode of Catch22Minutes, we’ll be exploring what safeguarding actually means in practice and why it’s so important. We’ll also be looking at the inequity that can occur in safeguarding and ask why some groups are sometimes safeguarded better than others.

Safeguarding involves taking measures to protect the health, wellbeing, and human rights of individuals. This allows young people, children, and vulnerable adults to live free from abuse, harm, and neglect. When safeguarding goes wrong, the consequences can be catastrophic, but when it is done well, it allows some of the most vulnerable in society to live safely and to thrive.

We are joined by the Directors of Listen Up Janine Davis and Daniel Morris. Listen Up’s mission it is to amplify the experiences of minorities and marginalised children and young people until all children are seen, heard, and protected.

Join in the conversation at #catch22minutes and visit our website at catch-22.org.uk 

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In this episode of Catch22Minutes, we’ll be discussing county lines. For children and young people who are victims of county lines activity the impact on their lives, and the lives of those around them, can be devastating. We know that grooming techniques are becoming more advanced, and that escaping the clutches of these perpetrators can be incredibly difficult. What techniques are perpetrators using to lure children into county lines activity? Why are victims seemingly getting younger? What is being done to support children and young people being caught up in county lines activity? And what can be done to tackle it?

We are joined by Johnny Bolderson, Senior Service Manager for Catch22’s County Lines Support and Rescue Service, and James Houghton, Safeguarding Operational Lead for the British Transport Police’s County Lines Taskforce.

How Catch22 can help: https://bit.ly/3XKA7X3

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In this episode of Catch22Minutes, we'll be discussing the topic of online harms. The online world presents huge opportunities for finding purpose, connection, and community. Our world heavily relies on the internet in order to find work, to connect with services, to be entertained, to keep in touch with loved ones. But the online world can also present significant risks for children and young people. It’s a fast moving space, and the threat of online grooming and exposure to harmful content is undoubtedly growing. 

We are joined by Vicky Young, Senior Helpline Manager at the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, and Sarah Parker, Research Development Officer for the Young People, Families, and Communities Hub at Catch22. 

Join in the conversation at #catch22minutes and visit our website at catch-22.org.uk  

How Catch22 can help: http://bit.ly/3IMyzXA 

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In this special episode of Catch22Minutes, we take a break from our third series to discuss constructive resettlement. Constructive resettlement is an evidence-based framework that empowers practitioners to support children and young people on their own personal journeys, enabling them to shift their identities away from crime and towards a positive, pro-social future.

In this episode, Judah Armani, our partner from public service design practise, interviews Helen Dyson and Naomi McGrath; Helen Dyson is the Director of Justice and Health and Business Development at Nacro, Naomi McGrath is the Senior Operations Manager for Social Justice and Rehabilitation at Catch22.

Judah, Naomi and Helen explore the 5 C’s which enables constructive resettlement: (constructive, co-created, customised, consistent and co-ordinated), as well as the importance of these in the successful rehabilitation of children and young people.

In this episode of Catch22Minutes, we'll be discussing the topic of care-leavers and criminalisation. Why is it that while care-leavers aged 16-18 make up less than 1% of the under-18 population, estimates suggest that over 25% of young offenders, and over 50% of people in secure children's centres have been in care. What are the factors that mean young people in care are more likely to be criminalised than those outside the care system? What support is available to them? And ultimately, how can the numbers of care-experienced children and young people being criminalised be reduced? 

We are joined by Ben Twomey, Director of Policy and Communications at the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS), and Victoria Odude, Steering Group Representative at the Young People's Benchmarking Forum (YPBMF).

Join in the conversation at #catch22minutes and visit our website at catch-22.org.uk 

Helpful Links:

National Youth Advocacy Service:

National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum:

In this episode of Catch22Minutes, we explore how and why children go missing, how it can be prevented, and the signs that a missing episode may be linked to exploitation. We cover what to do if you’re worried that a child is missing, and discuss the response to missing children, including the good, and not so good, practice that can make a real difference as to whether a child goes missing again.

We are joined by Josie Allan, Senior Partnerships and Policy Manager at Missing People, and James Simmonds Read, National Prevention Programme Manager at The Children’s Society.

Join in the conversation at #catch22minutes and visit our website at catch-22.org.uk 

Helpful Links:

Missing People:

The Children’s Society:

‘Hidden victims’ are people who do not access victim services, even though these services are free and independent of the police. Hidden victims are not included in official crime statistics. From those dealing with homelessness or domestic or sexual violence to those who are very young or elderly, their under-reporting means funding does not get sufficiently allocated to these groups of particularly vulnerable groups. 

At the same time, the term ‘victim’ too often feels disempowering to those affected by crime. How do we better reach those in need of support? And what can we do to empower all victims in today’s justice system? 

To discuss this, Catch22Minutes host Josie Cochrane is joined by Emma Jones, Catch22's Director of Victim Services, and Millie Gant, Juniper Lodge Manager - a sexual assault referral centre based in Leicestershire.

catch-22.org.uk

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