Northumbria’s Student Support Champions
Summary:
Student Support Champions (SSCs) work across 8 Newcastle-Upon-Tyne schools with children identified as being at risk of involvement in violence, as part of a public health and contextual safeguarding approach to violence reduction.
Description:
Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit partnered with Newcastle City Council, Northumbria Police and 8 secondary schools in Newcastle to introduced two Student Support Champions (SSCs).
Students are referred by their school, or they can self-refer for one-to-one or small group work to explore attitudes and behaviours to violence, discuss violence prevention and, more importantly, provide an opportunity for students to share their worries and concerns with a trusted, relatable adult to identify any vulnerabilities and improve contextual safeguarding both in and out of school.
The role is all about working with students, in the protective and inclusive environment of their school, and building relationships to safeguard them from the risks and harms found in the range of contexts they visit or occupy. View an example job description for a Student Support Champion.
Outcomes:
Stakeholders have reported that this concept has been a resounding success. While further investment is needed to pilot SSCs across more schools or in other local authorities, other Newcastle schools and Sunderland City Council have expressed an interest in this approach.
Contact:
| Name | Nicola Johnson |
| nicola.johnson@northumbria-pcc.gov.uk |